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The Weekly Eater
WASH your hands and carry paper towels. I learned this lesson in Hong Kong after becoming so ill during one vacation that I couldn't enjoy my second trip to a restaurant serving Macau-style curry crab. Cafes offer plenty
to chew on, or notAfter linking illness to the sight of people spitting into the air and on the ground and feeling the bodily fluids left on handrails and doorknobs citywide, these days I refuse to allow my unprotected hand to touch a public doorknob. Human frailty after all is a disaster to those who write about food. Got cold? Can't taste. Got toothache? Can't chew.
A recent trip to the dentist had me searching for soft food for a few days. Rather than opening up jars of Gerber's or feasting on the contents of a Quaker Oats box, I decided to go Mediterranean.
Leo's Taverna
GOBBLING Leo's smooth, creamy chickpea dip Hummus ($4.45) or smoke-flavored eggplant dip Baba Ghannouj ($4.75) requires little effort. Both are rich tasting and substantial, and are also fairly good for you, being plant-based and containing monounsaturated olive oil, touted as one of the least damaging of fats.Food1/2
Atmosphere
Service
ValueIf you're unfamiliar with this food, start slowly by ordering the Vegetarian Combo ($7.45), a sampler that includes the hummus and baba ghannouj, plus a piece of pita bread, a couple of rice-stuffed grape leaves and the parsley-and-bulgur salad Tabbouleh.
Other favorites are flame-broiled Beef or Chicken Kabobs. Choose one or two skewers at $6.45 and $7.95 for beef and $5.95 or $7.45 for chicken. Both are accompanied by a creamy white garlic sauce which I'm sure is bad for you, but it nevertheless works well with either selection.
Families of workaholics will appreciate the whole Roast Chicken ($8.95) on nights they fail to plan dinner.
The only things I don't care for are the Moussaka ($6.95) and Stuffed Eggplant ($6.95) made with ground beef, which doesn't have the flavor of the more traditional lamb. I know, I know, Americans are squeamish about eating baby sheep, so the switch is probably better for most customers.
At 1116 Bishop St. Open 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Mondays to Saturdays. Call 550-8443.
Mediterranean Cafe
REMEMBER Ghita's? Tiny place on Keawe Street that disappeared just as people were discovering it in 1994. I never lost track of cook Toufik Hacid, who opened up his own humble downtown hangout.Food
Atmosphere
Service
ValueMediterranean Cafe has long been a favorite restaurant of mine, because the food is straightforward, satisfying and, affordable.
The menu is not as fancy as Ghita's -- I still remember the superb lemon chicken -- because quickness is key to those with a half hour or hourlong lunch break. But you still have some wonderful basics such as Spanakopita ($4.30), with its filling of chopped spinach, feta, lettuce and diced tomatoes baked into a flaky phyllo crust, or tender slices of yogurt-coated Chicken Shwerma served on pillowy soft pita ($5.50) or on a plate ($6.85) with a small salad of lettuce and tomatoes, Hummus and Tabbouleh.
At 212 Merchant St. #6. Open 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays to Fridays and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays. Call 533-1677.
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Nadine Kam's restaurant reviews run on Thursdays. Reviews are conducted anonymously and paid for by the Star-Bulletin. Star ratings are based on comparisons of similar restaurants:
To recommend a restaurant, write: The Weekly Eater, P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu, Hawaii 96802. Or send e-mail to nkam@starbulletin.com
