My family and I were vacationing in San Francisco. We were cruising around looking at the neighborhoods and found this place on our GPS. What a stroke of luck!

We were feeling adventurous and wanted to try something we couldn't get back home. We hadn't tried much Middle Eastern/Mediterranean food, so we asked the owner, Abed, to surprise us.

Abed started us off with a variety of dips for pita bread. There was a cucumber yogurt that was cool, smooth, and tangy, with small chunks of cucumber adding good texture. The hummus was also delicious. There was also baba ganoush, a new experience for all of us, which was delightful. Balls of falafel were artfully stationed at six points around the plate. However, one of my favorite things on the plate was the stuffed grape leaves. The grape leaves were filled with a lemon rice mixture; the citrus in the rice added a refreshing kick. And that was just for starters!

The main entree was called Mansaf, which is a dish popular with Middle eastern nomads. It featured lamb cooked in an aged yogurt sauce over rice. It was filling, creamy, and very enjoyable. Get this entree and serve it family style. One portion is enough to feed two people, at least.

The dessert we tried was knafeh, a popular Palestinian dish. It consisted of a type of cheese covered in thin, shredded pieces of fried filo dough in a sweet, pink sauce. It was definitely a novel, interesting experience that you can't find in many places.

If you're in San Francisco, definitely make the trip out to Noe Valley to try this hidden gem! You can tell Abed really takes pride in how his food is served, which is what makes this place special.