Middle Eastern food easily became part of America’s diverse diet because the ingredients-meats, grains and vegetables-are often prepared simply with few unusual seasonings. And anyone used to Mediterranean cooking was sure to embrace the grilled chicken or lamb skewers, dips of crushed beans or eggplant and salads of fresh vegetables with plenty of olive oil.
Cedars of Lebanon offers a nice example of this cuisine in its comfortable storefront restaurant in Hyde Park. Travel posters of Lebanon decorate the room, which is divided in two by a private stairway to the building’s second floor, making the seating capacity at first look smaller than the roughly 60 people it holds.
The well-lighted restaurant lacks the moody dimness, as well as the profusion of ethnic decorations, that make other Middle Eastern restaurants seem so exotic. The food is somewhat more adventurous.
Appetizers include the well-known hummus ($2.95) and baba ghanouj ($2.95), but we chose the dolma ($3.50)-tender, warm grape leaves stuffed with rice and tomatoes-and the falafel ($1.50), those fried rounds of seasoned, ground chickpeas. The dolma is a particularly comforting and generously portioned dish, which, like most of the appetizers, can be eaten in combination or alone as the main part of the meal.
If you’re planning on a main course, leave room for heaping plates of meat and rice. Lamb is the traditional choice, and we tried the fatet makdoos ($8.95), a layered stew of sliced eggplant and tender chunks of lamb simmered in an earthy tomato sauce with garlic, onions and peppers. The topping of yogurt and browned pine nuts adds a welcome tang and crunch. Comforting, rich and messy, the stew is served over deep-fried triangles of pita bread, which are greasy enough that they overpower instead of complement the other ingredients.
Less complex are the kebabs. The combination kebab platter is a good deal, even though at $10.95 it’s just over the Cheap Eats limit. Two could share the generous skewers of chicken, marinated lamb cubes and patties of herbed ground lamb that are charcoal-broiled to a smoky tenderness and served with grilled peppers and onions. The flavors of lemon, cumin and pepper mingle beautifully.
Another specialty is the shawerma, marinated meats slowly grilled on a rotisserie. We tried the lamb shawerma sandwich ($3.95), which is the bargain of the bunch. The thinly sliced spiced meat, stuffed into a pita bread, is flavorful, moist and enough to tide you over through lunch.
The Lebanese salad ($3 and $5) is a perfect selection to balance the richer dishes. Chopped lettuce is dressed with fresh diced tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, onions, mint, lemon juice and olive oil. The crisp vegetables, punched up with the lively lemon juice and mint, are a simple but effective way to wake up your mouth.
Beverages are strictly on the soft side, such as fresh orange or grapefruit juice ($1.25), fresh carrot juice ($1.95) or a traditional drink made with tangy yogurt ($1.50). Regular sodas are $1 each. Customers may bring in their own beer and wine.
This may not be the best time of year to conjure up the Mediterranean beaches of Lebanon or pleasant summer picnics among the famous cedar trees, but Cedars of Lebanon offers enough sunny flavors to take you out of the Chicago winter for a while.
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Cedars of Lebanon
(2 forks)
1618 E. 53rd St.
773-324-6227
Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily
Credit cards: A, M, V
Noise rating: Conversation friendly
Ratings key:
4 forks: Don’t miss it
3 forks: One of the best
2 forks: Very good
1 fork: Good
Reviews are based on anonymous visits by Tribune staff members. The meals are paid for by the Tribune.
