Everyone in the restaurant looked so happy. And they were all getting their orders so quickly: steaming plates of succulent meats and vibrant vegetables kept hustling by, all to the delight of eaters seated at nearby tables.
Except at one table that sat barren, save for glasses of water with mint. Of course, it was the table where the restaurant reviewing project was happening. Somehow, the order was lost between the table and the kitchen at Mazah Mediterranean’s newish digs in Grandview.
After more than thirty minutes, a polite but puzzled query at the counter, “Did we order something weirdly difficult?” yielded the discovery of a lost order. The staff was earnestly apologetic and immediately responsive: the meal was ready within five minutes.
But that’s why the first visit to Mazah ended up being a carryout visit.
The food travels very well, for the record. The Chicken Kebobs ($8) are densely packed with chunks of hard-char chicken. Each bite has that addictive grill flavor that makes kebobs so very good. They come on a pile of seasoned rice.
The Grape Leaves ($12) survived the little adventure too. Mazah has a version that features a warm mix of ground lamb and beef with rice packed inside little packages wrapped in traditional velvety leaves. It’s more substantial and flavorful than a common rice version.
The food is certainly worth another try for an in-house investigation. The new Mazah location is actually just a few doors down from its original Grandview address (which now houses Jobu Ramen). Mazah’s corner spot is pretty, with lots of windows and natural light, and lots of customers.
On the second try, the much-wanted plates of vibrant food came right to the table.
Hummus ($4) here is is quite nice, with the right balance of garlic and lemon. Of course, hummus is good, generally speaking. The Tsatsziki ($5) is more interesting and a bona fide plate-licker. Little cubes of cucumbers, garlic and mint populate a wildly rich yogurt dip. It’s more luxe than any sour cream concoction in recent memory.
There’s also a Cabbage Salad ($6) that’s refreshingly different. Long, loopy strands of cabbage are mixed with corn, carrots, parsley, garlic and lemon juice to yield a slaw that is more “marinated” than “soaked”. The flavors are infused into (as opposed to dumped on-top-of) every soft vegetable strand.
For heartier appetites, there is Beef Shawarma ($9): lean, fork-tender cuts of beef with a vague Mediterranean accent. Alternately, there’s the plant-based Falafel ($10), for falafel-fans: it’s moist, it’s sturdy. It’s all the things that falafel is. But it wasn’t as beloved as the house’s meat options. The aforementioned meaty grape leaves stole the show, even in their carry-out state.
The establishment also serves beer, wine and cocktails. It features a particularly interesting Arak, which the menu describes as a strong anise liquor that is popular in countries on the Mediterranean.
These days, you can find Mazah at 1453 Grandview Avenue. Lunch is served Mondays through Fridays from 11am until 2:30p. It opens again for dinner from 4:30pm until 9pm (On Fridays, it stays open until 10pm). On Saturdays, Mazah is open from 12noon until 10pm, and it’s closed on Sundays.
For more information, visit www.mazah-eatery.com.
Photos by Mollie Lyman of www.fornixphotography.com. Photos are taken at a different time than review, so discrepancies between photos and review may occur.
