searching for kafta….

We saw Finding Neverland last night at the AFI in Silver Springs. Then we had dinner at the Lebanese Taverna Cafe.

I was looking for some yummy kafta….In Paris, late at night – we wandered around our neighborhood and hit up the sidwalk food stands. They sold crepes and Lebanese food. I fell in love with kafta sandwiches. Grilled meat marinated with some zesty seasonings and served inside a pita bread. Good stuff. Cheap food. It hit the spot after a night of wine and more wine.

Back in Silver Springs, I found the Beef and Lamb Shawarma – the lamb is roasted on a rotisserie and served with tahini sauce. I also had the coucous sald – with garlic, lemon and olive oil. Both were yummy. It’s nice to get away from the Americana cuisine that’s so easy to find in this area. I also saw that the cafe had a Kafta dish listed as a chef’s special.

So, later in the week, when I had my Kafta craving – I told Mark I would meet him at the Silver Springs Metro stop and we could go back to the Lebanese Taverna Cafe. I ordered the chef’s Kafta special – grilled ground beef and lamb patties, seasoned with parsley, onions and herbs. Also came with rice and a salad. The rice was a bit bland…the sauce for the Kafta had a nice zing. It was filling and I had to take home some leftovers.

It’s nice to get all my meat dishes in before Ash Wed. I plan on giving up meat and alcohol for Lent. Just like last year.

Some thoughts on films….Finding Neverland was magical. Johnny Dep had a lovely irish accent. I believed he was the boy who never grew-up. I also appreciated the question of impropriety – it was odd that Dep’s character spent more time with the widower and her kids, more so than with his own wife. Overall, the film artfully wove in the fantasy sequences with the present storyline. It was captivating and I hope it does well at the Oscars.

Phantom of the Opera – I’ve been dying to see this film back when it premiered in London. Reuters had a chance to film the making of Weber’s musical on a British soundstage. I wrote up the shotlist for the Reuters story and saw the super-cool masquerade scenes. The musical translates well into the silver screen. I adore Emmy Rossum’s voice – an angel. The Phantom was a bit disappointing in vocal stylings, but he made up for his lack of musical talent with his tortured soul monster/angel thing…he did that well. It was so cool for the film to fill in the blanks….you have to use your imagination to visualize the behind-the-scenes of a Paris Opera house. The film showed it all and I loved it.

Closer – a bit disappointing. Beautiful people acting shallow about relationships. Natalie Portman was lovely…but the dialogue and the whole heartache bit….well, I was bored.

Pompeii: The Last Day – major bloody disappointment! It was hyped up everywhere – from London’s Tube stations to the DC Metro Stations. We invited Steph to watch the film on the huge TV in the house. Mark made burnt popcorn…in honor of the volacanic tragedy. It was a waste of time. The actors were shoddy and the whole bit felt like two segments squashed together. The special affects were cool – but we saw the same volcanic explosions, over and over again. I hated the second-half of the series, with a female host doing her stand-up, while lying down on the beach. She had kids covering her up in sand – to illustrate how the casts were made of the bodies, left behind in the ash. Overall, we couldn’t stop channel switching between Bravo and the Discovery Channel. Bravo won, with it’s presentation of Project Runaway. Steph said it’s pretty sad that a fashion show would win over a documentary.