The latest blog from SAJJ!
While many of us set our New Year’s goals back in January, we may find our disciplined focus has already waned. Perhaps with spring around the corner, you’ll feel inspired to renew your commitment to eating healthy in 2013.
The arrival of nicer weather also makes us want to get outside and enjoy the fresh air and sunshine, too. So, why not our catered events are served buffet style, creating the perfect atmosphere for mingling with friends and family, while adhering to a healthy eating plan.
SAJJ’s catering menu allows you to savor:
Catered meals are served with:
No need to wait for Memorial Day or 4th of July to plan your next outdoor event, get started now and celebrate the arrival of Spring. Visit www.sajjstreeteats.com, order online, share your favorite dishes with us on Facebook and check out our Twitter page to find out where the Food Truck will appear next.
The latest blog from SAJJ!
Pickling, brining, corning. Whatever you want to call it, it’s a delicious way to preserve the fresh crunchiness of summer veggies and enjoy them throughout the year. The term pickle, which was derived from the Dutch word “pekel”, meaning brine, gives foods a pungent, salty or sour flavor.
One of the oldest methods for preserving foods, pickling started in the Middle and Far East 4,000-5,000 years ago. Turnips, peppers, carrots, green olives, cucumbers, beetroot, cabbage, lemons, and cauliflower are popular pickle (called mekhallel in Arabic) items found in Middle Eastern food dishes.
Recent studies have also found that fermented vegetables, which are packed full of probiotics, deliver many health benefits—including boosting weight loss.
So, whether you want to shrink your waist line or wake up your taste buds, consider sampling our crunchy, vinegary delights and throw a few of these zesty treats onto your next SAJJ falafel or shawarma dish.
Pickled Onion
2oz: 10 Cal / 0.25g Protein / Fat 0.0g / Carb 1.72g
Pickled Cucumber
2oz: 10 Cal / 0.36g Protein / Fat 0.0g / Carb 2.34g
Pickled Turnip
2oz: 24Cal / 0.48g Protein / Fat 1.0g / Carb 5.72g
Pickled Cabbage
2oz: 30 Cal / 1.0g Protein / Fat 0.0g / Carb 3.22g
Visit the SAJJ food truck or the SAJJ Menlo Park restaurant and enjoy 50% off your next SAJJ food adventure.
The latest blog from SAJJ!
One of the biggest consumer food trends of 2013 is going meatless. For whatever reason you may want to avoid meat, we, at SAJJ, celebrate the vegetarian eating movement with many vegetarian meal options that are not only healthy, but fast and affordable as well!
Some of our favorite vegetarian or meatless options are our:
- Hand-made falafel in a wrap, salad or bowl using only the freshest ingredients (6 patties: Calories 210 / Protein 10.68g / Fat 12.12g / Carb 21.64g);
- Babaganoush, a smoky eggplant dip you can pair with our freshly baked sajj or pita bread (6oz: Cal 220 / Protein 3.53g / Fat 9.85 / Carb 7.0g);
- Greek Salad, made with flavorful tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, olives and feta cheese, and topped with a well-seasoned olive oil dressing (Cal 330-500 / Protein 18.0g / Fat 9.0g / Carb 9.76g);
- Fatoush Salad, a pita bread salad featuring seasonal, local vegetables and herbs including sumac, a deep red spice with lemony taste (Cal 360-530 / Protein 11.2g / Fat 12.0g / Carb 23.0g)
- Moroccan Bean Salad, made with fava beans simmered in olive oil, garlic and Moroccan spices, and topped with lemon juice and parsley (6oz: Cal 204 / Protein 7.0g / Fat 4.0g / Carb 27.0g).
Also on the list of 2013 food trends are whole grains like quinoa and bulgar. We spotted that one a mile away and have incorporated these healthy whole grains into our fresh Tabbouleh, made with quinoa, parsley and mint.
Come in and try one of these great meatless meal options as a break from meat or as part of your regular diet. You’ll find the colors and flavors of the Mediterranean turn your basic salad or vegetarian dish into a colorful, cultural taste adventure you won’t forget!
And, if you’re not a follower of trends and want to meat it up, try our braised lamb, beef or chicken shawarma, marinated in flavorful Mediterranean spices.
Try us and get 50% off your first visit at our Menlo Park location.
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter @ sajjstreeteats.
The latest blog from SAJJ!
What could be yummier: grilled meat (beef, chicken or lamb) in a warm pita, complete with tangy sauce and veggies. That’s the basis of a shawarma, eaten around the world in variations untold. In Egypt, shawarma is eaten on buns, with tomatoes, onions and beef. Syrian shawarma often features pomegranate sauce. In Mexico, it’s called an Arabian taco, and comes with a chipotle-garlic sauce. And at SAJJ, shawarma comes the way you want it, with the meat, bread, sauce and veggies you specify.
We, of course, think the best shawarma in California is from a SAJJ restaurant or SAJJ Food Truck, but if you’re traveling, where can you find good, authentic shawarma?
Apparently, Ottawa, Canada, is a hotbed of shawarma goodies, with the most shawarma restaurants in any Canadian city. One of the most highly rated restaurants in that city is Shawarma Palace, serving the Lebanese version of the dish.
King of Falafel and Shawarma, in Astoria, Queens, is a food truck that won a “Vendy” award for being one of the best food carts in New York.
And one of the best places to get shawarma in London is the Taza Kebab House, a 15-seat Lebanese joint in Bayswater. In notoriously expensive London, this is a great place to get a filling meal, with meat, salad and sauce, for less than four pounds.
Half the fun of eating shawarma is tasting the different spices, sauces and breads people around the world use for their local versions. So travel, taste, and then come back home to SAJJ where you can create your own hyper-local version. Yum!
Why wait for your next Shawarma adventure! And be sure to share your favorite SAJJ Shawarma combos with us on Yelp, Facebook or Twitter.
The latest blog from SAJJ!
Applebees, Sizzler, Taco Bell…these are only a few of the traditional chain restaurants trying to cash in on the food truck craze. At SAJJ, we went the other direction; from a bonafide indie Mediterranean food truck to a brick and mortar restaurant in Menlo Park. According to a recent article in AdWeek, the chain-restaurant-to-truck trend, though popular with company management, is not working out so well on the ground. Yet we’ve made the opposite transition: from one California food truck to a successful and growing restaurant chain.
Here are three reasons why it worked for us…and not so much for the competition.
1) A food truck is a unique beast: creating greatness in a small space, with not a lot of equipment really hones your skills. It’s a lot harder to go from a commercial kitchen and replicate the experience as food truck business; much easier to go the other direction. If you can make tasty food in the confines of a truck, once you’re in a larger kitchen, the food only gets better. We can offer more spices, more choices and more combos of tastes in the bigger kitchen.
2) A food truck is a community with its own rules and needs, attracting people who are adventurous eaters, looking for new tastes and experiences. They don’t want the food they can find on every corner. Once you have a brick and mortar restaurant, you have to appeal to a wider variety of people. That’s why we’ve taken on the role of culinary MC: guiding people to new tastes and experiences in a way that feels fun, comfortable and unique. Chain restaurants such as Sizzler, on the other hand, moving to a truck, will find the market not interested in what they can already get at the mall.
3) A food truck is a moving target, hard to find and rarely in the same place. So we’ve had to get good at using Twitter and Facebook to let people know when and where to find us. That social media skill also helps us tell people about our engine-less restaurant. Chain restaurants are great at mass marketing; but are less nimble when it comes to digital and social marketing, and for changing strategies on the fly.
So come on in to see how well we’ve translated the fresh and tasty food from our truck to our non-moving Menlo Park location!
The latest blog from SAJJ!
Remember your first bite of shawarma? Why did it taste so darn good? Why were the tastes so complex? It’s all in the marinade—the steps, the ingredients, and the length of time it sits in that goodness. While every Middle Eastern country makes their shawarma differently, our recipe uses a two-step wet and dry rub that combines sweet and savory to great effect.
First, we mix spices that you may associate with pumpkin pie more than Middle-Eastern food: allspice, nutmeg, cardamom and more. That’s the dry rub.
Then, for at least 24 hours, we marinate the meat in a yogurt and white wine vinegar mixture just our own. That’s the wet rub.
Finally, we brown, braise, and brown again for that shawarma taste that beckons you to make tracks to SAJJ. Next time your taste buds call, we’ll be ready to answer with a pitch-perfect marinated shawarma meat treat.
The latest blog from SAJJ!
Tell us and you may win two free entrées and drinks.
“This place is excellent.
- Choose a meat or falafel, put it in a bowl with rice, a bowl with salad, or in a wrap.
- Add epic toppings (wonderful pickled veggies, olives, avocado).
I eat lunch here at least 1x/week and it is consistently good.”
Happy Customer, Sunnyvale CA
Two things will never vary when you order a SAJJ entrée: Our shawarmas and braised lamb will always be perfectly spiced and tender and our falafel will strike a great balance between crisp and succulent. From there, you can turn your entrée into satisfying comfort food or an exotic and bold taste experience as you customize your order with our wide variety of “epic toppings”.
What we wonder is, “what are your epic toppings?” Reply to this post either on our site or on Facebook and we may choose to feature your favorite epic toppings in a future blog. As a thank you for telling us about your favorite flavor combinations, you could win two free entrees and drinks on your next SAJJ visit. Post as many times as you want, but only send one answer per post!
To stir your creative juices, here are three of our favorites:
SAJJ Falafel: Sajj wrap with arugula, pickled onions, cherry peppers, sumac and garlic crème
CALORIES: 556
COMMENTS: This combo will deliver additional nuttiness from the arugula, a bit of heat from the cherry peppers, with a pleasant lemony sumac and garlic base. Vegan and gluten free.
SAJJ Traditional
Shawarma: Shawarma layered on pita with romaine, feta cheese, and grilled eggplant
CALORIES: 512
COMMENTS: This sandwich features the freshness of romaine, the smokiness of grilled eggplant and the cheesy goodness of feta, all of which are wonderful accents to our spicy lamb and beef.
SAJJ Braised
Lamb: Tender lamb served over fluffy basmati rice with peri, kalamata olives, pickled cabbage and pomegranate vinaigrette
CALORIES: 520
COMMENTS: This is a mélange of contrasting tastes: Peri brings some nice heat, and the olives and pickled cabbage are nice counterpoints to the pomegranate vinaigrette’s fruity tang.
The latest blog from SAJJ!
Humor us a bit and consider the following five resolutions SAJJ can help you keep:
1) Eat more heart-healthy foods. The Mediterranean diet is well known as heart-healthy, with good fats, lots of plant protein, vegan options, full grains and lean meats. Funny, that’s just what we serve at SAJJ!
2) Spend quality time with friends. Sitting down for a delicious, healthy meal—without any digital distractions—is a great way to connect with friends and family. People with stronger social networks (the face-to-face kind) live longer and are happier. Our Menlo Park location is the perfect place to bond over delicious food.
3) Try new things. SAJJ’s menu offers eating adventures for both the timid palate and the more experienced. Try Sajj, a spongy bread cooked on a convex grill. Or taste the sumac spice in our fatoush salad—don’t worry, it’s not poisonous.
4) Get more exercise. For those of you who live within two miles of our Menlo Park location, consider walking to and from lunch. You’ll save on gas, parking, and you will work up an appetite, as well.
5) Support local businesses. Why eat at a faceless chain where your money goes to investors half a world away when you can support local food vendors and food truck culture? Indie restaurants rule!
So there it is: the easiest way for you to create and keep healthy habits in 2013 is to eat at SAJJ.
The latest blog from SAJJ!
For many parents, family-friendly is both a blessing and a curse. It’s a blessing because kid-friendly means you can get out of the house and have someone else make dinner and not have to worry too much about what type of impression your children’s behavior will make on your hosts or other diners. But often, family-friendly means you’re trading lack of stress for lack of taste. So we’ve taken up the challenge of designing a family-friendly restaurant that is nearly perfect for your kids and you.
SAJJ is the ultimate family-friendly food adventure. Here’s why:
There’s a lot to see. When your kid steps up to the line—they’ll see sajj being cooked for the first time on ovens that are essentially upside down. What kid won’t find that cool?
The food is delicious. Almost all kids LOVE freshly baked bread. We have both homemade pita and sajj that are super fluffy and tasty. People rave about our French fries and our chicken shawarma will banish chicken nugget memories from your kid’s head.
We have super-friendly culinary MCs. Our people are welcoming and never scary. They help all our customers—old and young—create a meal they will enjoy.
It’s fast. You can get through the line and get exactly what you want in just a few minutes—no time to get bored here!
It’s healthy. How often can you say that about fast, delicious food in an entertaining setting?
It’s new. SAJJ presents an opportunity to widen your kid’s palate under the guise of doing something really cool and building on tastes they are already comfortable with.
SAJJ is not only kid-friendly, it’s family-friendly—creating an opportunity to spend some quality time together while introducing everyone to one of the world’s great cultural and culinary traditions. To top it all off, you can experience a food adventure at SAJJ for a very reasonable price.
Here’s a Kid Intro Meal that blends the familiar with the exotic to start your child’s SAJJ adventure:
Chicken Shawarma with freshly made sajj bread, pita chips and beverage
Shawarma: Calories 145 / Protein 26.15g / Fat 5.8g / Carb 0.0g
Sajj bread wrap: Calories 265 / Protein 6.16g / Fat 3.0g / Carb 32.4g
Tahini Sauce: 2 Tbsp.: 80 Cal / 4.0g Protein / Fat 5.0g / Carb 2.0g
Pita chips: Cal 260 / Protein 6.0g / Fat 11.0g / Carb 36.0g
Mint lemonade: 16oz: 99 Cal / 0.29g Protein
Looking for a family-friendly destination where you can explore new foods and enjoy some quality time with your loved ones this holiday season? Give SAJJ a try!
The latest blog from SAJJ!
By popular demand, we’ve come up with a simple and satisfying catering menu for delivery to your office event or holiday party as early as tomorrow.
We’ve come up with two mouthwatering combinations with all of the extras:
* FALAFEL & One SHAWARMA (Traditional OR Chicken ) $12.95 pp Rice bowl or sandwich
* FALAFEL & Two SHAWARMA (traditional AND Chicken) $14.50 pp Rice bowl or sandwich
Get the same fresh and delicious entrees that you’ve experienced at the restaurant delivered free within 5 miles of your nearest SAJJ location.
But that’s not all. Every order also includes:
* Fresh, homemade Pita Bread,
* Turmeric rice
* Green salad mix
* Hummus
* Tomato Cucumber Salad
* Cabbage Salad
* Pickled cucumbers, and
* Pickled onions
In addition to these great veggies and sides, we also provide three sauces that deliver new taste adventures.
Tahini brings you the rich taste of sesame combined with lemon, garlic and other seasonings that has been a staple in Mesopotamia for over 4,000 years.
Cilantro mint combines the wonderful freshness of mint with the aromatic distinctiveness of cilantro to bring a really different flavor note to falafel or your meat dish.
Peri peri doubles your fun by starting with this flavorful hot pepper crushed and adding citrus, onion, garlic, pepper and other herbs and spices to bring you this North African favorite.
SAJJ is the convenient choice for making your party, work occasion or neighborhood street food something very special—but don’t delay, the holidays have arrived!
All prices are for a 30 person minimum, taxes are not included and we can also accommodate all serving needs as an additional service. Call for details and to set up a delivery: (650) 322.7255 or (650) 322-SAJJ.
If you have a party for 6 or more enjoy our SAJJ Box. Try our specials and traditional recipes, pre-packaged in convenient to-go boxes for parties of 6 or more. Call or use our Download Order Form [PDF] and fax or email to us.
Another way to enjoy the fresh and exotic falafel and shawarma experience is through the SAJJ Street Eats food truck.
We come to you, on your schedule and at your convenience. Let us make your next event, party, gathering, anniversary, birthday, corporate function, a HUGE hit. Lunch or Dinner. Weekdays or Weekends. Check out our Menu @http://www.sajjstreeteats.com