The Oregonian Food Day:
Wine Notes: Off the beaten path at Barbur World Foods
Published: Monday, November 07, 2011, 4:00 PM
Until 2004, the grocery store at the busy junction of Southwest Barbur Boulevard, Southwest Taylors Ferry Road and Southwest Capitol Highway was called, simply, "Barbur Foods." It did not carry items like dried kiwi slices, tamarind syrup, Turkish delight, hookah pipes, potato-sack-sized bags of olives and earthenware tagines. Then, John and Mirna Attar bought the business.
The Attars, who are Lebanese, already owned the popular Middle Eastern eatery Ya Hala in the Mt. Tabor neighborhood, where Mirna is chef. They also ran a small international market next to that restaurant. And so, when they purchased the grocery on Barbur Boulevard, they re-christened it "Barbur World Foods" to reflect the added selection at their beyond-the-ordinary supermarket. And they added a deli counter where specialties like kibbeh, shawarma and falafel sandwiches and roasted lamb pizza make for long lines at lunchtime.....Read whole the Article..
A melange of favorites -Published: Tuesday, January 04, 2011, 12:00 AM - FOODday - The Oregonian
Freshly baked pita: Barbur World Foods will bake white or whole-wheat pita breads in their open-hearth oven while you wait. They bake up huge, nearly twice the size of a store-bought pita round. Warm out of the oven they're amazing -- and a steal at just 50 cents. (9845 S.W. Barbur Blvd.; 503-244-0670; barburworldfoods.com) --Katherine Miller
Willamette - Week April 21, 2010 - Devour
MIDDLE EASTERN, MEDITERRANEAN] The Lebanese answer to New Seasons, Ya Hala owner John Attar’s lovely Southwest Portland market carries specialties from countries ranging from Thailand to Bulgaria and back to American junk food, but its heart belongs to the Middle East and Greece. Grab marinated lamb, beef and chicken skewers for home kebabage, and then swing by the deli for lemony hummus, tangy vegan kibbeh and stewed lamb leg (this place believes strongly in free samples). And do wander through this former Piggly Wiggly’s global wine and beer selection—it totals around 3,000 bottles and counting.
Grocery list: Rose water, phyllo dough, braided Karoun cheese, Ararat baked goods, halal meats, weird beers.
The Oregonian - FOODDAY -March 16, 2010
Persians savor a new year's feast filled with old traditions
By Leslie Cole, The Oregonian
March 16, 2010, 12:00AM
Willamette Weekly - March 10, 2010
Our Sister Restaurant - YaHala
Family-style meals are our favorite, and Ya Hala definitely encourages diners to indulge in sharing. Here, you can feed four hungry stomachs a Lebanese feast for—no joke!—$25. The à la carte mezza options, like lemony baba ghanouj ($4.75) and crunchy falafel ($5.50), are always accompanied by steaming hot pita bread. For meat lovers, the kebabs ($12.50–$15.95) are juicy and spicy. This is the place to go for a table full of plates, and a perfect spot for those tricky-to-please vegan/carnivore couples.
INDIA NICHOLAS. 8005 SE Stark St. 256-4484. www.yahalarestaurant.com
Read the whole article - 152 Best Places to eat Cheap in Portland
The Food Lovers' Guide to Portland
Portland Monthly - March 2010
55 tasty destinations for the culinary adventurer in you (Hope you're hungry!)
By Mike Thelin, Martin Patail, Kaitlyn Evans, and Eva Hagberg
International Food Supply
8005 SE Stark St
503-256-9576
internationalfoodsupply.com
The Find: Sheep’s milk cheeses
From Hungarian kashkaval to Bulgarian feta, you’ll find dozens of cheeses at this specialty store founded by the Attars, a local Lebanese-American family. (They also own the popular restaurant Ya Hala, located just next door.) Although both International Food Supply and its sister location, Barbur World Foods (9845 SW Barbur Blvd; 503-244-0670), are focused on Lebanese foods, they’re also sure bets for essential pan-Mediterranean ingredients like saffron, rose water, sardines, grape leaves, olives and olive pastes, pomegranate juice, orange blossom water, phyllo dough, olive and grapeseed oils, bulgur, teas, Turkish coffee, dried fruit, nuts, and much more. —MT
Likely to spot: Ned Ludd chef Jason French buying kashkaval, a yellow sheep’s milk cheese.
Where we're going
By The Oregonian
January 05, 2010, 12:01AM
These restaurants, stores and food destinations make us happy
Barbur World Foods: About twice a month, I hop across the river and head out Barbur Boulevard to Barbur World Foods, a supermarket owned by John Attar, who also owns one of my favorite Portland restaurants, Ya Hala. While the market's loaded with all manner of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern specialties for bargain prices (especially the various cheeses and olive oils), and stocked with a stellar array of produce (including such rarities as fresh chickpeas and green almonds), it's the prepared foods that really make the drive worthwhile. I'd argue they've got the best hummus and baba ghanouj in town, and a wide array of savory pies, stews and salads. Go now and you won't need to cook for days (even food writers appreciate a night or three off). 9845 S.W. Barbur Blvd. Matthew Card