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| - This is Aladdin's all dressed up and and ready to impress. Chalk that up to common ownership. However, Taza is definitely not a great fast food place-- it's a great place for a fabulous lunch.
THE FOOD: To start the waitress brought us a plate of zahtar, sumac and sesame seed mixed with olive oil and a little basket, covered in a napkin. I opened the little basket and what to my wondering eyes should appear? Four miniture pita, still hot, my dear. Sorry, I was Christmas shopping.
This is not the very flat pita you get at Aladdin's or Jasmine's bakery for shwarma-- it is ever so slightly breadier (not a bun, though like Father Sam's). It definitely shows the French influence on Lebanese cuisine. Since we ordered hummous as an appetizer, we got a batch straight out of the oven. The hummous was smooth, dense and creamy.
My daughter's mujedrah (Yes, I have 6 year old who orders mujedrah-- she was not interested in the very nice children's menu.) was not mushy in the least, and well seasoned with onion and cinnamon. The Lebanese salata on top -- tomatoes and cucumbers seasoned with sumac dressing-- was a bright counterpoint to the smokiness of the lenitls. And yes, they have those awesome banana-honey smoothies.
My shwarma was divine-- a perfect blend of finely shreaded meat, allspice, cinnamon and garlic. My only complaint is that it was a little oily-- though not enough to stop me from cleaning my plate. I asked for bulgur pilaf instead of fries. Was that a good choice!!! The pilaf was at once smokey, complex, lightly spiced and lightly buttery. It was spiked with chick peas and carrots. Lordy!
Mon cher's shish tawook was well marinated and grilled so that it was nicely charred on the outside and juicy on the inside.
THE ATMOSPHERE: It is a very pretty space-- exotic without being kitschy. It is a soaring space, decorated in shades of rich amber and golden glass. There are lush curtains and ancient looking vases. The open kitchen lends an air of comfort and coziness to the place.
THE SERVICE: Our waitress was very sweet and helpful, paying special attention to my daughter to make sure she had what she needed. (It wouldn't be a Lebanese restaurant if they did not welcome children with open arms.) She even snagged some fresh pita as it came out of the oven for us! The owner was gracious and charming.
NB: I have only been here once for lunch.
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