| rev:text
| - Byblos is one of those restaurants you're always reading about but somehow you just never get around to visiting. But given that we had theater tickets one Friday night, the time was finally right to sample Byblos' much-ballyhooed wares.
We arrived at around 6:15 and we promptly shown to our reserved table near the front. Our very helpful waitress appeared shortly after and we began the slow process of figuring out just what to eat. We ultimately chose six items:
Duck Kibbeh (dried fig + date molasses + tahini): This was easily the highlight of the entire meal. I've eaten plenty of kibbeh over my lifetime but this is unquestionably the tastiest version of this venerable dish I've ever had. Everything was perfect, from the delectable spices to the unctuous, melt-in-your-mouth meat to the note-perfect sauce. Just astounding.
Spanish Octopus (fingerling potato + biber chili vinaigrette + preserved lemon): Although the octopus was cooked about as well as I've ever had it - the octopus at Bar Isabel, for example, was far chewier - there was nothing about this dish that really stood out. Perhaps it's because it came on the heels of the sublime Duck Kibbeh, but there was nothing here that really blew me away in terms of flavor - although the presentation was quite nice.
Sujuk Pide (turkish paste + persian feta + za'atar): I'm a big fan of sujuk (a spicy Middle Eastern sausage), so I was especially excited about this one. It's very good. All the components work extremely well together and the enveloping crust is baked perfectly. I suppose my one complaint is the sujuk itself, which, in addition to not tasting like any sujuk I've ever had, is completely lacking in the heat I've come to associate with the sausage.
Mejadra (lentil + hung yogurt + fried shallot): Again, this is something I've been eating my entire life and I have to say, unfortunately, that this dish just didn't measure up. Despite the aforementioned dollop of yogurt, the rice is just dry as heck. It's been cooked in a skillet, which allows the side and bottom rice to get crispy - an idea which sounds great in theory but doesn't really work here. Far more problematic is the fried shallot on top. Traditionally, the shallots (or onions) are taken beyond the point of caramelization, which lends the dish a rich flavor that's unfortunately completely absent here. This was definitely the biggest disappointment for me.
Seared Cauliflower (duck fat + tahini sauce + sesame + coriander): This is a very tasty side that's almost workmanlike in its execution. It's well done but it's nothing special, sadly.
Turkish Manti Dumplings (smokey eggplant + yogurt sauce + molasses): This incredibly rich dish admittedly goes well with the Mejadra, as it cuts that dryness I mentioned. But it might be just a little too rich; between the heavy yogurt sauce and the sweet molasses, it's impossible to taste the smokey eggplant supposedly contained within the dumplings.
All in all, I quite enjoyed my meal at Byblos. The ambiance is inviting, the service is flawless, and the food is, for the most part, quite above average. And I'd sure as heck go back just to eat that Duck Kibbeh again.
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