hungry eye meaghan maurice 86 p o r t l a n d monthly magazine vantine mezze platter, and a pan-Mediter- ranean kabob platter. “The most common street food kabobs in Iraq are called Tiqa,” Haleem says. Each dish on Tiqa’s menu is tagged with its country or region of origin. Haleem is Palestinian; his family immi- grated to Chicago when he was eight. He ended up in Portland “when I met Carol,” he says. “She’s Lebanese, from Lewiston– there’s a huge Lebanese community there.” Tiqa’s location on the Old Port and in a hotel means patrons come from far and wide. “We get customers from all over Af- rica and the Middle East–Moroccans, Turks. And lots of Lebanese! We’ve been really blessed.” EAST BAYSIDE “I t’s just really excellent and healthy food,” says Jenna Friedman, who owns Baharat restaurant with Clay- ton Norris on Anderson Street in East Bay- side. Friedman and Norris’s food truck, C.N. Shawarma, was an Eastern Prome- nade fixture in summers past, from which they sold juicy, spicy chicken shawarma in gyro wraps. Neither Norris nor Friedman grew up with the cuisine. “We learned to love this food from living in bigger cities like New York, where it’s everywhere,” says Fried- man. Baharat’s menu offers the “Shawar- mageddon,” described as “a favorite from the food truck, a plus-sized sandwich with chicken, falafel, house fries, and all the sauce.” “We get all our spices from Gryffon Ridge [the organic spice merchants in Dres- den] and from the Sindibad Market.” A mezze plate of falafel balls fragrant with mint and cilantro is served with tzatziki dip and spicy, bright roasted-red- pepper sauce. It’s just the thing with a local craft draft at cocktail hour with Baharat’s “garage door” panels rolled up to let in the summer breeze. TAKEOUT OASIS Tara Rancourt and Scott Ryan brought ex- tensive restaurant experience in Boston, New York, and D.C. to Portland in 2015. A serendipitous meeting with Paul Farrell, who owns Union Bagel on Cumberland Av- enue, resulted in Falafel Underground @ Baharat onAnderson Street serves a mix of classic and conceptual Middle Eastern fare. The restaurant coined the hashtag #MidEastBayside. Clayton Norris andJenna Friedman of Baharat. “Hummus has been in the supermarket for years. You can find plenty of young people who have no idea it’s ethnic food.” –Deen Haleem