New to Lark: Al-Baraki II
Paul Chedrawee
Al-Baraki, the popular Lebanese restaurant on River St in Troy, opened a second location this week on Lark St in Albany. After being beckoned in off the sidewalk Tuesday evening for a few samples, we asked owner Paul Chedrawee why he set up shop on Lark. "Because it seemed like half my customers over in Troy were from this neighborhood," he told us.
And sure enough, not two minutes later, in walked a regular customer from the Troy location who lives just around the block from the new place.
Al-Baraki II is in the space formerly occupied by Peas and Beans. It's tiny -- there are McMansions with bigger walk-in closets -- with just two stools in the front. The menu seems very take-out friendly, though. With a few exceptions, pretty much everything is $4-$7.
If you're in the neighborhood and looking for a snack, give the pita chips with garlic a try. Chedrawee creates a creamy garlic paste, made only of garlic, for the chips. We figured there had to be yogurt or something else mixed in, but he assured us it was only garlic. We'd never tried anything like it.
Here's a pdf of the Al-Baraki II menu.
Find It
Al-Baraki II
185 Lark St
Albany, NY 12210
Mon - Fri 11 am - 9 pm
closed Sunday
(518) 445-0445
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Comments
Yum! Al-Baraki has the best garlic paste I've ever eaten. Not so good for date nights, though...
... said Siobhan on Jul 2, 2008 at 1:24 PM | link
Another great addition to Lark St. The Al-baraki creamy garlic sauce (proprietary recipe!) is amazing. One can now act the boulevardier on Lark, sipping and supping one's way from Washington to Madison. (Too bad the city butchered all those great trees down to the ground.)
... said chrisck on Jul 2, 2008 at 1:33 PM | link
the combination of the moujadara and the baba ghannouj in some pita is seriously one of my favorite things around. holy smokes, al-baraki is good - and paul is a super nice dude.
... said skfl on Jul 2, 2008 at 1:37 PM | link
Great! I've been a big fan of Al-Baraki since I moved here three years ago. The baba ghannouj, garlic paste, makdous, and everything else is top notch. You can't go wrong. I was afraid it was an undiscovered gem, so I'm happy to hear they're doing well enough to open a second location. My fiancee who works a block from Lark will be thrilled about this.
... said Ryan on Jul 2, 2008 at 3:38 PM | link
I really dig Al-Baraki; i've been going for a while over in troy and I'm glad I can just walk to it now... I just hope it does hurt (or worse) Mamoun's Cafe. That place is great too. I know they have slightly different niches in the neighborhood, but we'll have to see if Lark Street can support both of 'em.
... said PJ on Jul 3, 2008 at 9:43 AM | link
You mean does NOT hurt Mamoun's, right?
... said Katherine on Jul 3, 2008 at 11:06 AM | link
I agree about hoping Mamoun's continues to do well. Their food is also fantastic. I consider Mamoun's to be the original falafel, having eaten them in Greenwich Village when I was in grad school (30 years ago).
We're blessed with an embarassment of riches--Aashiana on nearby Central does some terrific middle eastern dishes, and don't forget Rita's, another wonderful Lebanese restaurant on North Allen. And all very affordable in these recessionish times.
... said chrisck on Jul 3, 2008 at 3:49 PM | link