Sanaa's 8th St. Gourmet

Sanaa's is a revelation. Syrian, French and Italian influences combine to create a meal that is exotic, yet accessible because most of the scrupulously fresh food is on display in cases outside the immaculate half-open kitchen in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The first items to catch your eye are the fatayer, which the menu calls "pita pocket sandwiches" but I think of as vegetable and meat turnovers. I consulted with the outgoing and enthusiastic owner and chef herself, Sanaa Abourezk, and chose the laham b'ajeen, stuffed with beef, onions and pomegranate molasses, and the even more intriguing eggplant fatayer, with broiled eggplant, roasted red bell pepper, onions, tomato sauce and feta cheese. Sensing accurately that I'm the kind of person who goes for that sort of thing, she noted twice that it was her unique creation and could not be found anywhere else.

Discovering Sanaa's was a pleasure for other reasons. She is related to Kevin Abourezk, a talented colleague of mine when I worked at the Lincoln Journal Star; is married to James Abourezk, the first Arab-American to serve in the U.S. Senate; and is the accomplished author of several cookbooks and a column in one of America's best small newspapers, the Sioux Falls Argus Leader.

But back to the food. I had to stop myself from hopping in place as I debated which of the glorious and inexpensive items to try. On the one hand, stomach space was unfortunately limited; but on the other hand, I was fortunate to have two companions with me willing to let me sample their selections. The three of us ended up with the aforementioned fatayer, which ran somewhere around $3.50 to $4 each; the soup of the day, a vegan vegetable and bulgur wheat delight for $3.25; the muhammara dip of pureed red bell pepper, walnuts, pomegranate molasses and coriander, accompanied by all the freshly baked pita bread we wanted (which was a lot); and one entree, the shish tawook -- chicken breast pieces cooked in red sauce with cumin, mustard, garlic and sesame seed paste ($8.95, includes basmati rice pilaf, salad and pita bread).

Abourezk told me she grinds her own spices just before cooking and prepares everything fresh -- "no boxes." Trained at the Cordon Bleu Baking School in Paris and the Masha Innocenti Cooking School in Florence, she believes in healthy food and this is reflected in her two published cookbooks, Oh Boy, I Can't Believe It's Soy and Secrets of Healthy Middle East Cuisine. She told me she has another cookbook coming out, this one with gluten-free recipes.

I've passed through Sioux Falls countless times on the way to Blue Mounds for rock climbing. Sanaa's is now a mandatory stop.

Sanaa's 8th St. Gourmet

401 E. 8th St., Suite 100, Sioux Falls, South Dakota

650-275-2516

Lunch Monday-Friday 11 a.m. - 4 p.m., Saturday buffet 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.

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