I have mixed feelings about my visit to Daou. If I could, I would give it 3.5*. The restaurant itself is blah and old looking from the inside & outside. The service was good but on the slow side.
Because Daou was so hyped up to me, I think I was more disappointed than I would have been if I stumbled on this place randomly. We ordered many plates to share so that we could try a larger portion of the menu.
The fattoush was bland and definitely not what I expect from fattoush, while the hummus with pine nuts didn't have any olive oil on it which I've never seen Lebanese hummus served that way. The cheese cigars were delicious but TINY in size. The stuffed vine leaves with meat were rolled really tightly and were actually yummy so these 2 appetizers were my faves.
We also got the falafel zehlawa, which is essentially 4 falafel balls topped with tomatoes, turnips, hot peppers and tahini sauce. It was good but again nothing mind blowing. The grilled meats plate with chicken, kafta and filet mignon pieces was yummy but not worth the price.
The best part was dessert, I loved the katayef stuffed with cream and pistachios covered in rose water syrup. I wouldn't go back because it's far from me and I wayyyy prefer Garage Beirut downtown for authentic Lebanese food.