Beirut Grill serves familiar, if much too mild, Middle Eastern flavors
Denver’s dining scene shed its meat-and-potatoes moniker years ago. More recently, the Mile High City has become known for its farm-to-table ethos — and a plethora of cuisines that, like many of our newest residents, aren’t from around here. There’s the surplus of poke eateries; the popularity of panLatin eats; the endurance of ramen. Right now, though, diners are thinking about slightly drier climates as Middle Eastern food steps to the forefront with two big restaurant openings on the horizon: Alon Shaya’s and Ash’Kara from beloved local toque Daniel Asher.
The modern eateries are sure to increase people’s cravings for hummus, tahini, shawarma and falafel. Luckily, the Denver metro area has a long history of solid Middle Eastern restaurants. Their strip mall locations and modest interiors aren’t hip or #gramworthy, but they’re consistent and satisfying.
Among them is Beirut Grill, which opened in 2006 in Englewood. At this quiet restaurant, everything is made from scratch and is inspired by the traditional bites of Lebanon’s capital city. Many dishes need spicing up, but the ample menu is familiar and easy to navigate even for Near East food newbies.
Vibe: Understated. Beirut Grill is located in a strip mall (its neighbors include a nail salon, physical therapy office and gym) off of South Broadway and West Hampden Avenue. The restaurant’s jeweltoned booths and wooden chairs surround glasstopped tables covering intricately woven textiles. Arabic music plays over the speakers and colorful lanterns hang from the ceiling. These small touches add life to the otherwise nondescript dining room — a necessity at slower times.
Hits: If Beirut Grill does one thing especially well, it’s dips. You can actually taste the eggplant in the earthy baba ghanoush ($6.95), while the parsleyand paprikaspeckled hummus ($6.95) is silky and tahiniheavy; you’ll want to capture every last dollop with a spoon. Start every meal with an order of either but know that a side of pita and hummus also accompanies most entrées.
The eatery is also known for its savory pies ($2.95). Thick dough boats (which need a couple more minutes in the oven) are filled with your choice of cheese, spinach or lamb and served warm. The spinach version tosses the greens with onions, walnuts, olive oil and pomegranate sauce for a tart, crunchy appetizer. Another successful starter is the bowlsized yellow lentil soup ($4.25); the spices are nicely layered and make for a flavorful, if thin, broth.
Ful medames, a traditional vegetarian Lebanese dish, is billed as an appetizer but is better suited as a main course. Called simply “fava beans” on the menu ($6.95), it’s a stewlike combination of the legume, diced tomatoes, olives, garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil. Eat it on its own or swipe chunks of pita through it.
For a broad taste of the menu, order the King Combo ($17.95), a massive platter of nonskewered chicken, kofta, lamb and beef kabobs, shawarma, falafel, a duo of salads and dips, a grape leaf and rice. The best of the offerings is the kafta, a redolent blend of ground lamb and beef tossed with onions and parsley. The ricestuffed grape leaf was lemony and tomatoy and balanced out the meatheavy plate. (A vegetarian combo, $13.25, is available for her bivores, but the disappointing falafel — see below — are the star ingredient.) For a slightly smaller meal, the charbroiled chicken kabob ($13.95) is juicy if plain and lacking the onslaught of spices we expect with Middle Easternstyle meats.
Misses: The pitas, made by hand, are thinner here and more tortillalike. While they work just as well for scooping up hummus or bits of shawarma, we missed the more common, puffy rounds.
Take a pass on the falafels ($5.95 as a side; $12.95 as an entrée). Though the tough exterior gives way to a fluffy, herbforward filling, and we enjoyed the nuttiness of the sesame seeds sprinkled on top, the chickpea patties arrived nearly burnt and were too crispy to enjoy.
In both the chicken and lambandbeef shawarma (each $13.95), the meat was shredded much too small to retain any spice or pull any flavor from the rotisserie. The ratio of rice to meat and vegetables was also off; the kitchen would be better off serving one or two less scoops of rice on each entrée plate.
Dessert (all $2.45) isn’t worth the extra calories. The baklava is sweet and heavy on the honey, which we like, but the dough is undercooked and missing that characteristic crackle. Namoura, a traditional, semolinabased Lebanese treat, is dry and pulled no flavor from the nuts, lemon juice, or floral syrup typical of the dish.
Drinks: The fragrant, hot mint tea ($2.95) pairs with everything on the menu and comes with free refills, though those looking for a caffeine buzz will prefer the strong Arabic coffee ($2.95). Beirut Grill received its liquor license in May, so there are now a handful of wines ($7 to $10) and mostly Colorado brews ($5) on the menu, too. Sodas and a variety of juices ($2.95 to $3.95) round out the liquid offerings.
Service: Service at Beirut Grill is more transactional as opposed to a conversation between diner and server. Your water will be regularly filled, and the staff can explain unfamiliar dishes, but that’s the extent of it. And that’s just fine. Because dishes arrive quickly, and it’s easy to flag someone down over a fallen fork or to request more pita.
Bottom Line: On the spectrum of Denverarea Middle Eastern restaurants, Beirut Grill is a middleofthepack spot. It offers all of the eats to satisfy a hankering for Near East food — as well as some lesserknown offerings — but the dishes don’t provide the depth of herbs and spice that makes us crave those foods in the first place.
Price: Appetizers and salads ($2.95 to $6.99); Sandwiches ($6.95 to $8.95); Entrées ($12.95 to $28.95); Desserts ($2.45); Drinks ($2.95 to $10)
Fun Fact: Owner Pedro Bernal is from Central America, but he learned the basics of Middle Eastern cuisine at the nowclosed Colorado Boulevard location of Damascus Grill.
Star Rating Guide: Ratings range from zero to four stars. Zero is poor. One star, satisfactory. Two stars, good. Three stars, very good. Four stars, excellent.