don't lavash home without trying the kibbeh...

We caught up with some friends at Lavash Cafe in Clintonville. This was our first time going but I had read some good things about it. I decided it'd be nice to be thorough in our assessment of the menu so i ordered a number of appetizers and sides so we could get the big picture.


kibbeh described from their menu as: "...cracked wheat and meat shells filled with seasoned ground beef, onions and pine nuts..." + side order of falafel

This was my second time trying kibbeh. The first time was at a Greek Festival in the Short North. Their kibbeh was mystifying to me. How'd they bake around the meat? It was like eating a bread shell filled with tasty beef. This was delicious. Would have been exceptional if it was warmer.

Their falafel was pretty good. Pretty mild taste and softer than I would like but the price was right. 6 for $2.50? Who's messing with that?


mojadara described from their menu as: "...rice and lentils cooked with special herbs and spices, topped with carmelized onions..."

For my meal I tried the mojadara and a beef kebab as recommended by a Columbus foodie. The beef kebab was a real treat -- tender with peppers and onions that all had a great grill taste . The lentils were pretty good. I like lentils having grown up with them as a kid. The Indian diet is all about dal and the various forms of lentils. Their mojadara could have used some more seasoning or something with a kick. The side salad which was a veggie infused form of tabouleh was a little bland too. Lavash's food reminds me of my own cooking because I cook with a lot of beans, cous cous and vegetables -- just could have used more seasoning.


lamb shish-kebab, saffron rice, pita, beef shish-kabob, salad

Lamb tasted good, saffron rice was flavorful, and the pita bread was yummy.

For dessert I split the rice pudding with Betty. Again growing up in an Indian household -- I had way too much exposure to ultra-sweet-sweets. Gulab jaman, lassi, chum chum, jalebi, you name it i ate it and we also had lots of baklava. For some reason though the sweets taste good i don't crave them -- and prefer American desserts over them. They do have a tremendous selection of baklava for those who can't get enough of it. We tried some of our friends and it was very delicious. The rice pudding was wonderful though.

All in all a good trip out. I definitely prefer this place over Aladdins -- and though I prefer to cook this genre of food at home -- i definitely see us coming back here with friends in the future and putting down some more kibbeh.