Gold Dig #28

Adana is a Middle Eastern restaurant in a strange spot kind of in the middle of nowhere in Glendale. It is one of the only places on Jonathan Gold’s 101 Best Restaurants list that is out in that area. We were going to be nearby-ish to see a taping of Conan, so we took advantage of being way out there to make a stop at Adana. Inside was pretty empty, but it was lunchtime on a weekday so perhaps they get a bigger dinner crowd? Go here for the incredible food, not the scene. Also go when you have time to savor great food and company – at Adana they definitely aren’t in a rush.

The Dish

One of the items Jonathan Gold says you should probably order at Adana is the cheese platter. We were really looking forward to getting it, but it turns out that it’s only on the dinner menu. Next time… better research! Luckily there were several other recommended dishes, and they turned out to be fantastic.

Eggplant Dish (Kashk-e- Bademjan)

This appetizer has fried eggplant topped with yogurt, mint, and fried onions. It tastes as good as it looks. I enjoyed it on the soft pita bread, on the crisper seasoned bread, and eventually forked directly from the platter to my mouth.

Shirin Polo

Jonathan Gold said he was not sure he’d ever praised a chicken kabab before going to Adana. I tend to agree, and was reluctant to spend valuable stomach space on such a seemingly mundane dish. But everyone says it’s Adana’s must-try dish, so we did. There is a Chicken Kabab item on the menu, but happily for me, Jonathan Gold also highly recommended the Shirin Polo. It is the same exact chicken kabab, but also comes with basmati rice seasoned with orange peel and almond sweet and sour sauce. The chicken kabab was in fact quite scrumptious, and I loved it with the sweet rice. We chose the hummus and pickle for sides. Get the pickle! They pickle the veggies themselves and they’re hard to stop munching.

Half Hatam (Cornish Hen)

The other slow-grilled meat that Jonathan Gold recommends is what he calls the “proufoundly marinated” Cornish Hen. I have a weakness for grilled meats, and I like Cornish Hen, so put them together and it’s a winner in my book. Don’t be deceived by how tiny they look in the pic – Adana serves their food on gigantic plates. For sides we went with the barbecued tomato and Persian salad. Both delicious! I don’t normally call out sides, but all of Adana’s were great.

Yogurt Drink

There are two items on the menu that say “Yogurt Drink”. I ordered “yogurt drink” and got the one with yogurt and dill. It was surprisingly refreshing, given that it doesn’t even have a hint of sweetness. It leans almost more toward savory, as it seemed to be pretty much liquidy yogurt with dill in it. I drank it all. Apparently the other yogurt drink also has cucumber in it, which the waiter told me as he handed me the check. It sounded good, and I would be excited to try that one too.