Mediterranean marvels close to home
If you like fresh salads, you will love Tabouli Grill. If you like hummus, you will soon make this a favorite stop. The menu at Tabouli is much broader than these two items, but they are my favorites.
The salads made here are different then the runofthemill greenery. I would say that the Israeli Salad is the hallmark. If you have ever been to Israel, you will know what I mean. Israelis have a unique way of combining sparkling fresh chopped cucumbers, tomatoes, red and green cabbage, Italian parsley with lemon and olive oil.
To add to your salad, you can choose from feta cheese, falafel (chickpea fritters) chicken, beef, tuna, lamb and salmon. I have probably over the years tried all of these toppings, but my favorite way to eat an Israeli salad is plain, no meats, just a few good splashes of the pomegranate vinaigrette.
There are five other great salads here. A Moroccan Salad (my second favorite) consists of hunks of romaine lettuce, carrots, beets, red peppers, butternut squash, avocado, dates, toasted almonds and sliced hardboiled eggs. It sounds like a huge amount of ingredients to combine in a single serving salad, but it works beautifully. The dates add a sweetness, the avocado a creaminess, and the ruby red beets turn to eye candy. This is an exceptionally pretty salad. Again, I like mine just the way it is, no meat.
One other very popular choice is the Falafel Salad. Here I have to make a confession and that is that I have never understood the appeal of chick pea fritters. It is almost blasphemy to say this about Middle Eastern cuisine, but although they look like something I would love (think Southern hushpuppies or New England Clam Fritters) I find them “meh.” What I do like about this salad is the other stuff in it. Cucumber, lettuce, tomato, pickles, pita chips and a wonderful sesame tahini dressing.
There are some very eyecatching items on the menu. Foods that one does not see commonly. A short list would include Labneh, a spiced yogurt dip with zatar (a blend of sesame seeds, sumac and hyssop) and olive oil, Malawa (a flaky Yemenite pancake with tomato, feta, olives and the exotic zatar spice. Try the pita stuffed with hard boiled eggs and eggplants, or the Megadarra , lentils and brown rice with carmelized onions, or the Masabacha, hummus with warm garlic lemon chickpeas. Tabbouli Grill may be the best antidote to “same old same old” meals.
It is fun to dine here. The vibe is very friendly and casual and if you don’t know your Z’hug (green hot sauce) from your Shawarma (marinated lamb cooked on a vertical rotisserie) the pleasant servers behind the counter actually seem to enjoy explaining them to neophytes.
For cranky kids who only want pizza or McNuggets, Taboulli Grill offers a Pitza (there own version of a cheese pizza made on a pita bread) and Chicken Schnitzel, the old German dish of a breaded and grilled chicken breast. This meal comes sided with french fries and is unusual but not the kind if scary weird food that will send your kids into a fit.
I am almost hesitant to say how healthy much of this menu is. I hesitate because I am old enough (don’t ask) to remember when “health food” was rather grim and flavorless. That is not the case at Tabbouli Grill. Now that that we all know the heart healthy benefits of olive oil, fresh vegetables, yogurts and nuts you can eat healthy without feeling deprived.
I have noticed that the Tabbouli Grill does not have everything on the menu every day. I hit a cold spell when I wanted Latkes (potato pancakes) and the Whoopie Pie. I soothed my sweet tooth with a giant square of baklava, oozing honey between the crisp layers of filo dough. If they have Honey Mint Lemonade, get it; same with a tiny cup of Turkish coffee so strong and sweet it will make your toes curl.
I enjoy any trip to High Ridge Road in Stamford, which slowly has become a rather remarkable food destination. It seems that there are old favorites like John the Baker and newcomers like the amazing bakery Cob Bread that find their niche here. The best Lord & Taylor is here and there are some jewelry stores on this magic mile that I would mortgage my house for, but this part of Stamford has become an unsung destination drive.
If there is one problem with visiting these restaurants that would be parking. I am not the first happy eater to notice the wealth of good food on this strip.
If you go at noon be prepared to circle around a bit before you find an empty parking space. Or you could wait out the lunch rush in the big lot in front of Lord & Taylor. My only warning is don’t buy clothes before you eat lunch, they will not fit after the meal.