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| - Taza is a new spot, recently opened in the Warehouse district of Cleveland. It is in the spot where Crop was located before Steve Schimoler moved it to Ohio City. It has gotten a nice redo to give it a Middle Eastern vive. Walls and ceiling are draped with gauzy fabrics and the lighting is softly covered with lengths of fabric and beads which give an intimate feel to it.
Taza is part of the Cleveland-based Aladdin's restaurant chain (which has locations in Chicago, Charlotte, Raleigh, Toledo, Detroit, Columbus, Pittsburgh, Arlington and San Antonio!), Taza is known for its wide variety of traditional mezza (Lebanese for 'tapas,' or appetizers). Her twin sister is located in Woodmere. The menu says that Taza uses no sulfites or any type of preservatives in the food and only the freshest vegetables and meats. The freshness was apparent in the foods we were served.
I was there is week as part of a group who came on the recommendation of one of my husband's co-workers, Tom R., who had eaten there once and said it was really good. It turns out that "really good" was a bit of an understatement. The food rocked!
We ordered assorted entrées and this is a review of those seated around me. With a bit of encouragement, I took some photos which I would love to share.
The server brought out some warm puffy pita bread with Zaatar (an ancient Middle Eastern herb) and olive oil, sprinkled with sesame seeds, for dipping which was really good. Some of the bread was puffed and some was traditional flat pita. I don't know if they go by different names but it was all good. I particularly liked the warm puffs of bread which I tore and dipped into the oil.
Upon the recommendation of Tom, I ordered the "tour of Lebanon" which gave a nice variety of things to sample. I was a large serving of Shawarma (shaved beef that has been skewered and cooked for hours) with grilled onions, Shish Tawook (grilled chicken (marinated in a yogurt puree over couscous), Lebanese Salata ( a mixture of chopped tomato, green pepper, cucumber, onions, olives and feta in a lemon-herb dressing), Hummos ( a puree of chickpeas, tahini and lemon) and Baba, short for baba ghanoush (char-grilled eggplant with tahini and lemon). Everything was spot on for flavors. The serving was quite ample and I took half of it home for lunch the next day.
My husband had the falafel which came with chopped tomatoes and onions in a lemon herb dressing along with the Shawarma plate which had rice. He offered me a taste of the falafel, which had a crispy outer layer with a flavorful soft center. His loved the Shawarma as did I.
Suzanne, seated next to me, had Makanek (baby sausages made with spiced beef and lamb, sautéed in a lemon-pomegranate sauce. She offered me a taste of the sauce on some pita and it was well balanced and tasty. She also got a salad with was huge and she took half of it to go.
We finished the meal with Baklawa (a thin, phyllo dough desert, sweetened with syrup and dusted with pistachio dust). It had a nice buttery flavor and was not overly sweet.
Our server was great in making suggestions for us to try if we were unsure of something. She was attentive without being annoying.
While we were eating, the owner, Fady Chamoun, checked frequently to see that we were all pleased with our meals. He showed us his new, soon to be finished private party room which promises to be quite lovely. We must go back again soon
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