St. George brings fun, flavor of Middle East

Cars lined the streets surrounding St. George Melkite Greek-Catholic Church Friday night for the second day of the 35th annual Middle Eastern Food Festival.

Guests packed into St. George's Church Hall to purchase a variety of middle eastern food items, including baked chicken, stuffed grape leaves, baked kibbee--a spiced ground beef and wheat dish--falafel, meat and spinach pies and a variety of side items.

In addition to the savory fare, the festival boasts a large selection of pastries and sweets, including classic walnut baclawa, date mammal and kaak and other pastries made with a variety of nuts and dried fruits.

Volunteers were also cooking up fresh Zalabieh, a fried dough spiced with anise and topped with a special syrup and powdered sugar.

To wash down the feast, guests could also purchase Arabic coffee, along with soda and tea.

In addition to the food, guests could enjoy live music and dancing, courtesy of Amin Sultan and some of the church youth. Booths also had a variety of hand made religious items available for purchase.

The proceeds from the festival support the various nonprofit groups the church supports.

The festival continued through Saturday, with food available for dine-in or take-out from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., and drive-thru service from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

For a full menu and more information, visit saintgeorgeonline.org.