kibbee | Mass Food & Wine

Baked Kibbee Pocket from Wexford House on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester, MA

I felt like I had just won keno when I saw the size of my baked kibbee pocket with lettuce and tomato from Wexford House on Shrewsbury Street. The sandwich was bargain priced in comparison to the kibbee entrée and was surely the same thick 3″ slabs of meat and bulgur. Admittedly, the pita pocket gave way after the first bite and I, defeated, resigned to eating it with a fork. I felt that this sandwich was a bit conservative and would have benefited from Mediterranean seasoning, a yogurt sauce, and romaine lettuce instead of the lackluster iceburg. However, Wexford House has been around for ever and is doing something right. Being ‘conservative’ in food and décor draws an older clientele just outside the hubbub of Shrewsbury St. The food was good and the restaurant packed with regulars, but I know it would have tasted even better to a younger crowd if the décor was updated, the lights dimmed, and the keno canned.

Traditionally Lebanese, the Kibbee Plate from Shiraz Armenian Cuisine combined several Mediterranean delicacies, including the signature kibbee over rice pilaf, a hot grape leave stuffed with meat and rice, and cooling cucumber yogurt. Having never had kibbee, I was unsure of what to expect. Although it’s appearance seemed to be a dry, layered, meat stuffing, the consistency was anything but. The ground meat consisted of a wheat consistency with incredible seasonings of onions, green pepper, cinnamon, allspice, cumin, and basil. Reminiscent of an autumn meat stuffing, the combination of the kibbee with rice and jajek was filling and satisfying. -LV

The portion was huge, the rice was piled high with three large pieces of kibbee placed on top. The kibbee was moist and flavorful however I didn’t taste the lamb which was a disappointment. The pilaf was good, not dry. The grape leaves were made with rice and tomato, a combination I have never had, which I found tastier than the typical lemon flavor. The jajek was yogurt with cucumbers, the cucumbers were fresh and crisp and the yogurt was cold and tasty, a great combination with the kibbee. Overall I would definitely go again to try another dish! -JV