I THINK i spelled the name right, but I could be wrong.
Either way, this is the new Iraqi restaurant that just opened by Havana Rumba in the former India Something/La Catalana location.
The girlfriend and I just got back from an enjoyable lunch there today. They've only been open for a week and have yet to advertise, as they gain their footing. I believe I read an article(possibly linked on here) about the chef, an Iraqi refugee who was worked previously at some sort of [popular Iraqi luxury hotel under Saddam.
Anyway, we found the food to be pretty good, and the restaurant certainly worthy of another shot.
I went with a lamb dish that featured 3 chops, an interesting rice, hummus, and a portion of thin fried potatoes. The lamb seemed to have been slow-roasted and was very tender, with a thin layer of fat on top(which doesn't bother me). It was quite good. The rice had a blend of peas, carrots, walnuts, and raisins. I'm not a huge fan of raisins, but the really worked quite well in the rice. Although spice nomenclature and identification are not my strong suits, it had a lightly-aromatic and slightly sweet taste, with I believe cardimum and just a touch of cinnamon. The humus was smooth and tasted of olive oil and the potatoes were okay too.
My girlfriend had some vegetarian dish with basmati rice, chickpeas, some pasta that looked like elbow macaroni but wasn't, lentils, and fried onions. It was certainly heavy on the carbs, but she seemed to enjoy it. It was slightly bland on its own, but then it probably wasn't meant to be eaten on its own, as it was served with a delicious tomato chutney that took it up several notches. I thought it could have used a little more texture, but again, we both enjoyed it.
I also got a schwarma to take home for later. It featured a sweetly spiced steak and grilled onions wrapped in delicious grilled pita and was served with the same hummus, fried potatoes, more grilled onions and a solid yogurt sauce. I only took one bite as I was(and still am) very full from lunch, but it seemed very interesting(in a good way).
My only real complaint, which has more to do with me than the restaurant, is that they do not serve alcohol of any kind. I certainly respect the religious beliefs of the chef, and everyone else for that matter, but I personally REALLY like to have a good beer whenever I go out to eat. If no good beer is available, i will substitute "bad' beer, although most of the restaurants I regularly attend more than accommodate
That may lead me to be more inclined towards carry out in the future, so that I can pair my meal with a Rochefort 10.
But I would recommend the restaurant as certainly worth a try.