Beast Blog

Shattuck and University - Middle Eastern Delights!

Last night a friend and I tried out Zatar, the middle eastern restaurant reputed for its exemplary ingredients. The short of it: very yummy. We opted to share a bunch of mezza (small plates, akin to tapas), and since my friend is on an acupuncture diet (no flesh but fish), we tried a variety of vegetarian options, plus one meat dish for me. The meal begins with a plate of zatar (a collection of herbs/spices) drizzled in olive oil -- an excellent pita dip. The Mohamara (a red pepper spread) was good (not great), the falafel were divine little balls of fried goodness, and the fennel and orange salad was surprisingly satisfying -- sprinklings of cinnamon will do wonders. I also got the lamb dolmas, which I could eat until the end of time. Dessert was the pistachio baklava -- good, not too sweet, with big hunks of nut in them. The service was very friendly -- we were waited on by both the friendly waitress, and a chef. They made sure we knew what we were eating, kept our water glasses full, and were generally pleasant. Oh, I also had the pomegranate sangria -- YUM. I'd get a carafe of that when I return. The only drawback -- it's kinda spendy (particularly the entrees). Go when you're feeling kind of flush.

If you're feeling not so flush, you can't go wrong with the Berkeley branch of Truly Mediterranean, right across the street. Their shawarma with hummus and hot sauce -- swoon!