I am completely willing to try just about anything, well almost. One of my favorite cuisines happens to be so called Mediterranean. A self proclaimed healthy and low fat eating experience, this food is quite unique and spectacular. I also noticed they don't use so much salt that it is all you can taste. Chelsea and I went on a little adventure to local restaurant called Mediterraneo Grill, located on Lincoln Highway in downtown DeKalb. The atmosphere was quite relaxing in a reduced light environment. The music set the mood, and the owner even double checked to see if we did not mind the music that was playing, some sort of Middle Eastern music. We had a four course meal for around 20 bucks each.
We started with a hummus and warm pita appetizer. I am a sucker for good hummus, especially if it is homemade. The hummus was extra nutty and had a slight astringent taste, I would probably contribute that to the addition of tahini. Drizzled all over the top was a sweet, fruity, and light olive oil. Just a spectacular starting plate.
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| Hummus with olive oil, and a wee Kalamata olive. |
With my entree I decided to go with a bowl of vegetable lentil soup. It was amazing how much flavor was packed in the little bowl. I have had some pretty bland lentil soup before. The lentils were perfectly soft, without being mushy or soggy. You could taste a plethora of vegetables as well, but since the soup was so slowly cooked they were no longer recognizable. There was a rich herb taste, followed up by a slight sourness. A little lime perhaps?
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| Some kind of wonderful! |
The next course was a kabob sampler plate. This plate was a mountain of rice. To me this rice was similar to basmati rice that I have had. It was slightly chewy or al dente, and stained a slight yellow color. It was perfectly seasoned and contained an herb that I could not quite identify from taste alone. With the plate you end up getting three different meats and a vegetable kabob. The veggies still had a slight crunch with a balsamic like glaze, a perfect combination of sweet and vinegary.
The first of the meat kabobs is called kefta. I had to do a little research, but it is essentially chopped seasoned meat of some kind that is shaped into a cigar shape and grilled. Here it was made from sirloin. I could not say for sure what was in it, but I noticed hints of onion, cinnamon, and lime. During my research I found that allspice was a common seasoning for kefta, that is what I must have singled out as cinnamon. The next kabob was tender pieces of steak, which were cooked to about medium. They had a garlicky spiced taste to them, and the little bits were so unctuous. The spice rub reminded me of a mild indian curry, not spicy but flavor rich! Finally was a chicken kabob, which was super moist and it could be cut with a fork. Similar to a tandoori chicken, the taste of the marinade reminded me of coriander, turmeric, and cumin. Like all the other meats there was a delightful acidity to the marinade used on the chicken.
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(F to B) Kefta, chicken, beef, and vegetables
on a bed of seasoned rice. |
Finally, if I wasn't already stuffed to the gills from this smorgasbord, I decided to top off the meal with some baklawa (or baklava). I am a huge fan of sweets, and this one is the bee's knees. A flakey and delicious phyllo pastry with sweet and spiced chopped nuts, all covered with a sticky honey based syrup. Here I kept getting full body shivers from their baklawa, it was super delicious and unlike any I have had before. The buttery phyllo was nutty and sweet. The filling must have been walnuts and pistachios, or at least pistachios on the top. A must have in any Mediterranean or Middle Eastern restaurant!
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A dainty and spectacular end to a
wonderful meal. |
We enjoyed this place so much we will definitely return. The service was enjoyable and the staff was very friendly. A must for anyone visiting downtown DeKalb!
