Yasmine at The Heights, Friendship Heights, Montgomery County, Maryland

The Heights is a new food court at 5406 Wisconsin Avenue, not far from my home. I previously have reported on the outstanding Cuban sandwich at Saoco in the Heights, and since then I’ve eaten there two more times with my Old Guys monthly lunch group. I’d hoped that everyone would order something different, but everyone keeps ordering Saoco’s Cubano rather than try one of the other options. I can’t say that I blame them. Their Cubano is the best I’ve had in the area, and one that can stand up to a whole lot of Florida places.

Marc Rosenbaum, who was raised in Tampa and can be to Cubanos somewhat as New Yorkers can be to pizza and bagels, initially sneered at the Cuban for its inclusion of some mayonnaise and its failure to include the Genoa salami used in Tampa, but he relented from his initial anti-Cuban falafel order on his first trip, which he enjoyed. He managed to get one without mayonnaise,

and was well satisfied, or at least took the absence of salami in good part. Because Saoco’s Cubano has overshadowed everything else, I haven’t been able to get as much information as I’d hoped about the other booths. I have, however, personally eaten twice at Yasmine, the Lebanese booth.

On my first stab at Yasmine, I chose the lamb kebab. A generous portion arrived in a better-than-usual wrapper, one with some flavor.

Here it is in process. As you can see, it proved tricky to keep it together with one hand while photographing with the other.

The kebab was made with ground lamb and lots of vegetables and cheese. Overall, it had a good flavor, but it wasn’t particularly striking.

On my most recent visit I chose Yasmine’s falafel, shown here with just a peek inside.

This was a winner. The falafel itself was well seasoned, and joined in the wrap by interesting pickle spears — a type of pickle with which I was unfamiliar — with a bold flavor  There were onions, tomatoes, and parsley in there, as well as sauce that brought everything together and added a bit of heat. I was very impressed.

Yasmine is a second great addition to The Heights. I may explore the Heights offerings further, but so far, the big attractions are the Cubano at Saoco and the falafel at Yasmine. These are dishes worth a trip, not just something to eat when you happen to be there. Definitely put them on your To Eat list. I’ll continue to explore, but if there are other must-try dishes, please let me know.

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