I rarely go to the mall. When I mean rarely, I mean that I have been to West Town Mall exactly 11 times during the whole time I have lived in Knoxville. That 11 times in 13 cumulative years and less than once a year. Why don't I go there more often? Well, I'd love to chalk it up to my distaste for West Knoxville, in general, but, to be honest, it is that I feel totally frustrated every time I go into a mall because of my inability to get my bearings in the enclosed space. I can't find anything, and what gets my back up is that malls are designed to be difficult to get around in, to change capriciously, to be confusing. Why? To get you to stay longer to "happen" upon shops, to force your foot traffic around the building. Even if you are completely conscious of the social psychological design of the space and try to fight against it, you find yourself even more frustrated by bumping into people who are completely bound up in the thrall of the mall. So, I avoid the place like the plague except when I need to get a gift for a kid or the wife at the last minute.
I had to make one of those trips the other day for one of the kids' upcoming birthday. My wife and I set sail on I40 westbound and found ourselves in West Town Mall. It was around lunch time (after mulling over about 1000 different gift choices) and we realized that we were not going to make it back to downtown for another meeting concerning our business, so we had to eat in the dreaded food court. I am a food lover. I do not eat at places like Chick-Fil-A (the worst of factory chicken slathered in high fructose corn syrip and GMO breading) or Sbarro (an abomination before the Lord as far as pizza goes). So I was resigned to just getting some fries at one place and an ice tea. We walked into the food court and, boom, there it was "K Town Kebabs." WTF? Shawarma at West Town Mall.
continued...
My wife has various food sensitivity issues and this was a total match for her. She also went to college in New York City and is a shawarma fan. I got addicted to it when I was attending seminars at NYU's Center for European and Mediterranean Studies. After the seminar was over, we would pop down Thompson St and tucking into Mamoun's falafel (and their equally good kebab). Anyhow, good shawarma is hard to find. I understand that there is good stuff at Ali Baba's way out on Kingston Pike somewhere, but these gentlemen at the mall have it perfect.
I got the mixed beef and lamb plate ($6.99). The rice was perfect and was supplemented by perfectly roasted and seasoned red potatoes. The shawarma sauce, which is what separates it from doner kebab, was light and tangy. The proper, very thin pita slices were not moist, and held all of the plate's offerings together nicely. My wife went with the straight lamb and declared it heavenly with a moist texture and perfectly seasoned as well.
It doesn't look like it has been open very long and I hope they can make a go of it. I would like to travel back out to the Mall, just for the shawarma, but if they can't get the mystified folks who were walking up to their counter to understand that lule is always going to be better tasting and better for you than anything that Chick-fil-a offers, it might not work out for them. Maybe they'll open up a spot downtown if the incongruous shop in the mall (a place, by definition, without any taste) doesn't work. Late night shawarma just off Market Square? Until that dream happens, I guess I will have to get frustrated by the mall more often.
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lule is always going to be
lule is always going to be better tasting and better for you than anything that Chick-fil-a offers
Oh man, do I love me some ground beef keybab. Thx for the tip.
I too hate the mall. But
I too hate the mall. But occasionally find myself forced to go there. This sounds promising. Thanks for the tip.
Pam Strickland
"We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be." ~Kurt Vonnegut
Pretty cool. I assume you do
Pretty cool. I assume you do gluten free there pretty easily?
Just ask them to leave the
Just ask them to leave the pita or on the side.
True happiness is knowing you are a hypocrite. -- Ivor Cutler
Stimulating the economy as best we can!
Further stimulation with Yoga Wear!
Oh, pfffffft. Mall haters.
Oh, pfffffft. Mall haters. If only Kingston Pike shared the aesthetic appeal of North Broadway. But I digress. I have to go to Ann Taylor for work clothes. I coulda told you about this place, though it hasn't been open long. It replaced a now-defunct gyro joint. That weird Mirage notwithstanding, Knoxville Greeks and Arabs have not figured out how much money they could make if they peddled food downtown. (Regas does not serve Greek food and the Regas family is about as Greek as Victor Ashe by this point.)
(OK, I don't like malls either, and they are on their way out.)
Well, I do love me a mall.
Well, I do love me a mall.
I was there just yesterday and, amazingly enough, we ate at the food court! I don't know if I have ever eaten at the food court. Guess what we had! Chick-Fil-A. I was in a hurry, did not want my shopping companion to spend to much time choosing, I wanted to shop. It's all my fault. We sat right in front of "K Town Kebabs." Thanks for the review. We will definitely try it next time.
You know there used to be a Greek restaurant downtown. I remember it from 25+ years ago. I don't know how long it has been gone from downtown since I wasn't here for 17 of those 25+ years.
Regarding the dreaded "mall". It reminds me of downtown Knoxville years ago, except under roof when walking from store to store. Downtown Knoxville, years ago, had at least three department stores and I can't remember how many smaller shops (15+? 30+).
Between the spread out
Between the spread out sprawl of Turkey Creek and the West Town Mall, give me the Mall anytime. I like everything under one roof.
I hate the traffic at a setup like Turkey Creek. I like parking once and walking around. Count me a Mall Fan.
No Matter Where you go, There you Are!!!!
I am a food lover. Me too.
I am a food lover.
Me too.
Pretty awesome, Sven. Do you
Pretty awesome, Sven. Do you do lutefisk?
Fuck. That was fucking
Fuck. That was fucking awesome.
True happiness is knowing you are a hypocrite. -- Ivor Cutler
Stimulating the economy as best we can!
Further stimulation with Yoga Wear!
Man knows his f*cking meat.
Man knows his f*cking meat.
The best part is the
The best part is the maestro's rebuttal to critics in the comments:
F*ck you, you f*cking f*ck. My f*cking steak kicks ass. My cooked steak brings all the goys to the yard.
I have to say
I was at West Town today looking for a rain coat, and was pretty much attacked by two of the cart vendors. I know to keep a wide swath around the Dead Sea salt people but a gal selling herbal neck shawls came up and threw one around my neck and didn't quit talking for ten minutes. I took the thing off my neck and got away, barely.
"Also, please proofread your posts."
syrip = syrup
yeah, I do it too.
"If ignorance is bliss, why aren't more people happy?"
If that f*ckin' bastard
If that f*ckin' bastard hadn't told us that was a f*ckin' steak I would a freakin' sworn it was a f*ckin' pork chop. Looked like a goddam pork chop to me, and I don't even eat that sh*t. You ever freakin' seen Food, Inc.? You'll swear off that grocery store ammonia laced crap forever. Have a great goddam Thanksgiving, by the way, barbaric carnivores.
K-Town Kebab's KICKS
K-Town Kebab's KICKS ARSE!!!
Really good food.
And way better for you than anything else in the food court at West Town.
Very nice dude running the front too.
Watched him cook my combo kebab, which was succulent.
Decent hummus too, and really nice jasmine rice.
Far and away the best food at the any mall in K-town.
A
-Sugarfatpie (AKA Alex Pulsipher)
"X-Rays are a hoax."-Lord Kelvin
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