Pita Hot

1343 E Chapman Ave
Fullerton, CA 92831 (714) 449-0100

General:

Two visits and I have given up on this place.  Only some of the sides were good, the others were just so so.  What puzzling was, for a kabob place, they couldn't grill meat if their lives depended on it: 3 of 3 of my orders were overcooked.

Considering the price, I was thinking to give it a 3 stars rating.  However, I thought about it again, it would not be okay.  I don't want to buy overcooked meat however good the sides and rice are: I enjoyed the sides more than the meat.  It was like a promising foreplay but then ...., you know.  *puff*

So, I think it is a 2.5 stars place.  I know it is like comparing Washington to Red Delicious apple, but I still prefer DonerG.

Details:

Pistachio baklava: crunchy and layered with a strong crushed pistachio note. Right amount of sweetness. Pretty good.  4 stars.

Hummus (side): good texture, sufficient aroma, but was too sour.  3- stars.

Cucumber Yoghurt Salad (side): nice cucumber crunchiness.  However, the yoghurt sauce itself was very watery and rather flat (lacking of acidity).  2 stars.

Sumac Onion (side): I thought: "they have onion sumac? bring it on."  I love sumac flavor as I am used to its flavor profile that, from a Sino-centric perspective, is like dried plum (Xi Mui for you esteemed Viets).  The flavor profile was sauteed natural onion sweetness sprinkled with sumac's sharp sourness and mild saltiness.  Delicious. 4 stars.

Baba Ganouj (side): akin to eggplant puree although the texture of it was still detected.  Tons of smokiness note combined with yoghurt sourness palate. Also delicious. 4 stars.

Rice Pilaf (standard side): The rice pilaf had a strong chicken stock and onion undertone, mildly salty, with a texture that was similar to sticky rice. Quite good, too. 3.5 stars.

Pita (standard side): strictly grocery-grade quality.  Why bother to rate?

Lamb Chop: spices and flavors were okay.  However, it was cooked medium-well done: overcooked and on the dry side although wasn't as bad as the next two.  2.5 stars.

Beef Kabob: again, spicing was okay but it was beyond overcooked: way well done.  Cardboard-like texture. Very disappointing.  1 star.

Kefta (Shis Kebab): a strong gaminess with strong cumin and pepper flavors among other spices. However, it was also sinfully dry.  1.5 stars.

Lamb Chop with Hummus and Sumac Onion

Beef Kabob with Baba Ganouj and Cucumber Yoghurt Salad