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AOL City Guide, From the Editors
Focused upon quick service and authentic,
quality Mediterranean cuisine, Aladdin’s hits the spot,
especially as a break from the same old lunch hour routine.
Falafel and shish kabobs are served as a traditional entrée
or an inventive sandwich stuffed into pita bread. The lentil
soup is perfect rainy weather fare, and the rice-filled
grape leaves called dolmas are addictive.
The signature vegetarian delight includes generous portions
of hummus, falafel, dolmas and baba ghanouj. Heartier
appetites should order the kabob sampler to try lamb or
beef, chicken and ground beef variations. The restaurant’s
retail gourmet corner stocks everything from olive oil to
olives and spices. Hookah pipes are available on the patio
in pomegranate, pineapple, double apple, strawberry and
peach varieties. -- Joy Johnston (Photo: Markysha Clarke)
________________________________________________________
JON
WATERHOUSE For the
Journal-Constitution
Published on: 12/08/2006
At Aladdin's
Mediterranean Grill & Deli, counter service must be the
modern-day equivalent of a magic lamp.
No puff of smoke, no
genie. But our wish for a large yet snappy meal materializes in
a matter of a few minutes. Stuffed pitas overflowing with
ingredients, a plate of dolmas, baba ghanouj, the whole shebang.
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Bob
Andres/AJc
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Stuffed grape leaves, or dolmas (front) carry hints of
olive oil and lemon juice. A plate of olives and pickles
with pita bread is in the rear.
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Bob
Andres/AJc
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Side
orders of hummus are among the many items on the menu.
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Bob
Andres/AJC
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Aladdin's kabob sampler includes shish kabob, shish
tawook and kofta kabob and is accompanied by rice,
Jerusalem salad, hummus and pita.
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Magical land
Booths and tables fill
the sparkling and speckless dining room lit up with a vibrant
mural of column-lined temples, pyramids and other Mediterranean
imagery.
Guests pour Lebanese
iced tea at a self-serve station. A small sign instructs us to
fill up a glass with sweet or unsweetened tea. We add half a
spoonful of pine nuts, a few drops of rose water, some orange
blossom water, a few
mint leaves and lemon
slices. Brisk, flavorful and refreshing, it cleanses the palate
for what's to come.
A nibble here ...
Since everything
arrives at once, it's hard to plot a strategy. It begins as a
sampling frenzy, a game of musical munchies.
Ooh, the stuffed grape
leaves are nice, with hints of olive oil and lemon juice in
every bite. But they're a little skimpy on the rice, tomato and
onion stuffing.
The other four dolmas
can wait. The falafel sandwich proves distracting. It takes two
hands to hold the pita half that's packed to the hilt with
pickles, lettuce, falafel and Jerusalem salad. The latter is a
creamy mix of cucumbers, tomato, parsley and tahini sauce. It
dribbles down the chin.
A lone olive wades in
a bowl of baba ghanouj. We disrupt the presentation by scooping
pita slices into the traditional eggplant and tahini dip.
A nibble there
We dive fork first
into the shawarma plate. The shredded beef is immaculate — its
tangy marinade tickles the tongue. And the chicken is equally
engaging.
Lamb, chicken and beef
make up the kabob sampler. The juicy lamb and herby chicken are
heavenly. So are the kofta, meaty bullets of beef and lamb mixed
together with parsley, onion,
herbs and spices.
We add a little rhyme
and reason to the feast by saving dessert for last. The menu
promises that the mamoul is a "special recipe dough ... baked to
golden brown, sprinkled with powdered sugar." Instead, it comes
in a package. Tearing it open reveals a date-stuffed cookie, a
bit dry but sweet enough. We trade bites with sips of Turkish
coffee; the aromatic jolt of cardamom is more than striking.
Hookah up
No smoky
genies, but they have hookahs. A gurgling pipe sounds tempting
but maybe next time. After 2 p.m., guests fire them up on the
patio. Smokers pack the decorative pipes with exotic flavored
tobaccos including pomegranate, pineapple and kiwi strawberry
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