 |
Winter Restaurant Guide by Cuisine
MIDDLE EASTERN
BABYLON CAFE
7724 Maple St. 314-0010
Chef Najah serves Middle Eastern food with pizzazz at his cozy cafe. Sandwiches
are made with traditional pita bread or the homemade, focaccia-like bread, and
sandwich fillings include roasted garlic, eggplant, feta cheese, gyro meat and
chicken shawarma. To wash down your meal, order thick, dark coffee, hot sage
tea, or BYOB. No reservations. Lunch and dinner daily. Credit cards and checks.
$
BYBLOS
1501 Metairie Road, Metairie 834-9773
2020 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Metairie 837-9777
3218 Magazine St. 894-1233
All three Byblos locations feature a graceful setting and authentic Middle
Eastern dishes on the menu. Try the lamb kebab, chunks of lamb strip loin marinated
overnight and skewered with vegetables and char-broiled; or the chicken shawarma,
a boneless breast marinated overnight in olive oil, lemon juice and Lebanese
spices, broiled and then thinly sliced. Reservations recommended. Lunch and dinner
daily. Credit cards. $$
CAFE BEIRUT
3242 Magazine St. 269-2900
If you're maxed out on cream sauces and red sauces, come to Cafe Beirut for
something different: spicy, subtle Middle Eastern dishes in a cheerful atmosphere.
Uptown residents flock to the cafe for its specialty chicken, lamb or kafta kebabs.
Other favorites are moussaka, lentil soup, beef shawarma and kibbeh. Those with
a sweet tooth won't want to miss the homemade pastries, including baklava and
ashta. Reservations accepted for parties of 10 or more. Lunch and dinner daily.
Credit cards. $
CASABLANCA RESTAURANT
3030 Severn Ave. 888-2209
www.kosherneworleans.com
One of a handful of New Orleans kosher restaurants, Casablanca is the only
area restaurant specializing in Moroccan cuisine. Chef Linda Waknin makes everything
from scratch (even couscous begins with dry semolina and water) in compliance
with the standards of kashruth. Tanzia Fassi consists of baked lamb, onions,
prunes and sliced almonds; chicken Bastilla Casablanca is baked with saffron
into a semi-sweet pie. Reservations recommended. Lunch weekdays and Sunday, dinner
Saturday through Thursday. Credit cards. $$
LEBANON'S CAFE
1506 S. Carrollton Ave. 862-6200
Lebanon's Cafe recently added a number of seafood items to their expansive Middle
Eastern menu, with choices of shrimp kabobs or grilled tuna now available. Of
course, mainstays such as homemade garlic hummus and pita are still offered,
along with a number of salads. The gyro-style chicken shawarma takes thinly sliced
slow-roasted chicken from the vertical, rotating spit, wraps it in pita and covers
it with hummus, tahini and shredded vegetables. No reservations. Lunch and dinner
daily. Credit cards. $
MONA'S CAFE
504 Frenchmen St. 949-4115
3149 Calhoun St. 861-2124
3901 Banks St. 482-7743
4126 Magazine St. 894-9800
You can't go wrong with simple but delicious traditional Middle Eastern standards
such as the hummus, falafel wrap and stuffed grape leaves. For more hearty appetites,
there are gyros, featuring marinated lamb and beef, or chicken, beef and lamb
kebabs. Another popular dish is the vegetarian plate featuring baba ghanoush,
tabouleh and falafel. No reservations. Lunch and dinner daily. Credit cards.
$
Other Stories This Week in Features:
Blake Pontchartrain
New Orleans Know-It-All
Recently in Cover Story:
Perdido 01 21 03
Uptown Ruler 01 14 03
New Orleanians of the Year 2002 01 07 03
Cover Story Archives
|
|
