La Camelia - Go Armenian or go home

Hidden at 92Waterman St in East Providence is a tiny brick building with 5 parking spaces, it houses an Armenian couple and their immensely flavorful cooking. Kevor (George in English) and his wife came to the USA in 1976 and, after urging from their friends, they opened La Camelia in 1981. While their business is largely catering, they do have about 16 seats and are very busy on Friday and Saturday nights. I went on a Thursday with my friends and we were the only three there, which made the experience all the more amazing as Kevor sat right down with us during the meal and we all discussed Armenian culture and their journey to this country.

Everything on the menu brought memories of my grandmother's house flooding back. I was excited to be there, yet skeptical to try anything she had made before for me. I didn't want to be disappointed by an off flavor, meat that was overcooked or pilaf that wasn't soft and buttery. After ordering a round of appetizers including yelangee (grape leaves stuffed with rice with vegetables, they came warm and the aroma of allspice wafted into your nostrils), a Lebanese bean dish with olive oil and onions, and an Armenian string cheese platter with raw vegetables of carrots, cucumbers and radishes, Kevor insisted on making us a specialty platter instead of us ordering entrees. We all eagerly agreed as my Irish friends were so tickled by the Armenian string cheese and beans they could hardly wait to see what he cooked up. At this point I snuck off to the restroom and found Kevor and his wife hard a work side by side in the kitchen hunched over the wood fire grill. 'How cute is this?' I thought to myself, just like being at home (except who are we kidding, this Kevor is indeed a progressive Armenian man because cooking is definitely woman's work in that culture!)

What he brought was a large platter of pilaf and grilled vegetables (green and red peppers, small onions, tomatoes) topped with Losh Kebabs (ground meat patties - these were lamb, seasoned with parsley, onion and bell peppers) and Shish Kebabs (both chicken and fillet mignon).

In an Armenian house when you eat these types of food, you take a piece of warm Syrian bread (similar to pita or lavash) and put the meat on and some pilaf and then take a grilled tomato and smush is down on top so the juices run all over the meat and rice. The losh kebabs (which have always been a favorite of mine) were spot on, just as I remembered, and the beef was just as well prepared. The pilaf was delicious with pine nuts and browned vermicelli and was reminiscent of Grandma's Monday-Saturday pilaf when she cooked it with chicken broth instead of butter, yummy indeed. The house made yelangees were also wonderful. I am not used to them being served warm but I liked them that way very much.

We all left full but as my friends remarked, "I am so full, but I don't feel bad. That food was so light that you can feel full and not sick. AMAZING!"

La Camelia gets an A+ for sure, not just in taste, but atmosphere (Armenian music playing in the background), authenticity, and friendliness. The proprietors are so proud of their food and they really want you to enjoy the experience of their homeland.