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Extraterrestrial life explored at AZ Boardwalk
BY ALEX GALLAGHER
GetOut Staff Writer
AZ Boardwalk’s newest attraction, “UFO Experience: The Truth is Out There,” is deciphering how many people believe in aliens from space.
The experience took over the existing space for “The Science of Ripley’s Believe it or Not” and guides guests through nine galleries that tests whether or not guests still believe there is extraterrestrial life out there.
“Because the subject of ufology – the study of unidentified flying objects – has a lot of moving parts to it. We wanted this to succeed in detailing out a few of those areas of ufology that help to demonstrate or help to explain what people are thinking when they are seeking to understand its subject matter,” said AZ Boardwalk Managing Partner Ran Knishinsky.
It was important for Knishinsky to understand this field as well because it is something that he has been infatuated with for years before opening this attraction.
“A couple of years ago, I started reading books on UFOs and unidentified aerial phenomena and as I started to learn about it, I found it fascinating,” Knishinsky recalls. “The question for me became ‘are we alone?’ and that’s something that I wondered about, which fed my curiosity.”
It wasn’t long after that Knishinsky began to think the question of whether mankind is alone could make for an interactive and educational attraction.
He began researching whether an exhibition of such a nature had been done before and discovered that two similar attractions had been created in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and Buena Park, California.
Inspired by the attractions, Knishinsky sought out The Event Agency, which had produced the attractions in Buena Park and Myrtle Beach.
“I liked what they were doing, and
Ran Knishinsky, managing partner for Arizona Boardwalk, hangs out with a friend in the UFO Experience exhibition, which features more than 200 alien artifacts, films, recordings, conceptual models, and interactive experiences. (David Minton/ Staff Photographer)
see UFO’S page 34
Lebanese Palace serves ‘back home’ delights
BY GERI KOEPPEL Get Out Contributor
Goodbye, peanut shells and burgers; hello, hummus, shawarma and kibbeh: A Lebanese restaurant is now open in the former Teakwoods Tavern on the southeast corner of Ray and Kyrene roads in Chandler.
The Homsi family opened Lebanese Palace in late November, with mother Mona creating the recipes. Sons Kanaan and Sleiman run the dining room and kitchen, respectively. Their brothers Wassime and Samer help out wherever needed, too.
The restaurant already is racking up five-star reviews online and attracting customers of Lebanese heritage looking for familiar flavors.
“All the food that we make here, we’ve been eating this our whole life—the kabobs, the kafta, shish tawook,” Kanaan said. “Everything is homemade here like we would make it at our house.”
Homsi added, “When I eat a kabob, I want it to remind me of Lebanon. This is ‘back home’ food.”
Lebanese Palace serves popular Middle Eastern dishes such as hummus, falafel, stuffed grape leaves, gyros and baba ghannaouj (roasted eggplant dip).
But it specializes in traditional Lebanese cuisine such as shawarma, which is marinated, roasted meat shaved off a rotisserie; kafta, a ball of ground meat and spices on a skewer; shish tawook, skewered chicken marinated in yogurt, lemon, garlic and other ingredients; sambousek, or crispy meat pies; and more. Mona Homsi, flanked by sons Sleiman, left, and Kanaan Homsi, run the Lebanese Palace restaurant together in Chandler. Not pictured are her sons Wassime and Samer Homsi, who
UFO’S from page 33 I asked them to take it out, refresh it and make it relevant for today,” said Knishinsky, an alumnus of Chaparral High School.
So began a lengthy planning process that culminated in an extensive monthlong renovation to convert the space into an experience out of this world.
Because of this, the educational attraction begins by showing guests an eight-minute video detailing the field of ufology, the history of extraterrestrial encounters around the world and explaining the existence of extraterrestrial life in pop culture.
From there, guests are juxtaposed to rooms dedicated to detailing the sightings of UFOs throughout history, the history of weaponry and reverse engineering conducted by the U.S. military, and the history of ancient aliens.
The gallery on the history of aliens poses the question of whether or not they have had any influence over human civilization.
Another is dedicated to space travel, titled the “Propulsion Gallery,” while the Abduction Zone makes guests feel like they are being abducted.
Still another gallery examines the presence of aliens in pop culture. It includes props created by Hollywood set designers of famous aliens like E.T., Alien! and Watto from the Star Wars prequels as well as a chart of celebrities who claim to have had an encounter with extraterrestrial life.
“We’re just looking to present information and let people make their own decisions,” Knishinsky said. “We wanted to spark people’s curiosity and spark their thinking and what better way to spark thinking than to ask the question, ‘do you believe?’ and allow the person to ask themselves that throughout each gallery and answer that question with a yes, maybe or no?”
This is why guests are given a card and a green token upon their entry.
Although the experience is mostly centered around a Socratic debate of whether or not one believes in aliens, Knishinsky wanted to also create an abundance of fun opportunities throughout the experience.
“We wanted to also do this in a family fun and friendly way, which is why there’s a lot of really cool interactive elements here from a moonwalk bounce house for kids to an alien shooting video game to interactive floor graphics where kids can step on aliens to a lot of different photo opportunities that exist within the experience.”
At the end of the experience, guests are asked to place their tokens inside a box marked “yes,” “maybe” or “no” so they can weigh in with their personal belief or disbelief in creatures from outer space.
“UFO Experience: The Truth is Out There” is currently slated to be open for the next year but it could become permanent at AZ Boardwalk if it is successful.
LEBANESE PALACE from page 33
Appetizers average about $7-10, wraps are roughly $10-12 and come with fries, and entrees are about $15-26.
The number one seller is the chicken shawarma” sandwiches and plates, Homsi said, adding, “We do extra seasoning so it stays juicy the whole time.”
His favorites are the grilled meats, he said, noting, “The filet kabobs we have are really good—flavorful and tender.”
And, he added, many Lebanese customers like the kibbeh, made with ground beef, bulgur, onions, pine nuts and herbs and spices formed into small balls and deep-fried.
They also make a vegetarian version that’s not deep fried made with boiled potato instead of meat called kibbet batata. There’s also a dish with raw lamb called kibbeh naveh.
“People really like the kibbeh, and it’s hard to find authentic kibbeh here,” Homsi said.
First-time customers Ty Davis of Phoenix and Zach Garoutte of Tempe said they tried Lebanese Palace based on recommendations from multiple friends who had eaten there over the previous few weeks.
Davis got the chicken shawarma sandThis familiar reproduction of a space traveler is aprt of the Arizona Boardwalk exhibi-
tion. (David Minton/ Staff Photographer)
If you go
What: UFO Experience: The Truth is Out There When: Now- TBA, daily hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Where: 9500 E. Via de Ventura, Suite E250, Scottsdale Cost: $19.95 Info: theufoexperience.com
wich and said, “It was cooked perfectly; lots of flavor. The hummus was really good as well; same with the pita.”
Garoutte got the chicken shawarma plate and said it was high-quality food that tasted homemade. He added, “It def-
initely checked all the boxes.” Both said they would “absolutely” be back. Everything at Lebanese Palace is made fresh daily on site except the bread—which comes from a purveyor in California that bakes Arabic pita—and the feta and labneh, a soft, tangy cheese made from yogurt. They do, however, make a date brioche as well as baklava daily, and all the meats are halal. Keep an eye out for even more delicacies to come. Homsi said that they’ll slowly start to feature weekly specials featuring that his mom has made at home for years that aren’t typically made in restaurants. “We’re going to offer something really traditional like no one has,” he said. The chicken shawarma is the most popular item on The restaurant seats about 160 in the menu at Lebanese Palace in Chandler. (Geri Ko- two large dining areas, and Homsi eppel/GetOut Contributor) said the second room is available for private events. They’re going to have hookah on the patio, and down the line, they might carry Middle Eastern groceries. There are no plans, however, to add a liquor license. The family, who lives nearby, decided to open their own restaurant when they saw the space become available.
Their father, Omar, manages another restaurant in the Valley, and Kanaan and Sleiman have worked in restaurants for several years as well.
Mona Homsi was born in California, and she and Omar met there, married and moved to Arizona. They have five sons and a daughter. Omar is from Tripoli, Lebanon, and still has family there.
In fact, Homsi said he and brother Sleiman spent much of their childhood with their grandparents in Lebanon, where they developed a deep appreciation for the food.
“Lebanese people are meant for cooking,” he said. “Their cooking is really, really, really top notch.”
If you go
What: Lebanese Palace, serving traditional foods of Lebanon and other Middle Eastern cuisine Where: 5965 W. Ray Road, Suite 20, Chandler. Hours: Mon-Thurs, 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Fri-Sat, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Info: 480-867-1772; lebanese-palace.business.site
ACROSS
1 Dallas cager, for short 4 Reindeer herder 8 Persian leader 12 Hit CBS series 13 Vicinity 14 Roof overhang 15 Like some salad dressings 17 Frat letters 18 Duo 19 Sikhs’ headwear 21 Enjoy, as fine food 24 Luau bowlful 25 Guitar’s kin 26 Yule quaff 28 Desert flora 32 Simple 34 Drench 36 Lunch hour 37 Pesto herb 39 Super Bowl VIP 41 P followers 42 Joke 44 Learned one 46 Sans 50 Lucy of “Elementary” 51 Coup d’ -52 “Deathtrap” playwright 56 Impetuous 57 Toy block name 58 Here, to Henri 59 BPOE members 60 Beloved 61 Fanatic
DOWN
1 Roman 1105 2 “-- was saying ...” 3 Wine producers 4 Snorkeling site 5 Altar constellation 6 Impudent 7 Settle a debt 8 Belgrade native 9 “Funny!” 10 Bard’s river 11 Big name in oil 16 Farm female 20 Sinbad’s bird 21 -- luck (accidental success) 22 Furniture brand 23 At once 27 Jewel 29 French chicken dish 30 Undecided 31 “Meet Me -- Louis” 33 Pizza slices, often 35 Sports bar sets 38 Asian language 40 Wan quality 43 Screen Actors -45 Compete 46 Existed 47 Slanted type (Abbr.) 48 Chore 49 Sloth’s home 53 Khan title 54 Post-op area 55 Little louse
Sudoku
With JAN D’ATRI
GetOut Columnist
Begin the new year with this sake-soy-miso glaze
Anew year is about to begin! I want to kick it off with a recipe that’s an elegant yet simple, rich-tasting yet healthful and ever so flavorful dish using just a few ingredients.
This sake-soy-miso glaze was one of the recipes on top of my list. If you prefer a piece of fish other than sea bass, I’d recommend salmon. The ingredients are readily available at most grocery stores and of course, at any one of our Asian markets in the Valley.
May your 2023 be filled with good health and happiness and many, many memorable meals!
Ingredients:
• 1 pound sea bass or salmon filet • 2/3 cup sake (drinkable rice wine) • 1/3 cup sugar • 2/3 cup Mirin (cooking rice wine) • ¼ cup soy sauce (omit for gluten free) • ¼ cup (2 oz) light colored Miso paste (Japa-
Directions:
Combine sake, sugar and mirin in a large sauce pot. Bring to a simmer and heat until sugar dissolves and incorporates. Mix in soy sauce and miso until smooth. Continue heating until mixture reduces by one-fourth.
Make a slurry by stirring together the cornstarch and water in a small bowl. Stir this into the pot to thicken the sauce.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat oil in a menese soy-based seasoning) • 1 tablespoon cornstarch • 1 tablespoon water • 1 tablespoon olive oil • Salt and pepper to taste • 1 bunch green onions, sliced thin • Toasted sesame seeds
dium, non-stick sauté pan over medium. Sprinkle the sea bass with salt and pepper to taste and carefully place in pan. Sear both sides until golden brown.
Remove from heat. Place fish in a baking pan. Brush with the sauce. Place in oven for 4-5 minutes, or until fish is thoroughly cooked. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onions before serving. (Note: Sea bass with miso glaze can be served with sliced pickled onion, cherry tomatoes and half of a grilled lemon.)
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