Middle Eastern cuisine provides variety, comfort (5/05)

May. 26, 2005

When you first walk into La Méditerranée, a cozy hole-in-the-wall restaurant on Fillmore Street, you are immediately greeted by the pleasing aroma of fresh herbs and seasoned grilled meats. The menu features many exotic foods to choose from, such as chicken cilicia (an egg-roll shaped appetizer with cinnamon-scented, lightly sweetened chicken), baba ghanoush (an eggplant dip) and baklava (a crispy layered pastry made with phyllo dough, nuts, butter and sugar), all favorites that draw a crowd devoted to Middle Eastern and Armenian fare.

La Méditerranée is usually packed on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, which is not surprising, since their food is marvelous and reasonably priced.

"If you are going out with a large group and crave variety, the Mediterranean Meza is the perfect choice."

One of the restaurants many regulars, I always order the Middle Eastern plate, a sampler that includes chicken cilicia, Grecian spinach and feta pie, a levant sandwich and the choice of lule (lamb) kebab or chicken pomegranate over rice. The plate also includes sides of cheese, fruit and hummus (ground garbanzo beans seasoned with garlic and lemon juice).

This specialty entrée and all others come with your choice of soup or salad. For vegetarians, La Méditerranée offers a vegetarian Middle Eastern plate, an arrangement of Grecian spinach feta pie, cheese kari (dumplings), a levant sandwich and a dolma (olive leaf stuffed with rice).

If you are going out with a large group and crave variety, the Mediterranean Meza is the perfect choice. This dish is a combination of ten of La Méditerranées house specialties and appetizers, from lule kebab to baba ghanoush, costing $13.50 per person. The restaurant also offers a vegetarian version.

Overall, my favorite part of any meal is dessert, and La Méditerranée does not disappoint. The dessert menu includes datil amadra (warm dates and nuts rolled in fillo dough), baklava, cheesecake, chocolate mousse and even crème brulée, a deliciously creamy French dessert with a caramelized sugar crust on top. Recently, La Méditerranée has also been serving Moroccan mint tea, a sweet delight.

The service at La Méditerranée is excellent, with well-informed and friendly servers who always seem to have smiles on their faces as they move about the restaurant. Once when I was sick, the waiter advised against my moms order of the Moroccan mint tea for me because he said that the drink was pumped with sugar and would make me even more miserable. I felt very cared for and appreciated his concern for my health.

Attracting people from all walks of life, La Méditerranée has a warm feel; you feel like youre in a sepia-colored film as you eat, with copper tables and dimmed lighting creating a relaxing ambiance. The bar boasts an old-fashioned cappuccino machine and a Coca-Cola clock, and the artwork includes tin castings of fish, portraits of famous pieces such as Michelangelos David and candid pictures of employees and friends near the cash register.

La Méditerranée also has another location in the Castro on Noe at Market that is much larger than the one on Fillmore but just as consistent in its merit and appeal.

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