Taste Trippin' Part Dos

I've been hanging out in Spain and the Mediterranean region lately. Nothing captures me like a rich culture full of history displayed with vivid visual and musical traditions. I love flamenco, tangines and kebabs so I headed to Alhambra Palace with my friend Avis and her crew of Florida explorers. I don't mean the historical landmark in Granada, Spain. I'm referring to the grand, 1000-seat restaurant/theater in Chicago. Alhambra Palace boasts marble archways, ornate Spanish tiles and hand-crafted furniture imported from Morocco, Syria, Lebanon and Egypt. With spice-colored,velvet curtains draped over entrances and hookahs hanging from the bar, the place drips with drama. We sat in the dimly lit main floor, close to the stage. The menu offered typical Middle Eastern dishes like Baba Ghanoush, Dolmesh and Falafel. I sampled spiced olives, lentil soup and chicken kebabs served over rice sprinkled with pistachios, raisins and toasted almonds. The kebabs were marinated with turmeric and other spices with bell peppers, eggplant and olives. It was okay but the real excitement was on the stage.





Four women in flouncing skirts with embroidered shawls tied over them, stomped and twirled and clapped. A guitarist and singer joined them for a medley of traditional flamenco tunes. The fervor and passion was contagious and I was mesmerized. As I've said, I'm a big flamenco fan but have never been moved to consider lessons. That performance actually had me thinking; "would all that stomping make my feet hurt?" "would I be able to gracefully use my hands and click castanets in rhythm?" "would I be able to improvise like in salsa dancing?" All I know is that I wanted to be out there swirling and stomping and clicking along with them.