7/24/2019 American Press - Review - Aug. 20
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B2 AMERICAN PRESS THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2015
SCENE
By Mary [email protected]
am not thesort of personwho frequentscasual-diningrestaurants.I
prefer mytables spacious,
my tablecloths crisp and mywine list extensive. I appreci-ate
silver water pitchers andgold-wrapped mints. If mywaiter happens to
be wearinga tuxedo, all the better. If mywaiter happens to be a
pen-guin, Im probably having thatdream where Im Mary Pop-pins
again. Anyway, the pointis, I delight in choosing restau-rants on
the fancier side.
The problem with that,however, is it sometimes clash-es with the
most importantaspect of eating out namely,consuming the best
possiblefood. Loath though I may beto admit it, sometimes
thetastiest dishes are served inthe most casual places. Divine
scones come from tiny, obscurebakeries, Earth-shaking
bagelsandwiches are carried inplastic baskets and superlativeGreek
food comes from thewell-appointed but undeniablytwee Toga
Grill.
When you walk in, you havea direct view over the coun-ter and
into the tidy kitchen,where the smiling staffwelcome you in. Grab a
menufrom the counter and seatyourself at any of the tables inthe
small restaurant to peruseit, then return to place yourorder. You
can choose froma selection of bottled drinkswhile youre up there,
includ-ing soda, water and tea, or youcan go the adventurous
route
and order rosy Lebanese tea,sweet jalab (made with datesyrup) or
vimto (fruit cordial).
Toga has the full rangeof traditional Greek andLebanese dishes,
from babaganoush and falafel to zaatarpie and sojok. The lamb
kabobcalled to me, but I was on aserious reviewing mission andI
knew I had to order strate-gically. I selected the Togasampler to
get a little taste ofeverything, and it was an ex-cellent decision.
Toga samplersounds like an ancient Romanfashion show, but it tastes
likeheaven. The sampler camewith hummus, baba ganoush,mujadara,
tzatziki, a cab-bage roll, a stuffed grape leaf,
falafel, pita bread, fried okraand fried cauliflower.I consider
myself, if not
quite a hummus aficionado, atleast an aspirant novice. To-gas
hummus is fantastic, withsemi-creamy consistency andnutty garlic
flavor. Likewise
excellent is the mujadara, adish of spiced rice and
lentilstopped with a dollop of mintytzatziki sauce. The kibbe,
ballsof cracked wheat stuffed withground beef, onions and nuts,were
gone far too quickly.Everything in the sampler wasgood, and there
was enough ofit to make a meal all by itself.
Mindful of my noblereviewing mission, however,I bravely ordered
the Leba-nese chicken wings as well.Marinated with lemon
juice,garlic, olive oil and cilantro,the wings were a sweet,
juicyrevelation. They were hot, too,with sparks of spice that
builtin every bite until I had to stopand guzzle water. A
momentlater I was right back at it,sinking my teeth joyfully
intozesty goodness.
Overall, it was the kind of
meal that has you walking out
with a smile on your face, aspring in your step and a boxof
leftovers in your arms. Add-ing to my joy was the price the sampler
is only $11.95 (plusan extra $1.95 for two kibbe)and the wings were
an emi-
nently reasonable $10.95.
Despite my noble mission,I was too stuffed to try anydessert,
but I have confidentexpectations for the baklava.Dont wait on me,
though. Getover to the Toga Grill and trysome yourself.
Toga Grill a tiny
restaurantwith BIGflavor
I
Mary Newport / American Press
The Toga Grill sampler came with hummus, baba ganoush, mujadara,
tzatziki, a cabbage roll,a stuffed grape leaf, falafel, pita bread,
fried okra and fried cauliflower.
IF YOU GO
Address:Toga Grill is at4439 Nelson Road.
Phone number:477-4142.
Website:www.togagrill.com.
Mary Newport / American Press
The Lebanese chicken wings are marinated with lemon
juice,garlic, olive oil and cilantro. The wings are sweet, juicy
andspicy.
Toga Grill, whichoffers Lebanese and
Greek cuisine, is at4439 Nelson Road.
Mary Newport
American Press
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