Food Fit for a King(pin) at Tavern+Bowl

Costa Mesa 55 Tavern+Bowl

1875 Newport Blvd. Ste. L1-11

Costa Mesa, CA 92627

I will admit that I was burned out, and probably still am since I did not even bring my own ball and shoes here, even though I knew I would be bowling. The last time I held a bowling ball was in April. That might not seem like a long time to most of you, but for me it is. I had been in a bowling league for seven or eight years. Every Monday night we trudged up to Anaheim to bowl. I made it worth my wild, as I would also make time to see my parents and family while we were up this way, but it just got to be too much. I wanted freedom from the obligation, so we decided to take an indefinite break from bowling until we got the invite to come to Costa Mesa 55 Tavern+Bowl.

Tavern+Bowl is located in the rebranded "The Triangle", which of course most of you still know as Triangle Square, which is located at the end of the 55 Freeway. Gone are all the retail shops, now there are new restaurants and entertainment venues. Saddle Ranch, Black Knight Gastro Lounge, and the much anticipated La Vida Cantina, which will open up shortly, have joined long-time resident Yard House to bring new life to this often troubled center, which has appeared to turn the corner based on all the foot traffic we experienced on this recent Wednesday night. Tavern+Bowl can probably be credited with some of that turn around here as well.

Tavern+Bowl has been opened since early March, but this is not their only location they operate. This is now their fourth spot, with the other three all being in San Diego County. General Manager Ray Ha says, "we are a sports bar first, but with a bowling alley". This space is big. They occupy over 14,000 square feet of space, have 26 TVs, they can get almost any game imaginable, including UFC fights, and have ten state of the art bowling lanes, with an easy to use and fun scoring system. Katie really had a great time switching between themes during our bowling battle.

Just as I had finished getting my first turkey of the night, (I'm totally lying about that), drinks started making their way to our table. Not only does Tavern+Bowl have 40 beers on tap, but they also have 12 specialty cocktails that go for $10 each. The first one we got to try was the Spare Pear. This one starts with Grey Goose vodka, then Saint Germain Elderflower Liqueur, grapefruit juice, fresh lemon, and agave nectar are added to the mix. The result is a very refreshing cocktail that did not conjure up hints of pear flavor, but more an adult version of lemonade. I guess it's easier to rhyme pear than lemon. My second beverage of the night was the waitress recommended, Gin Setter Martini. This sweet drink utilizes Hendrick's Gin, fresh lime juice, muddled green apple, and cucumber. The first few sips of this drink were pretty good, but then I kind of got tired of its sweetness. I did not have the Lovers' Lane, but our wonderful hostess, Jane allowed me to have a sip of hers. This layered drink uses Skyy Infusions Raspberry Vodka, champagne, a passion fruit puree, and grenadine. My favorite cocktail of the night was the Comin' In Hot. This drink was right up my alley, pun intended. Jalapeno Infused Espolon Tequila, orange liqueur, cilantro, fresh sour, and pineapple juice combined to make this awesome cocktail. The jalapeno was definitely noticeable, but then it was softened with the pineapple and orange flavor. I liked this drink because it had many layers to it.

Since I was starting to feel a little tipsy, and my bowling game was suffering, I was very happy when the food started to make its way out of the kitchen for us. Looking over the menu, this is not your typical bowling alley cuisine. The reason for this, they have a legit Executive Chef here, the great Scott Raczek. Scott worked at a little restaurant that some of you may remember, the awesome Mr. Stox in Anaheim. He was their Executive Chef for 26 years, so you can say he knows a thing or two about great food. The first thing he brought out for us was the BBQ Pulled Pork Mac 'N' Cheese ($13.95). This was some pretty gourmet mac n cheese. Chef Scott uses macaroni with a three-cheese sauce, which is then topped with BBQ glazed pulled pork, fried onion strings, and a truffle oil drizzle. I really liked the different textures this dish had to offer. The crunch of the onion, the very well made pork added a nice meatiness, and the creaminess from the cheese sauce made each bite of this a little different, which kept me interested. Also of note, the truffle oil used here was just the right amount, so it did not overpower this dish. A very delicate balance to achieve.

Another surprise on this evening were these Lobster Roll Sliders ($5.95). These are supposedly their founders favorite, and after eating more than my fair share of these, I can see why. A very well made chilled lobster salad is mixed with red onion and celery to create a rich and satisfying slider. These actually had some pretty big chunks of lobster in them, which was great. Not to ruin the rest of this post, but these were my favorite item of the night.

I've been seeing Grilled Marinated Artichokes ($5.95) on a lot of menus recently, and it's probably because they taste so darn good. That was the case with this one too. What made this artichoke for me was the tarragon aioli that came out with it. A very good dipping sauce, it brought this artichoke to life. Such a simple dish, but brought to another level by this aioli.

If you would have told me when I started this blog, that I'd be eating oysters in a bowling alley, and actually liking them, I'd have thought you were nuts, but that's what happened on this night. The Grilled Oysters Kilpatrick ($10.95) are glazed with a honey bourbon garlic butter and then topped with bacon breadcrumbs. This kind of reminded me of escargot with all of the butter, and everything. The oysters here were pretty fresh, and bigger than I thought they would be. Even oyster novice, Katie was pretty satisfied with this, but her limit was only one.

Sushi is also represented on the appetizer menu at Tavern+Bowl, with this Flash Fried Ahi Tuna Roll ($10.95). Sushi purist may scoff at this version of sushi, but this is exactly the kind of sushi that I like. They use Saku tuna, which is served with a yin and yang sauce. I liked the contrast of the crunchy outer portion of this roll, with the smooth and fresh tuna inside the roll. I forgot what the sauces were that came with this, but both were very good.

You all have probably had pizza at a bowling alley, but probably never flatbread pizzas like these. We got to try two of the five flatbreads offered here at Tavern+Bowl. The first one was The Munson ($11.95). Not sure how it got its name, I should have asked, but man was this a good flatbread. It kind of had the breakfast pizza kind of vibe going on here, with fried eggs, bacon, arugula, a four-cheese blend, and just a touch of white truffle oil. The Tavern Margherita ($12.95) was Katie's favorite of the two. It had oven-dried tomatoes, burrata cheese, a basil puree, and the same four-cheese blend as the other flatbread. I really liked that the dough stayed nice and crisp, the toppings were all very fresh, and the flavors really popped. Not going to be able to go back to eating cardboard pizza from regular bowling alleys anymore.

We also were lucky enough to try a few of their entrees, like this Cedar Planked Roasted Salmon ($18.95). Chef Scott really worked his magic here. This salmon was so tender and flavorful, it almost made me forget that I'm not the worlds biggest fan of salmon. It was buttery, but you could still taste the salmon. It was served alongside an heirloom tomato salsa, lemon beurre blanc, tri-colored fingerling potatoes, and asparagus. The veggies here were farmers market fresh and prepared wonderfully.

The last item we tried were these Filet Mignon Steak Tacos ($13.95). These tacos had a lot going on inside of them. They start with a chimichurri marinated grilled steak which was very tender and cooked to a very pleasing medium rare. Then joining the steak in the corn tortilla was an avocado relish and cotija cheese. These were great. The steak was, of course, the main attraction here, but the avocado and cheese were also instrumental in making these tacos a winner. Jane has had these every time she has been here, and never tires of them. After eating these, I can see that would be the case for me as well.

When it was dessert time, I was pretty full, so I could not enjoy these as much as I would have liked. The Butterscotch Creme Brulee ($5.95) was probably my favorite, maybe because it was the lightest of the bunch. In my opinion, butterscotch is not used enough in desserts, so when I do have it, I really enjoy it. This was a very well made, and smooth creme brulee, with a subtle butterscotch flavor to it. This was served with shortbread cookies, which I felt were a little too dense. The Triple Threat Chocolate Brownie ($6.95) is something that I could easily order on my next trip here. This brownie had a cookie dough center, which took me a little by surprise, and was topped with vanilla bean ice cream and a burnt bourbon caramel sauce. Not as crazy sweet as some brownie sundaes have been known to be, this had a nice balance to it. The Fresh Fruit Dessert Pizza ($6.95) was okay, but I'm not into fruit desserts. With this one they used puff pastry as the crust, then it's topped with strawberries with citrus cream, vanilla ice cream, and a white chocolate ganache drizzle. Katie liked this but felt it was hard to get all the elements in one bite when sharing this with four people.

I have to admit that I was pretty skeptical coming to Tavern+Bowl, but Chef Scott really impressed me with his menu. I had told some people at work that I was going to be coming here, and they thought the food was going to be typical bowling alley cuisine, which as you can see it was not. I really liked everything that we consumed on this night, and we look forward to coming back here again soon. Maybe once I get over my bowling burn out phase, we might even come here to bowl a few games.

I would really like to thank everyone at Costa Mesa 55 Tavern+Bowl for their great hospitality on this night. The wait staff and food runners were right on top of things for us all night. I would also like to thank General Manager Ray Ha for making us feel so welcome and answering all of our silly questions. Of course, this visit would not have been as fantastic as it was, without Chef Scott's wonderful food that he brought out for us. Chef Scott, you have elevated not only bowling alley grub but also sports bar fare as well. We were very impressed with your menu and execution. We lastly would like to thank PR superstar, Jane Gillespie from JGPR for thinking of inviting us to this great event. We had a wonderful time Jane.

For more information about Costa Mesa 55 Tavern+Bowl, go to their website here: https://tavernbowl.com/

A Slice of New York in El Segundo - CLOSED

Grimaldi's

2121 Rosecrans Ave. Ste. 1399

El Segundo, CA 90266

I was skeptical walking in here. A few years ago, I had a great pizza at the Grimaldi's underneath the Brooklyn Bridge in New York. Whether it's the water, the weather, or the crazy toppings we put on our pizzas, the West Coast has always been treated as a stepchild regarding great pizza in the US. Chicago has its fantastic deep dish, New York is celebrated for its thin crust, and we have pineapple on pizza, which is blasphemous to other areas of the country. Yes, Southern California is not known for its pizzas, but I hoped Grimaldi's opening here would bring us some pizza cred.

I was skeptical because I was worried this would not be as good as the pizza we had in New York. Grimaldi's has been around for over a hundred years. They cook their pizzas in a coal-fired brick oven, giving them a crispness and flavor you can't get from other pizza ovens. Along with the oven lore, they also have a secret dough and pizza sauce recipe, and they have tried to replicate the New York water over the years and feel they have a good handle on it now. The pizza oven is 25 tons and burns at 1200 degrees. We were excited to see if this pizza could live up to what we experienced in Brooklyn.

Our reason for being up in this neck of the woods was that we were taking Chuck and Stephanie to LAX for their red-eye flight back to North Carolina. We arrived at Grimaldi's at just after eight on a Saturday night. There was plenty of parking in the structure at the back of this location. When leaving the structure, make your way towards Rosecrans, where Grimaldi's is situated. The Brooklyn location is notorious for its long lines throughout the day, but that was not the case in El Segundo. We were seated right away.

This is a much more spacious space than the East Coast location. The tables are spread out a lot more. There's a sleek kind of vibe here, with lots of dark woods, exposed brick, and their signature red and white tablecloths. The menu here is straightforward. Starters include six different kinds of salads; the rest of the menu is left for pizzas and calzones. No pasta dishes or other entrees are offered at Grimaldi's. This is strictly a pizza place, so you should move along if you're not in the mood for pizza. Luckily, we were all ready for pizza, so we ordered and eagerly awaited our food.

I'm always partial to Caesar Salads ($11), so I roped our party of four into giving the one at Grimaldi's a try. This is the large version of this salad, which barely fed the four of us. This Caesar had all the usual suspects included; shaved Parmesan, romaine lettuce, Caesar dressing, and croutons. The freshness of the romaine was definitely evident in these pictures. The vibrant green was very pleasing, and plenty of Parmesan and croutons were included in this. This salad failed due to the minimal use of dressing. It was barely noticeable throughout the salad. Yes, we could have asked for more, but I would like the food to come out as the kitchen envisions it. The lack of dressing on this made this salad average, which was disappointing.

Katie's pizza made its way to the table first. She had a personal-size pizza. There are no specialty pizzas here; you choose the size you want and what kind of sauce you desire, and then pick your toppings, which range in price from $2 to $5. She went with a Personal White with Garlic pizza and added Spicy Chicken Sausage and Artichoke Hearts ($19). Katie was pretty blown away with this pizza, which she said was on par with our one in Brooklyn. This personal pizza was the perfect size for her, and she was even generous enough to share two slices with the three of us while we were waiting for our pizza to come out. I liked the spicy sausage, which added a kick, and the garlic in the front and center of this pizza. Big-time flavors.

A long time passed between when Katie's pizza came out and when ours hit the table. It was nearly twenty minutes, but the manager was right on top of things. He apologized for the wait, explaining that our pizza was burnt accidentally and he would take it off the bill. This was very generous of him, and I liked that he admitted their snafu. However, this large pizza ($23 with toppings) was worth waiting for. We selected jalapenos, pepperoni, and sausage to top our pie. This is usually my go-to order when trying a new pizza place. The toppings were evenly spread across the pizza. This pizza was not overly cheesy, but you could still tell it was there. The crust stayed crisp, and the edges were not excessively bready, which I liked. My one complaint is that there was too little sauce used on this, but that's just my preference. When we were done, I also noticed a lack of grease on the pizza pan. I attribute this to the high-quality toppings and cheese they use here. This is not an overly heavy pizza, which made Stephanie and Chuck happy since they would sit on a plane for the next four hours.

Since our pizza was being taken off the bill, we decided to splurge on dessert. At Grimaldi's, there are three desserts to choose from, or you could get the Dessert Trio ($10) and sample all three. This trio comprised tiramisu, your choice of one of their house-made cheesecakes, and their signature cannoli. I liked the cheesecake the best, which is odd because I'm not usually a fan. This one was not too chalky, though, and was more creamy. There was also no shortage of Oreo crumbs on this. The cannoli was good, but splitting between four people took a lot of work to get a sound bite. A good crunch to it, and the filling inside was solid. The tiramisu was decent but too bland. I liked that they did offer this option so you could try all of their desserts because sometimes it's too hard to pick just one.

Okay, first and foremost, many of you are thinking about Grimaldi's being too expensive. $19 for a personal-size pizza is too much, and I agree with that. In this case, though, you do get what you pay for. If you are a true pizza fan, you will want to experience what Grimaldi's has offered for over a hundred years, no matter the price. The pizzas here are worth it every once in a while, especially when you consider that a large pizza at Round Table or Lamppost costs over the $20 mark, and although they are good, they can not compete with what is offered at Grimaldi's. This was a much more comfortable setting than the cramped Brooklyn location we visited. Besides the unfortunate burning of our pizza, service was definitely not an issue on this night. Our waitress was over to our table every so often to maintain drink levels and meet our needs. Even when Chuck and Stephanie returned to town, they remarked how much they enjoyed this pizza. Having Grimaldi's in Southern California will gain us some pizza cred until someone orders pineapple on their pizza.

Out of five Barbie dolls (because the city of El Segundo is the corporate home to Mattel, makers of the famous blond doll), five being best to zero being worst, Grimaldi's gets 3.5 Barbie dolls.

For more information on Grimaldi's, go to their website here: http://www.grimaldispizzeria.com/

Watch Out, Fred's is Smoking - CLOSED

Smokey Fred's BBQ

129 East Collins Ave.

Orange, CA 92867

I know, another Orange restaurant. It seems like lately, we have been meeting up with our north OC friends halfway between us and them. Since we live in Mission Viejo, and they live north of the 91 Freeway, Orange has been the first city that has popped into my mind about a possible meeting spot. With lots of great restaurants to offer, Orange has provided us with some great meals recently, and we hoped that the trend would continue when we visited Smokey Fred's BBQ.

We were meeting my parents on this trip on a recent Friday evening. We got here a few minutes earlier than my parents, (a rare occurrence), and surveyed the area a bit. This is not a fancy shopping center, to say the least. There's a liquor store at one corner, and an apparent local favorite, Pancho's Mexican restaurant, which had a very steady stream of customers making their way into it for what I have heard are combination plates smothered in cheese. We contemplated jumping ship and trying Pancho's, but we held our ground and entered Fred's.

Smokey Fred's is not a big place, and it's not going to blow you away with its decor. There are three tables, a long bar with some chairs facing the wall, no soda fountain, and no air conditioning. What Fred does have is the sweet smell of barbecue when you walk through the door. That was more than enough for me to be excited about this place.

Fred was behind the counter when we walked in, he was very cordial, explained his menu, answered all of our questions, and really made us feel welcome. He has tried to incorporate the four different, but equally delicious styles of barbecue at his restaurant. Kansas City is represented by a sweet and spicy sauce, Carolina shows up on the menu with their signature pulled pork, Memphis is highlighted for their ribs, and no one could pass up the Texas barbecue staple, brisket. Fred's mantra, which is splashed across his website is, "low and slow baby!" I was getting excited just hearing him talk about what was good on this day. We hit this place at just the right time, pulled two-2 person tables together, and waited for the food to make it out to our table. Let's see how Fred's barbecue stacks up against others in OC.

I kind of went big here at Smokey Fred's, starting with this Half Rack of Baby Back Ribs ($12.99). These came pre-cut, with your choice of sauce or naked. I almost always prefer to have the sauce left on the side, so I can taste the meat. These were some damn good ribs. They had plenty of meat on them, they definitely were smokey, but not in an overbearing way, and they were tender enough to come off the bone with just a little bit of effort. The sweet Kansas City barbecue sauce went well with these. I got these to share with the table but had a hard time parting with any of them. Excellent.

Both Katie and my mom got the Lexington Pulled Pork Sandwich ($7.99). This Carolina inspired sandwich comes with plenty of pulled pork, coleslaw, and a Carolina barbecue sauce, which is tangier than the sweeter Kansas City variety. My mom is not a fan of coleslaw on sandwiches but liked the crunch it gave this sandwich. The pulled pork was smokey, tender, and full of flavor. This was a good-sized sandwich, with plenty of pulled pork falling out of the sides of the sandwich. According to Katie, there was just the right amount of the vinegar-based sauce here, as to not overshadow the star of the show, the pork. She'd get this sandwich again.

The sandwich parade just kept on rolling when my dad selected the Danewich Sliders ($7.99) as his meal. This was made up of three sliders with your choice of meat. He went with one brisket and two pulled pork sliders, which were served on mini Hawaiian rolls. He really liked these sandwiches but thought they should have come with a side item. He went up and ordered a side of potato salad, which you will see in a bit. When pinned down, he liked the brisket slider a little better than the pork, but both varieties were good.

So remember when I told you I went big here, I was not lying. This is part two of my meal, the Double Barbecue Plate ($11.99). My choice of meats was the smoked brisket and the Louisiana hotlink. This is some of the best brisket I have had. Very tender and flavorful, with tiny little pockets of fat that added some intense flavor. So good, it's been a few weeks since we have been here, and I still crave this brisket. The hotlink was not too shabby either. Not crazy, over the top hot, but a decent heat to it. The only drawback of my visit to Smokey Fred's was the chili that I picked as my side. A very watery chili, with not much spice to it. I will choose something else for my next side item on my frequent future visits here.

Since my dad was still a little hungry after his three sliders, he decided to have a side of Potato Salad ($1.00). This was a much better choice than the chili. This potato salad reminded me of my mom's version, which is still my favorite. This potato salad is a recipe from Fred's family. The mustard was not over the top, the potatoes were fork tender, and there was not too much pickle used here. A dash of paprika on top for seasoning, and you have a pretty stellar potato salad.

I was really excited by the barbecue at Smokey Fred's. It's definitely right up there with my favorite BBQ place in OC, Blake's Place. The meats here are awesome and worth the drive to experience them. I wish the restaurant itself was a little more conducive to larger groups, and I wish it were a little more comfortable eating here. The brisket and ribs are worth the minor inconvenience of not having a soda fountain and no providing air conditioning. I have a feeling that once people find out about this place, it will become harder to snag one of the three tables at Fred's. It looks like we have found our new spot to have a pregame meal before going to the Ducks games this Fall.

Out of five campaign hats, (because that is the official name of the hat that Smokey Bear wears), five being best to zero being worst, Smokey Fred's BBQ gets a strong 3.5 campaign hats.

For more information about Smokey Fred's BBQ, go to their website here: http://smokeyfredsbbq.com/

Garlic Sauce Greatness at Zena's?

Zena's Lebanese Cuisine

2094 N. Tustin Rd.

Orange, CA 92865

Katie used to work in Ontario, and although the one-and-a-half-hour drive was killing her, she did find one benefit to the drive. Near her office was a Lebanese restaurant she and her coworkers frequented. Katie claimed that the garlic sauce they had there was medicinal and could cure anything that ailed her. Now that her company has moved back to OC, she has been searching for an OC equivalent to that garlic sauce. She was hoping it would be found at Zena's Lebanese Cuisine.

We went out with our friends Alex and Jaszlyn. Alex is not a fan of Mediterranean food, but I know his fiance is, so I searched for a place we could meet, and Zena's came up as highly rated. Many of the reviewers mention their love of this family-run business and how they treat you like family. We did not receive that kind of welcome, probably because we were with Alex, but everyone was still amicable when we walked in just after 6 on a recent Wednesday night.

Zena's has been in business for over 30 years and is located just across the street from Orange Mall and in the same shopping center as Staples and French's Bakery. The restaurant is bigger than it appears from the outside, with about thirty or so tables. There was some light, what I assumed to be Lebanese music playing over the speakers. The restaurant was not too crowded during our visit, but there was a slow trickle of customers making their way inside during our two-hour stay there.

The menu at Zena's is pretty extensive but very easy to follow for novice Lebanese eaters such as me. The menu does an excellent job of explaining the dishes, and if you're embarrassed about messing up the name of the item you want to order, you can order by number. I butchered the name of my entree, but at least I tried. Let's see if Katie has found her ultimate garlic sauce here at Zena's.

Of course, before we got to the garlic sauce, we had to try the Humus Bettheen ($9.95). Humus is pretty mainstream, but for those who are not sure what it is, it's mashed-up garbanzo beans mixed with tahini, garlic, lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, and other assorted spices. This version was pretty good texture-wise but kind of bland regarding flavor. Not bad, but I expected a little more from the humus. The pita this came with was fresh and a suitable vessel for the hummus.

As I was reading reviews before coming to Zena's, one thing people kept talking about was the Arnabeet ($10.95). This fried cauliflower was worth all the praise that it gets. Think of this as Lebanese fair food. The cauliflower was fried but not dripping in grease, with a nice crunchy texture to it. It was served with a tahini sauce, which could have been a little thicker, but it still did a good job coating the cauliflower. Don't skip this appetizer.

Alex sure did eat this Beef Kabob ($22.95) pretty quickly for someone not really into Mediterranean cuisine. This plate contained two skewers of marinated top sirloin, rice, and hummus. Alex is a man of few words, but he did mention that the meat here was pretty tender, and the rice was okay.

Just like her husband-to-be, Jaszlyn went with a kabob plate as well. She selected the ever-popular Chicken Kabob ($21.95). This plate also came with two skewers featuring boneless chicken breast, rice, and hummus. She liked this plate but has had better chicken kabobs at other places.

Katie is pretty predictable when eating in Lebanese restaurants, so it was no surprise that she had the Shawarma ($19.95). Shawarma is a marinated rotisserie beef sliced and served alongside onions, tomatoes, mint, hummus, and tahini sauce. Katie also wanted garlic sauce to go along with this naturally. She liked the flavor of the beef, which had a tanginess. All the items on the plate interacted so nicely together that Katie could not see herself getting anything else on future visits to Zena's. Unfortunately, the garlic sauce served here did not live up to the one she had near her work in Ontario. This one was a little thinner, and the garlic was not as pronounced. So the great garlic sauce search continues.

This night, I went a little out of my comfort zone when I ordered Kafta B'Seneyee ($20.95). This dish was definitely new to me, but it got my attention from their menu's description immediately. It's lean ground beef mixed with parsley, onions, and other spices to create a Lebanese meatloaf. It's then baked with tomatoes, potatoes, and a tomato sauce and served with rice. This was a pretty hearty meal. The potatoes were fork tender, while the meat had a dense meatball feel. The tomato sauce was surprisingly light, which came out of the kitchen scalding hot. I would get this again, but maybe when the weather is cooler. I imagine this would be great on those cooler nights in OC when the temperatures get down into the low 60s.

None of the four of us really had any big-time issues with the food we ordered this night. It was all pretty good, but it did not really blow any of us away. I would not classify this as destination dining, but if we were in the area again and wanted to have Lebanese, we would not hesitate to come back here. We all did think that the prices were a little on the high side here, though, maybe by as much as five dollars a plate. The service was pretty good on this night. They were not totally busy, so our waiter was around enough to keep tabs on anything that we may have needed. Glad we got a chance to catch up with our friends Alex and Jaszlyn, and we look forward to continuing our search for OC's greatest garlic sauce.

Out of five chairlifts (because I recently found out that Lebanon lays claim to six ski resorts in the country, so it's possible to ski in the morning and swim at the beach in the afternoon), five being best to zero being worst, Zena's Lebanese Cuisine gets 3 chairlifts.

For more information about Zena's Lebanese Cuisine, head to their website by clicking here: https://zenaslebanese.com/