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Lebanese Taverna Restaurant
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| | The Lebanese Taverna in Arlington has been one of my favorite restaurants over the past twenty years. The cuisine and the warm and efficient service have been consistently excellent throughout. A key indicator of the reputation of a good establishment is the line of patrons, spilling outside to the parking lot, patiently waiting for a table even when the weather is inclement. The restaurant is not terribly large with seating for about 75 which gives it a neighborhood family restaurant atmosphere. While we have had full dinners that included Shish Kabob, Kafta Mechwi—grilled ground lamb seasoned with herbs and spices, Shish Taour—tender chicken cubes marinated and skewered with tomatoes and peppers served with garlic puree and sumac spiced onions on the side—we have often chosen a selection of Mezze for either dinner or lunch. | | Mezze, like the Spanish Tapas, come in a large number of dishes served in small portions. There are various names for the Mezza from country to country but everywhere they are served with pita or Arab bread. The meal can be compared to the Swedish Smorgasbord in terms of variety and range of tastes. | | Mezze could simply be a few cured black olives, homemade cheese with a dash of olive oil, slices of cucumber and garden ripe tomatoes with a drizzle of olive oil and coarse sea salt; pickles of red turnips or peppers made an appealing snack. On the other hand “Mezze” could be very sophisticated and tasty small dishes. If drinks are served Raki is the beverage of choice in Turkey; in Greece, Ouzo would be the choice, in many Arab countries Arak would be preferred and in France it would be Pastis. | | Lebanese food is included in the category of cuisine labeled Mediterranean. The Mediterranean region—Spain, Italy, Southern France, Greece, North Africa, Egypt, Cyprus and Lebanon—offers a variety of very popular dishes with a common list of key ingredients such as wheat, olives, vegetables and lentils prepared and presented in many distinct ways. Good quality Mediterranean food begins with fresh ingredients, extra virgin olive oil, sun ripened tomatoes, beans, pulses, eggplant, sweet peppers, and herbs. These give rise to aromas, texture, freshness and taste that cannot be reproduced otherwise. The Lebanese Taverna consistently serves up the real thing. At a recent Palate review we ordered seven of the Mezze dishes and shared them between five of us. We chose: | | Foole M'Damas is a national dish of Egypt often served for breakfast but adopted by other Middle Eastern countries. It is simmered fava beans flavored with garlic and lemon topped with chick peas with a touch of olive oil. Some in the party found the dish too lemony but others liked it. Baba Ghannouge—baked eggplant pureed with tahini (sesame seed paste), fresh lemon juice, olive oil and garlic. The name of the dish comes from “Baba” which is father in Arabic while “Ghannoug” can be cute, easy, soft and coquettish. Baba Ghannouge and Hommos are very typical Lebanese dishes. Falafel—croquettes with chickpeas, parsley, fava beans, onions, garlic, herbs and spice—was served with Tahini. Bathenjan Moutabal—pureed eggplant mixed with garlic, lemon and olive oil. Bamieh Bel Zeit—baby okra simmered in tomato sauce, whole garlic, spices and olive oil until tender. Sujok—mildly spicy homemade beef and lamb sausage pencil thin flavored in a wonderful tomato sauce. | | Feta cheese with paprika rolled in Zaatar (thyme), served with olives, cucumber, olive oil, tomatoes and spiced onions. We all found the dish over salted and we left it. | | We ordered two types of bread—pita and kaak—a puffy pita with sprinkled with Zaatar which is a mixture of thyme, seasame seeds, sumac and salt. It is served with olive oil. Zaatar is a very Lebanese seasoning. | | The chef is Lebanese, and the owners are Danny and David Abinash. Youssef Mlhammed is the manager and Tarik and Aziz, our waiters, were very efficient, good humored and well informed about the cuisine. | | The cost per person was $17 including tax and tip. The Lebanese Taverna gives cooking classes and also does catering. | For those who live in other areas of the greater metropolitan area there are branches at two additional locations:
The District: 2641 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20008 (202-265-8681)
Arlington: 1101 South Joyce St.,Pentagon Row, Arlington, VA 22202 (703-415-8681)
Tysons Galleria: 1840 G International Dr, McLean, VA 22102 (703-847-5244) |  | | Would you like to join Vim in a future restaurant outing? Newcomers are welcome. Contact the WBFN office if you are interested. |
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