It was a waitress` nightmare. The afternoon drags along, then zap, six tables fill up within 10 minutes and the evening shift is hours away. But Carol, the lone waitress, handles it with ease and unnecessary apologies.
Five-month old Jaffa Restaurant, a recommendation from reader Georgina Gronner, is off to a fine start. The ample portions of well-seasoned Middle Eastern food are priced right (entrees around $5.50, appetizers $2), the place is spic `n` span tidy. The spacious split-level dining room affords elbow room as well as privacy.
Carol apologized about the lemonade. ”I`ll get to it in a minute,” she said in between running baskets of warm pita and plates of home-cured pickles and olives to each table. The wait was worth it. She squeezed lemons to smithereens, producing a refreshing tart-sweet libation that complemented two of the appetizers, a smoky eggplant spread, baba ghanooj, and tabouleh, a coarse, lemony salad of parsley, cracked wheat and tomato.
Soup, that day a piping hot, oniony lentil, tags along with the entrees. The flavor of the kifta kabab (seasoned ground lamb patties with rice and vegetables) couldn`t be beat. But a shorter stay under the broiler would improve the juiciness. The meat came up dry. Other entrees include chicken kabab, fried kibbe (ground lamb with cracked wheat) and broiled red snapper. In the sandwich category, arayes, baked pita stuffed with of ground beef and lamb, comes with salad and home fries.
A light, satisfying dessert is the milk pudding flavored with cinnamon and rosewater. In their version of baklava, the walnuts deserve more butter and fresher pastry. What outshines both is the Arabian coffee. Served in china cups the size of a shotglass, it`s brewed to hair-raising strength, slightly sweet and redolent of cardamon.
JAFFA RESTAURANT
5517 N. Clark St. Phone: 769-4549. Hours: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Tues.-Sat.;
4 to 11 p.m. Sun.; Closed Mon.
