Restaurante Arrayanes

Se habla español???

As a callow youth, I never showed much facility for foreign languages.  In order to honor California’s past and to foreshadow its future, Spanish was a required subject in the sixth grade at La Tijera Elementary School, strategically placed at the swampy, scissors-like intersection of La Cienega and La Tijera Blvds.  Our instructor, Señora Rosa, cheerfully led the class in the recitation of commonly used phrases.  By the time of my graduation, the extent of my knowledge of Spanish was “Hola Isabel, como esta?” and “Two tacos, extra hot sauce.”

I believed in The Angelocentric theory of the universe.  How my relatives could choose to live in the overcrowded, antiquated wasteland of New York City was a conundrum that even the all-knowing seer of Burbank, The Great Carnac, would have been able to unravel.  Thanks to Señora Rosa, I discovered that many places on the Iberian Peninsula were named after locales in the Los Angeles Basin.  Why the Spanish would name cities and landmarks after mundane SoCal suburbs such as Valencia, Alhambra and Granada (Hills, that is) seemed another puzzle for Carnac to solve. I vowed that if he was unable to untie this Gordian knot (and I never found out because my bedtime was 9:00 PM), I would undertake the challenge myself.

So fast forward an unspecified number of years.  I traveled to Granada, Spain with my better half in tow to attempt to decipher this riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.  In order to embolden myself for this Sisyphean task, however, I needed to be fortified with local cuisine.  I headed straight for the Albaicín district at the base of the iconic Alhambra, where I discovered a fascinating mix of Moorish, Spanish and American cultures.

The Albaicín district is a Disneyland-clean and welcoming locale with narrow labyrinthine streets, cobblestone alleys and whitewashed Moorish architecture with intricate tile work, arches and courtyards.  In addition to the stunning views of the Alhambra, it is known for cozy tea houses, numerous tapas bars and Moroccan cuisine.

The universal recommendation from concierges, guidebooks and random street buskers for the best location to dine in the Albaicín district is Restaurante Arrayanes.  It is cleverly hidden in the tortuous pedestrian pathways that carve up the hills toward the Iglesia de San Nicolás to weed out the faint of heart, spineless and cold-footed.  I have not seen such authenticity of Moorish style since my last viewing of The Road to Morocco starring Bob Hope, Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour.

Upon entering the premises, I reached back into the distant past to attempt to recapture some of Señora Rosa’s lessons but mysteriously the multilingual staff was able to discern my nationality and responded in perfect English.  We were seated in the tourist section of the restaurant, which actually comprises its entirety.  The décor was authentic with a bright, red color palette, intricately patterned textiles and rugs, low seating arrangements on cushions and poufs and decorative geometric and arabesque accents.

All cuisine is strictly halal so one should pre-game if alcohol is a necessary accompaniment to dinner.  We started with the Mediterranean salad.  A variety of fruit (pineapple, melon, banana, citrus and dates) is mixed with vegetables (peppers, corn, and cucumber) and walnuts and topped with a touch of chicken.  The medley is dressed with a citrus vinaigrette with Moroccan spices of cumin, ginger and coriander.  The dish was surprisingly refreshing and light, a wonderful start to what proved to be a fabulous dining experience.  This massive salad was just the start of the phalanx of food that I ordered in an ambitious frenzy.

The salad was escorted in the appetizer convoy by baba ghanoush with fluffy pita bread.  The slightly smoky flavor of the roasted eggplant blended perfectly with the nuttiness of tahini and the zing of the garlic and lemon juice for a rich and savory overall taste with just a hint of sweetness.  The smooth and creamy texture was perfect for spreading on the soft and airy freshly-baked pita.

For our main course we sampled the Briouat de Marisco.  The briouat is a puff pastry of filo dough filled with various ingredients; we chose the mixed seafood of fish and shellfish seasoned with paprika, coriander and parsley.  The filled pastry is folded into a triangular shape and deep-fried until golden and crispy.  The dish was beautifully presented with a variety of small vegetables and lemon wedges.  Biting through the sweet, crunchy exterior into the abundant, savory seafood yielded a gratifying contrast of textures and flavors.

The briouat was accompanied by Vegetable Couscous with crisp al dente carrots, zucchini, squash, and potatoes.  The saffron-tinted couscous was light and fluffy, intermingled with garbanzo beans and topped with eggplant baba ghanoush and sesame seeds.

The meal was completed with the traditional Moroccan Date and Almond Tart.  The sweetness of the dates and honey combined with the nutty richness of the ground almonds within a buttery crisp crust created a delicious and indulgent dessert.  It was served with homemade whipped cream topped by minced almonds.

Although the staff at Restaurante Arrayanes did not even attempt to please the memory of Señora Rosa by speaking with me in their native tongue, they did communicate through another universal language.  The message came in loud and clear.

I will leave you with scenes of Spanish street food porn: