UYE: Lebanese Feast @ La Miche Kabobgee

I’ll start and end this review with grateful acknowledgments: UYE: Lebanese Feast @ La Miche Kabobgee, on May 26, was my first large Unilocal Event — a sit-​down dinner for fifty — and as I organized it, I was thoroughly encouraged and supported by Unilocal San Diego Community Manager Brad B. and North County CM Trish S.
Both CM’s even joined us for dinner, and Brad brought Tijuana’s CM, Estefany B., which means that on the evening of May 26, 2015, had San Diego suffered a catastrophe — say, an extinction-​level meteor strike — Unilocal,Inc. would have had no representation from Orange County to La Paz. Can I just say how flattered I am by Unilocal’s willingness to invest in its members’ efforts like that?
Our host was La Miche’s owner, Nabih Geha, an innately cordial man who understands the value of the verb «welcome.»
It was his idea, for instance, to close the restaurant for our group, to avoid having his staff distracted by one-​off orders. Tellingly, Nabih made an exception late in the evening, seating a couple who have dined with him every Tuesday for as long as he’s been open. Of course he did. That’s what good hosts do.
As our guests arrived, they were greeted and offered snacks and beverages, and after a bit, we moved them to the dining room. Each place was set with Unilocal swag, and Nabih provided souvenir menus headed, «Friendship Dinner,» as elegant and classy as anything I’ve seen done downtown.
We’d intentionally mixed large and small tables to allow for varied grouping, but as people sat, several «deuces» were pushed together, demonstrating just what social animals we Unilocalers are.
And then service began, and Nabih’s kitchen exceeded my expectations, sending out a lovely and delectable four-​course, seventeen-​item feast of salads, vegetables and sauces, grilled meats and fish, traditional sweets and Turkish coffee service. It was what we’d discussed, but so much better than what I’d imagined. This was our menu [edited for space]:
CONTINUOUS SERVICE
— Khubz’arabi
— Labneh
— House-​made Spicy Olives
— Soda, American coffee, Tea, Water
FIRST COURSE

— Hummus
— Baba Ghannouj
SECOND COURSE
— Basturma
— Kibbeh Nayeh (prepared à la tartare)
— Ma’anek
— Mujaddara
— Arnabeet Mekle
THIRD COURSE
— Fattoush
— Mediterranean Eggplant
— Lamb Makloubeh
— Mediterranean Fish
— Rice
DESSERT
— Pastries and Sweets: Baklava, Kanafeh, Carob/​Tahini Dip
— Turkish Coffee service
As we ate, Nabih visited each table, chatting, teasing, and encouraging us to try new things. I grew up in an Arab household imbued with that sort of hospitality, and as I’ve said elsewhere, for me, the evening felt like visiting a favorite uncle’s house.
Ours being a gathering of Unilocalers, there were, of course, door prizes. As dessert and coffee were served, we drew several times for: three pairs of passes for a local Paella Festival (thanks, Brad!); a gift basket filled with Lebanese products; a bottle of Lebanese wine; and a return dinner for two, contributed by La Miche Kabobgee.
Beside the CM’s, we had dozens of guests and their «plus ones,» including:
Alexandra B.
Carolyn S.
Cathleen F.
Chang L.
Charlie V.
Courtney H.
Jay K.
Jocy C.
Joseph Y.
Kelly G.
Lesley M.
Lyndsi W.
Mark B.
Mel J.
Mercy B.
Mitch B.
Vin S.
Adam S.
Chris A.
Jack M.
Karen N.
Lisa G.
Mathew L.
Martina C.
Nicholas S.
Nicole P.
Ryan M.
Sandy Y.
Steve F.
Timmy P.
Vincent C.
What a night. We ate good food amid pleasant company, and had some fun along the way. But the evening didn’t happen by accident. Beside the CM’s, here’s who helped:
— Lisa G., a Unilocaler who was new to San Diego last Spring, served as Event photographer, later adding her work to our Flickr gallery of the festivities.
— Lyndsi W. arrived early and helped with greeting and checking people in, and general people-​herding.
— Estefany B., not realizing that as a CM, she’s the Queen of whatever room she enters, wrote out nametags… fifty nametags. That was crazy nice of her.
Finally: the coolest thing I saw happen during our Event was when Sandy Y., sensing that Lesley M.‘s son was getting bored, took him outside for a few minutes, to jog around the parking lot. Something… something… takes a village… something.
******************************
FLICKR Gallery of Photos for UYE: Lebanese Feast @ La Miche Kabobgee:
La Miche Kabobgee:

This UYE was put on by our fellow Elite Unilocaler, Omar S. and the owner of La Miche Kabobgee Nabih. Both were gracious host, Omar with his charm went around making sure everyone was taken care of and made sure they were comfortable, and Nabih was busily delivering food and making sure everyone had enough, at the same time making jokes with patrons.
At $ 35 per person, it was quite the parade of great tasting and unique food. My favorites were the hummus, which was very well made with a creamy but thick texture, and an outstanding flavor of freshly soaked garbanzo beans. The garlic flavor was mild, just right I may add, and the drizzle of olive oil a top was luscious. I could not get enough of the hummus and was outstanding eating with their fresh baked flat breads or Khubz’Arabi. The mighty flat bread.
I was easily taken with the Mujaddara or lentils mixed with rice, given I am a big fan of lentils. The lentils were a perfect al dente and the rice nice and fluffy. It was great and I loved the garnish of crunchy onions on top. My next favorite was the Kibbeh Nayeh or beef tartare mixed with cracked wheat was excellent. The flavor was spot on, and I really dug the smooth texture and once again was great eating with the Khubz’Arabi. Drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil on top and call it meal for me!
Ma’anek or sauteed veal sausage with olive oil were great, and yes Steve, I could not resist eating these too with some of that great flat bread. I made sort of a mini wrap with them and a little hummus, and I was set. Basturma was an air dried thinly sliced beef. I really enjoyed the filet mignon. The meat had a mild slightly nutty flavor and rested well on the palate. I wanted to savor it longer and appreciate its delicate flavor. Well done Nabih.
There was a lot more food provided for this meal, well worth the $ 35, including lamb, fish, salad, eggplant, Baba Ghannouj, and desserts and all were quite good. The event was very well organized not only by Omar, but also but the staff at the La Miche Kabobgee because food flowed from the kitchen endlessly and without a hitch. The UYE provided a family atmosphere, much to Omar’s credit, where he made everyone feel as part as his family and welcomed.