A Quest for Sesame Pancakes & Jallab Juice

One of the biggest things I miss about New York is the food. New York has both quality and quantity -- really, really good food at many, many places. Columbus, too, has great food, but it's just not on every street corner (although it's coming closer, which is perhaps a post for another time).

But there are two foods in particular that I'm missing right now: one that I enjoyed the last couple of years of our time living in New York, and one that I was just introduced to on our trip back in June.

First, the old: a sesame pancake with vegetables from Vanessa's Dumpling House. As I wrote after trying this for the first time in 2011: "The pancake was really more of a sandwich in the shape of a pizza slice, filled with cilantro along with julienned carrots and cucumbers. So delicious, and really a meal by itself."

The bread is nicely crisped, and the seeds and whatever oil and/or spices they use give it a unique flavor. I made it my meal regularly -- and twice in June. It's only about a $1.50, but I would gladly pay more.

And the new: jallab juice, purchased at an old favorite. One of our last stops in Bay Ridge in June was Al Safa, the restaurant just across the street from where we used to live. It was our last morning in Brooklyn, so I splurged and ordered a glass of jallab juice: a mixture of rose water and date juice. Just sweet enough, deliciously refreshing and a wonderful complement to a crispy zaatar pie.

Now, to find these in Columbus. Help!