{"id":12956,"date":"2011-09-24T21:35:47","date_gmt":"2011-09-25T03:35:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=12956"},"modified":"2026-04-03T12:54:23","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T18:54:23","slug":"sahara-middle-eastern-eatery-albuquerque-new-mexico","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=12956","title":{"rendered":"Sahara Middle Eastern Eatery – Albuquerque, New Mexico"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"\"
The Sahara Middle Eastern Eatery on Central Avenue in Albuquerque<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

History has shown that cultures which thrived and advanced most rapidly are those which settled in arable areas rife with\u00a0 natural resources.\u00a0 The “Cradle of Civilization” where many of the earliest human civilizations evolved is in a seemingly unlikely region of the Middle East in which most of the land is too dry for farming.\u00a0 In this largely desolate region lies a narrow strip of land known as\u00a0 the “Fertile Crescent” because of its fecund soil and life-giving waters.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

The Fertile Crescent lies in the ancient area stretching in an arc from the Nile to the Tigris and Euphrates, an area the Greeks of Biblical times called Mesopotamia which means “between the rivers.”\u00a0 This historical region, which includes some of the very best farmlands in the world, includes parts of or the entirety of the modern day nations of Iraq, Syria, Israel, Lebanon and Jordan.\u00a0 The Bible–from Genesis to the Gospels–overflows with references to the foods of the time as grown in this region.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Omar Neshewat, Sahara’s friendly owner<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In Biblical times the most common and important foods were bread (the staff of life), olive oil (used instead of butter), milk and cheese from flocks of goats and sheep, vegetables (the most common of which were lentils and beans) from gardens and fruits (usually grapes, figs and pomegranates) from orchards.\u00a0 Those living close to waters would enjoy fish and only on very special occasions might a family partake of meat.\u00a0 Because there was no sugar, honey was the only sweetener available.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

Many of these foods remain staples of the region today and thanks to the ever-shrinking world, the cuisine of the Middle East can be enjoyed throughout the world–nearly as good and as fresh as if consumed in the ancient environs.\u00a0 The Duke City is home to several very good to excellent restaurants showcasing the foods of the Fertile Crescent.\u00a0 Best of all these restaurants are wholly authentic, featuring foods prepared in the time-honored, traditional manner, not dumbed down for the American palate.\u00a0 The owners of these restaurants are emigrees,\u00a0 usually no more than one generation removed from the land of their birth.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Shish Kabob Combo (Includes Basmati Rice, Falafel, Hummous, Pickles, Fattoush Salad, Dolmas, Fresh Pita)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Among them are Manny and Helen Neshewat who emigrated from Jordan in their youth to begin lives anew in America.\u00a0 The Neshewat family owned Robbie’s, a series of delis in the suburbs of New York City.\u00a0 When Manny decided to retire, he considered Florida and Arizona, but fell in love with New Mexico and its moderate climate.\u00a0 Retirement was not to be.\u00a0 After decades of working virtually sun-up to sun-down, he couldn’t make himself sleep in past six.\u00a0 Three years after moving to Albuquerque, he and Helen returned to the business they love–launching the Times Square Deli Mart<\/a>, a combination deli and convenience store they opened in 2007 near the University of New Mexico (UNM).\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

Within a year, they also launched the Sahara Middle Eastern Eatery about a mile east of the Times Square Deli Mart.\u00a0 Manny and Helen are still very much involved in the two restaurants–as well as a satellite of the Sahara at the UNM Student Union Building (SUB), a satellite of the Times Square Deli Mart at the UNM Hospital and a supermarket in Belen–but the day-to-day management is now in the hands of their progeny.\u00a0 Tony Neshewat manages the Times Square Deli Mart while Omar manages the Sahara operation.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Beef and Lamb Shawarmah Combo Plate<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A commonality among the sibling restaurants is the hospitality with which diners are treated.\u00a0 The amiable Neshewats treat one and all as welcome guests whose visits is valued.\u00a0 It’s a philosophy that cultivates repeat visits and customer loyalty.\u00a0 The graciousness of the Neshewats is a genuine and refreshing change from restaurants in which customers are treated as faceless, nameless entities.\u00a0 The food at both the Times Square Deli Mart and the Sahara Middle Eastern Eatery is a bonus.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

The Sahara is actually the family’s first venture into preparing and serving the cuisine of their motherland.\u00a0 It was a venture into the unknown, both from the standpoint that the deli business was what they knew best and from not knowing whether or not Middle Eastern cuisine would be well accepted in the UNM area.\u00a0 From the onset, the Sahara has done very well, garnering rave reviews from critics and diners alike.\u00a0 Save for the pita (which is procured from California), every item on the menu is homemade and prepared authentically from recipes handed down through the generations as well as recipes acquired from restaurants in Jordan.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

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Pistachio Baklava<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Beef, lamb and chicken are sliced specially for the restaurant from Adam’s Nice and Fresh, the family’s supermarket in Belen.\u00a0 The quality shows.\u00a0 The thinly sliced shawarmah is marinated for anywhere from 24 to 36 hours in a seven spice marinade which includes cardamom, allspice, cloves, vinegar and a host of other ingredients.\u00a0 The marinade penetrates deeply, imbuing the beef and lamb amalgam with mouth-watering flavors.\u00a0 The shish-kabob, a charbroiled skewer of fresh cuts of lamb, might be even more delicious, each moist and tender bite-sized portion as good as it can be.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

For the big eaters among us, the best bet is a combo platter (otherwise known as the “Break the Chain<\/a>” special because host Ryan Scott loves it) which is brimming with your choice of beef and lamb shawarma, chicken shawarma, chicken tika, kafta kabob, shish kabob, falafel or Greek gyro and basmati rice, falafel, hummous, pickles, fattoush salad, dolmas and fresh pita.\u00a0 This veritable family-sized feast will set you back less than twelve dollars.\u00a0 In today’s austere economic times, you’ve got to appreciate that value.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

Basmati rice is not typically associated with Middle Eastern food, but that didn’t stop Omar Neshewat from wanting to serve it at the Sahara.\u00a0 He tried a number of different types of rice, but determined Basmati, a long-grain rice grown in India, to have the properties of moistness, fragrance and delicateness he wanted.\u00a0 Sahara’s Basmati rice is fluffy, moist and delicious, seasoned with tumeric and saffron.\u00a0 It’s among the very best rice you’ll find anywhere in the city.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

The fattoush salad, a mixed green garden salad with toasted pita croutons drizzled with a simple lemon and olive oil dressing, is also quite good, but it’s the hummous with which Omar takes more pride.\u00a0 Sahara uses hundreds of pounds of chickpeas per week to create their hummous, rehydrating the chickpeas for twelve hours on a custom-made machine whose express purpose is hummous.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

Helen, the affable matriarch of the Neshewat family, creates the desserts for Sahara from scratch.\u00a0 The pistachio baklava<\/em> is over-the-top, a paragon of deliciousness and among the very best I’ve ever had.\u00a0 Each diamond-shaped slice is unadulterated bliss.\u00a0 Helen uses ghee (clarified butter) to give the baklava its moistness.\u00a0 Though soaked with honey syrup, this baklava is not cloying as some Greek renditions tend to be.\u00a0 Another popular dessert is the homemade rice pudding which is made with rosewater.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

Biblical scholars believe the typical worker’s midday repast was a simple meal of bread with onions.\u00a0 In contemporary times, it’s great to know that terrific Middle Eastern cuisine in profligate portions can be found in the Sahara Eatery where you’ll be treated like a welcome guest.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sahara Middle Eastern Eatery<\/strong>
\n2622-A Central Avenue, S.E.
\nAlbuquerque, New Mexico<\/strong>
\n(505) 255-5400\"\"<\/a><\/span>
\nLATEST VISIT<\/strong>: 24 September 2011
\n1st VISIT<\/strong>: 15 May 2008
\n# OF VISITS<\/strong>: 2
\nRATING<\/strong>: Very Good<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013\u00a0Good to very good food; generally solid; delivers consistent quality, strong technique, and a comfortable, enjoyable dining experience
\nCOST<\/strong>: $$
\nBEST BET<\/strong>: Pistachio Baklava, Shish Kabob Combination Plate, Shawarmah Combination Plalte<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

History has shown that cultures which thrived and advanced most rapidly are those which settled in arable areas rife with\u00a0 natural resources.\u00a0 The “Cradle of Civilization” where many of the earliest human civilizations evolved is in a seemingly unlikely region of the Middle East in which most of the land is too dry for farming.\u00a0 In this largely desolate region lies a narrow strip of land known as\u00a0 the “Fertile Crescent” because of its fecund soil and life-giving waters.\u00a0 The Fertile Crescent lies in the ancient area stretching in an arc from the Nile to the Tigris and Euphrates, an area the Greeks of Biblical times called Mesopotamia which means “between the rivers.”\u00a0 This historical region, which includes some of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":47073,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[440,489,5631],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12956","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-albuquerque","category-mediterranean","category-very-good"],"yoast_head":"\nSahara Middle Eastern Eatery - 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