On Friday afternoons, the ornate dining room of Queen Mama’s Kitchen, the new Saudi Arabian restaurant on Southwest Oak Street, fills with the scent of lamb, smoke, cardamom and dried lime ahead of its 5 p.m. opening. Friday is mandi night, the day Maha Alhabi, the owner of the restaurant, slow-braises and smokes lamb shanks to serve alongside rice cooked in the lamb’s rendered fat and jus. The Yemeni dish is a popular one, and Alhabi’s regulars know to come early to try it. On a recent Friday, the first group arrived at 4:30, to be sure to get a plate. Alhabi let them in early, seating them below
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