Alamir Bakery, Anaheim

Before shopping at Sinbad Ranch market, Tracey and I popped into Alamir Bakery for lunch. The "bakery" part of the name is misleading. Alamir serves Middle Eastern pizza and . . . well, actually that's it. Even for a pizza place, the menu is pretty limited -- mostly, you're choosing among several cheesy pizzas or a several (ground) meaty pizzas. But the crust is wonderful (Al Amir uses a woodburning oven), and the delicate cheese is sooo much better than mozzarella.

Alamir's decor is simple and clean but attractive with some nice Middle Eastern touches. When we were there, the World Cup played on a big TV. Since Alamir uses (already cooked) flatbread as their crusts, our pizzas came out of the oven really quickly.

I preferred Tracey's pizza -- cheese with olive oil and oregano -- to mine. Topped with ground meat, pine nuts and pomegranate, it was a little blah. But that's what I get for ordering what is essentially a hamburger pizza. Next time I'll go for plain cheese.

Al Amir's prices are ridiculous (in a good way). Generous personal pizzas cost less than three dollars each. A can of soda is a dollar.

All in all -- a great spot for a quick, cheap, tasty lunch.

Al Amir Bakery
2281 West Ball Rd., Anaheim, CA 92804, 714-535-0973

http://www.alamirbakery.com/

Sinbad Ranch Market, Anaheim

Last year, my friend Tammi and I stumbled on Sinbad Ranch Market when we tried to go to the much larger Altebayat only to discover that it's closed on Sunday. I still haven't made it to Altebayat, but this Sunday I was happy to make Sinbad Ranch my destination when Tracey and I headed to Anaheim's "Little Gaza" to buy food for Father's Day dinner.

The small store has a friendly neighborhood market feel. They offer Mediterranean cheeses, olives, rices, grains, bottled peppers, fresh flatbreads, and a wide assortment of spices I never saw growing up in New Jersey (and still don't know how to use). But the star of the show is the meat counter. I bought two different kinds of marinated chicken kabob. When I asked the butcher what was in the marinades, he shook his head and said, "It's my mother's recipe," the implication being that his mother was a scary, scary woman and I didn't want to mess with her. Later, my husband, who loves Middle Eastern food, said that one of the chickens tasted like shish tawook and the other like shawarma. I'll take his word for it. In any event, both were a hit. At less than three dollars a pound (pre-cut and smothered in the mysterious -- but not in a bad way -- marinade), they were also a bargain. Tracey bought some ground lamb, and we admired other cuts of lamb as well as some remarkable looking veal and beef (including chili beef and carne asada). All of the meat is halal.

Get This: If you're an eggplant and olive fan, the Jericho caponata ($2.99 for 10 oz.) makes an addictive sandwich spread or dip. Great for entertaining, too.

Not So Much: A lot of the produce looked tired, though I picked up some tiny seedless red grapes that were delicious.

I Could Never Be That Hungry: The deli counter had a nice big tray of goat meat. It looked fresh and juicy ... but it was still goat.

Sinbad Ranch Market

521 S. Brookhurst St., Anaheim, CA 92804, (714)533-3671

Prince Seafood Restaurant (Dim Sum), Cerritos

Remember when we were kids and we used to begin reports with dictionary definitions? Well, this being the twenty-first century and me being a professional writer and all, I'm going to start this entry with a little help from Wikipedia: "Dim sum is a type of Chinese dish that involves small individual portions of food, usually served in a small steamer basket or on a small plate." (Before I move on, here's a fun fact from the Wikipedia entry's history section : "At first, it was considered inappropriate to combine tea with food, because people believed it would lead to excessive weight gain." Hello? Combining food with ANYTHING can lead to excessive weight gain!)

My friend Marlene, who's from Taiwan, introduced me (and our friend Tracey) to Prince Seafood, a Cantonese restaurant on South Street in Cerritos, at noon on a Friday. Dim sum is a daytime thing -- and typically a weekend thing. According to Marlene, Prince, like all dim sum restaurants, is much busier and noisier on Saturdays and Sundays, when they offer a greater variety of plates, and families pass the afternoon talking loudly and sipping endless cups of tea.

Still, we had plenty of food to choose from. Immediately after we were seated in the elegant, high-ceilinged dining room, a server came around with a cart heaped with small plates of appetizer-y things that looked and smelled good but that Tracey and I couldn't identify. For those without a Chinese-speaking friend on hand, a menu (with photos) provided guidance. Our server did speak English, though she was somewhat difficult to understand. Menu items not on the cart could be ordered from the kitchen.

Here's what we chose: shrimp dumplings ($3.50/4 pcs.); chicken and sweet rice wrapped in lotus leaves ($4.50/ 2 generous pieces); steamed shrimp and pork shu mai ($2.40/4 pcs.); curry chicken pastry ($3.50/3 pcs.); steamed bean curd rolls ($3.50/4 pcs.); seaweed salad ($4.50). Because we went on a weekday, dim sum was 20% off. Everything was tasty, though I'd give highest marks to the two healthiest-tasting items: the moist, flavorful shrimp dumplings and the tangy, crunchy seaweed salad, which also contained cucumbers and Daikon radish. None of the dishes was spicy, though Chinese mustard and chili sauce were available for those who like a little more oomph in their food.

We plowed through several pots of tea (which was unusually good). Marlene showed us how to ask for a refill: place the pot near the edge of the table, with the lid askew. Another fun tea tip: when someone is pouring your tea, instead of saying "Thank you" (or the more sophisticated "When") to tell them to stop, you should tap the table next to the cup. Who knew?

We all gave Prince Seafood high marks for food and ambience. The bill was a shock (in a good way). Our lovely lunch cost us eight dollars. A person. I'll drink (tea) to that.

Prince Seafood Restaurant

11828 South St., Cerritos, CA 90703, (562)809-1812

http://www.princeseafood.com/