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Lebanon's Cafe
Uptown 4: Riverbend, Carrollton & Broadmoor: 1500 S Carrollton Ave. 504-862-6200. Map.
Casual
AE DC DS MC V
Website
WHY IT'S NOTEWORTHY
Every good Lebanese restaurant--and this is one of the best--has a unique specialty. Lebanon's Café has a charcoal-burning grill, making it the Bud's Broiler of Middle Eastern food. Its menu is more extensive than most, and the prices are almost laughably low. It's very tempting to eat much more than you should here. They don't sell alcohol, but you are free to bring your own wine with no corkage fee charged.
WHAT'S GOOD
Even after dozens of meals here, I continue to find good new dishes. The quality of the raw materials is beyond reproach, and they season and cook the food convincingly. When a concoction requires a drenching with olive oil and garlic, here it comes.
BACKSTORY
Hussain Sheereef opened Lebanon's in the mid-1990s, originally in the much smaller space next door. When he expanded into the former Cavallino's, he got a bigger dining room and a much bigger kitchen, allowing the menu to grow to its present encyclopedic size. Over the years, renovations make the place more pleasant seemingly with every visit.
DINING ROOM
The premises are larger than they at first seem from the heavily-planted sidewalk entrance. In fact, the place is downright spacious, an effect enhanced by the large murals. The service staff--even the many members of it who aren't from the Middle East--are knowledgeable enough about the food to offer suggestions for those just discovering Lebanese cooking.
ESSENTIAL DISHES
Starters
»Hummus
Falafel
»Baba ghannoush
»Bathenjan dip (eggplant, garlic & jalapeño)
Musaha (eggplant, roasted garlic, peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, onions, celery, olive oil)
Faul (fava beans, garlic, lemon juice, jalapeño, olive oil)
»Tabouleh
»Stuffed grape leaves
»Kibbeh (ground beef, cracked wheat, onions, pine nuts
Spinach phyllo
»Spinach pie
Safeiheh (mini lamb pizza)
»Zaater bread
Mujadara (lentils and rice)
Labna (thick yogurt, mint with olive oil)
»Cabbage roll stuffed with rice and beef
»Halloumi cheese
Spinach & artichoke dip
Soups & Salads
»Lentil soup
Musaki soup (tomatoes, chickpeas, garlic, eggplant)
Summer salad (tomatoes, mozzarella, basil & olive oil)
»Salad with feta cheese & olives
Fattoush salad (vegetables)
Spinach salad
Yogurt salad with cucumber
Feta cheese & olives
»Greek salad
Pickles & olives Mediterranean style
Pickled cabbage
Entrees
»Chicken kabob
»Shish kabob (lamb or beef)
»»Lula kabob (ground lamb)
»Shrimp kebob
Gyros (spiced lamb & beef)
»»Chicken shawarma
»Beef shawarma
Salad of chicken or beef shawarma, gyros, or shrimp)
Chicken tecka (marinated, grilled half chicken)
»Filet mignon
»Hummus with lamb meat
»»Rosemary lamb chops
Tuna steak
»Kibbeh plate
»Grape leaves stuffed with rice, ground beef
Vegetarian grape leaves
Sautéed vegetable plate
Falafel plate
Vegetarian plate
Sandwiches
Falafel
»Eggplant, tomatoes & mozzarella
Gyros
»Chicken or beef shawarma
Chicken or lula kabob
»Lula kabob
Desserts
»Baklava
Burma (phyllo and pistachios)
FOR BEST RESULTS
If you come in a party of four to six, you can make a spectacular repast out of ordering all of the many appetizers. If necessary (and it probably won't be), fill in the appetite gaps with one or two entrees.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT
The restaurant is always busy, and they serve food so rapidly that one sometimes feels rushed.
FACTORS OTHER THAN FOOD
Up to three points, positive or negative, for these characteristics. Absence of points denotes average performance in the matter.
- Dining Environment +1
- Consistency +2
- Service+1
- Value +3
- Attitude +1
- Wine & Bar
- Hipness +1
- Local Color +1
SPECIAL ATTRIBUTES
- Sidewalk tables
- Open Sunday lunch and dinner
- Open Monday lunch and dinner
- Open most holidays
- Open all afternoon
- Unusually large servings
- Quick, good meal
- Good for children
- Easy, nearby parking
- Reservations accepted
