A Hidden Mediterranean Gem in Lake City

Man'oushe Express serves up wood-fired Mediterranean flatbread

By Seattle Mag February 27, 2015

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This article originally appeared in the March 2015 issue of Seattle magazine.

In this age of food obsession and social media, would-be best-kept food secrets are shared via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. And so it is with Man’oushe Express, the lunch window hidden in the back of Goodies Mediterranean Market in Lake City, which I first discovered thanks to a scrumptious picture on the photo-sharing site. At Man’oushe, chewy Mediterranean flatbread is baked to order in a wood-fired pizza oven and then topped with za’atar, a savory, thick slurry of roasted sesame seeds, thyme, oregano and sumac.

Known as mana’eesh, the flatbread can be ordered with several toppings, among them an aromatic combination of za’atar and jibne, a blend of mild, melted akkawi cheese (made with cow’s milk) and the saltier kashkaval cheese (made with sheep’s milk; $4.50); or it can be spread with a delicious sauce of lamb, tomato and peppers (lahm b’ajeen, $4.95). Servers will roll it and wrap it, like a gyro, for eating on the go, or slice it into pizza-like wedges for those who opt to stay, nibble on complimentary olives and maybe share their own pictures, to keep the good karma rolling. Lake City, 13721 Lake City Way NE; 206.362.2694; Facebook: “Man’oushe Express.” This spring, Goodies Market will be moving to a new location, but Man’oushe Express will stay put.

 

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