The Lebanese Taverna

In search of a good meal, we tried this restaurant called "Lebanese Taverna." The menu looked good, the place seemed authentic, and it wasn't that crowded (at least when we got there) so we decided to give it a go.

Hubby loves Lebanese food, and we have a regular place that we go to, so I was excited to see how this taverna would match up to our favorite Lebanese place.

Traditional Mezza

The menu looked impressive, and we wanted to have a bit of everything, so hubby ordered Traditional Mezza which is a sampling of hommous, tabouleh, grape leaves, falafel, m'saka, baba ghanouge, lubieh bel zeit, sambousik, and kibbeh. In case you are wondering, "mezza" is appetizer in Arabic.

This Shawarma dish blew me off!

I ordered my favorite - a dinner portion of Shawarma, which is marinated lamb and beef roasted slowly on a rotisserie, served with tahini sauce, lettuce, tomato, and rice.

Modern Baklawa

For dessert, hubby ordered Baklawa and I ordered a traditional Arabic dessert called Um Ali.

Warm and yummy um ali!

What I liked:

- Very authentic. Even the servers were Lebanese. And they were very knowledgeable about the menu (I asked how they cooked the rice and she told me all about it).
- The food looked good. They didn't seem to be trying to be fancy or anything, they just prepared the food in a very simple yet appetizing manner.
- The sambousik (meat pie) and falafel were exceptionally delicious. In fact, they were my favorites of the meal.
- The rice was cooked perfectly, with a distinct taste that I really loved.
- The desserts were scrumptious! They were traditional, and yet prepared with a modern twist. The baklawa was rolled like a cannoli, and was served with a drizzle of raspberry sauce and a scoop of ice cream.
- The um ali was warm with decadent topping, and was served with pistacchio ice cream, crushed pine nuts and pistacchio nuts.
- Prices were a bit on the expensive side, but not unreasonable. Remember, you get what you pay for.
- All in all, the food was great!

What I didn't like:

- There was only 1 grape leaf on the platter.
- The baba ganouge is a little bit tangy for my taste.
- I ordered small rack of lamb from the menu, but they were out. :-(


The verdict:

If you are looking for authentic Lebanese cuisine, The Lebanese Taverna is a must. The service is good, the place is neat, and the food is excellent. Would I recommend it to friends? Yes. Oui. Si. Absolutely! Would I come back and eat there again? In a heartbeat.