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| - My buddy and I decided to come here for his birthday. He is from Palestine and I from Iran, so our taste buds have a very high intelligence when it comes to high quality Middle Eastern food.
We went there for lunch. For appetizers, we had the Dawali (stuffed grape leaves), the rarely found Lebanese Kibbeh Niyyah (special blend of spices mixes with raw meat), and bread (pocket pitas and regular flat pita bread) that came in from the popular Aladdin bakery in Cleveland that was served with a special dip (oregano mixed with sesame seeds and olive oil). All of this was at our table within five minutes of ordering.
We were delightfully surprised at how much Kibbeh Niyyah they brought out for us. But given the hefty price for the appetizer (along with it's scarcity), I'd say it was adequately priced (we're graduate students). The meat tasted super fresh, as if it was recently butchered and prepared within the day. Elegant designs were made on the meat with a fork, I believe.
The Dawali is a much more popular commodity in Middle Eastern establishments. Though somewhat petite, we were supplied with about ~7 of these delicacies, all sprinkled with feta cheese on top. I've had Dawali at other restaurants, but the Dawali at Taza's has been my best experience to date. These were the most perfectly rolled grape leaves I've ever had. Very well structured and sturdy enough to be eaten with a fork (yes, I'm the Persian). Didn't pay much attention to what it was specifically stuffed with since a funny conversation topic had come up, but if I had to guess it was the customary rice combined with garbanzo beans and maybe another one or two ingredients).
For our main entrees, we ordered the Shish Kabob and the Beef Kafta. Along with it came "Lebanese rice" (regular Basmati rice - Arabic blend), and about 5 large spoons worth of vegetables. These vegetables were amazing, as they were seasoned and well sauteed. For the lunch price, I'd say we received a fair amount of meat. I had two ~6-inch kaftas that were well-done, but juicy with the perfect amount of spices in it. My buddy had about ~8 cubes of lamb on his plate. Great experience on both ends. You also have the option between Tahini sauce (less consistency), garlic sauce (thick consistency), or both. We ordered both, I believe, at no extra charge. Entrees were at our table within 5-10 min.
For beverages, we ordered hot tea and iced pomegranate tea. Nothing too special. We appreciated both.
Because Yelp is awesome, we were able to redeem a special with the app, a free piece of baklava with Turkish coffee. They have three types of baklava available from Aladdin, pistachio, walnut, and cashew. They bring it in a small plate and drizzle it elegantly with a dash of pure honey. The Turkish coffee came in a cute small cup, but was very high quality. It was very strong with the pureed coffee beans sedimenting at the bottom. Amazing Turkish taste says my friend, as I'm not a big fan of coffee in general (Persian chayi fan :))
It is fair to mention that it was not very crowded when we went for a Wednesday lunch, so that should be taken into account for our fast serving times. Our waitress was a pleasant woman, going out of her way with good customer service.
The establishment itself is beautiful. Dim-lighting for you romantics, elegant tapestry, two-floors, and medium-sized banquet room on the first floor with a huge chandelier. Very well-built restaurant. Lots of thought put into the designs.
Great experience. Loved it and would definitely go again. Hope you guys and gals have as much fun as we did!
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