My Memories of Shamshiri Grill in Westwood, California
A friend of mine Jana Stewart runs a "Bikini Booty Boot Camp" in Santa Monica and she was talking to me one day and I remembered this wonderful little restaurant near Santa Monica that my husband and I enjoyed so much. It is called Shamshiri Grill.
I was a new Muslim back then and knew nothing about Los Angeles or the world really. My husband knew everything and his favorite place to eat was at a place called Shamshiri's. It is on a main street and no off-street parking was available, so we would have to hope we could find a parking space close. Sometimes there was a waiting line to get in and we would wait up to 1 hour for a table on some nights, but we waited each time. The owner sat behind the desk and he would chat with us while we waited. He would make us laugh and of course my husband was so easy to get along with, so he would have us laughing so much that others would wonder what was so funny. |
_Sometimes we would just go for take-out. Mo would call ahead of
time and make the orders and we would just take away to the park or to
the ocean front with a large Pepsi Cola. There was always enough food
for two and so sometimes we did not get more than one. This was 14
years ago and back then the prices were cheap enough,but expensive
enough for us not to get too much.
The grill was not fancy or anything like that, but always clean. If you got a booth you were lucky, but maybe that has changed now. I have seen some pictures and it looks like there are many tables now. So we would sit down at our table and wait for the waiter to come. They were extremely busy and the service was a bit slow on some days, but the waiters were always very courteous. It is a good date-place, as there is enough time to get to know your better half while you are waiting on your food.
Although my picture shows fish above, we always got the plate with lamb kebabs and basmati rice. Sometimes we would get one chicken plate and one lamb plate and we would share. You get two kebabs with each order. You also got a grilled onion and tomato. I never liked the tomato really, but it comes with the meal. You also got a yogurt and cucumber salad with the meal. We then would order a huge Pepsi Cola to go with the meal and usually drank most of it while waiting.
It was a time when we were happy and it was a time of fond memories. We felt happy in those days and to this day, sitting here in Jordan, I can still smell the aroma of the food. Even when I was telling Jana about this meal, she laughed. I told her I can still smell the aroma and it is so addicting. Just from that very simple conversation, I went to locate them online. I found them at: Shamshir.com
I then found they had a Face Book page and went there to request to use their photos. It is a page full of information and photos. Almost like a journey through time. I would rate their food a 5, their service a 3 and their memories a 10,000. I become emotional when I think of those days because my husband died 10 years ago this month. Why did i write this story about Shamshiri's? Because I wanted you to know about my husband and how very much I loved him. This article is for you my sweet darling and I so miss you. I do hope that there are lamb kebabs in heaven.
The grill was not fancy or anything like that, but always clean. If you got a booth you were lucky, but maybe that has changed now. I have seen some pictures and it looks like there are many tables now. So we would sit down at our table and wait for the waiter to come. They were extremely busy and the service was a bit slow on some days, but the waiters were always very courteous. It is a good date-place, as there is enough time to get to know your better half while you are waiting on your food.
Although my picture shows fish above, we always got the plate with lamb kebabs and basmati rice. Sometimes we would get one chicken plate and one lamb plate and we would share. You get two kebabs with each order. You also got a grilled onion and tomato. I never liked the tomato really, but it comes with the meal. You also got a yogurt and cucumber salad with the meal. We then would order a huge Pepsi Cola to go with the meal and usually drank most of it while waiting.
It was a time when we were happy and it was a time of fond memories. We felt happy in those days and to this day, sitting here in Jordan, I can still smell the aroma of the food. Even when I was telling Jana about this meal, she laughed. I told her I can still smell the aroma and it is so addicting. Just from that very simple conversation, I went to locate them online. I found them at: Shamshir.com
I then found they had a Face Book page and went there to request to use their photos. It is a page full of information and photos. Almost like a journey through time. I would rate their food a 5, their service a 3 and their memories a 10,000. I become emotional when I think of those days because my husband died 10 years ago this month. Why did i write this story about Shamshiri's? Because I wanted you to know about my husband and how very much I loved him. This article is for you my sweet darling and I so miss you. I do hope that there are lamb kebabs in heaven.
_
Address: 1712 Westwood Blvd.. Westwood, CA 90024
Phone: (310) 474-1410
Fax: (310) 474-3396
Address: 1712 Westwood Blvd.. Westwood, CA 90024
Phone: (310) 474-1410
Fax: (310) 474-3396
To learn how to make the cucumber and yogurt dip served at Shamshiri's
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Yogurt and Cucumber Salad
Ingredients:
Directions:
1. In a mortar put the garlic, salt and mint together. Pound until the garlic is finely minced.
2. Add the minced garlic to the yogurt and cucumber and mix well.
Yogurt and Cucumber Salad
Ingredients:
- 1 quart yogurt
- 2 cucumbers, partially peeled and diced
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon dried mint
- 1 teaspoon salt
Directions:
1. In a mortar put the garlic, salt and mint together. Pound until the garlic is finely minced.
2. Add the minced garlic to the yogurt and cucumber and mix well.