Lambikins

Today we made another law school escape. Justice Boy (upgraded from Justice), Ms. I'm an Italian NOT a Greek (changed from Islip Girl and forthwith to be known as Not-a-Greek), and I went out for Turkish food.

In my head, there was a joyful cheering of "SHISH-KEBABS! SHISH-KEBABS!"

The Mediterranean Kebab House is, as Not-a-Greek out it, a hole in the wall. It's cute, almost kitschy, with knickknacks and paintings of Turkey decorating the walls. Each table has an unopened bottle of peach nectar or cherry juice. Our table had the peach and we opted to drink it. It was good, thick and sweet. I would have preferred it chilled but that's a personal quirk.

Justice Boy asked for pita bread (which I think they should have brought out without being asked) and that was good, thick and chewy.

We shared a simple appetizer: feta and parsley wrapped in phylo dough, served on a bed of shredded lettuce and carrots, with a few tomato slices. The cheese was deliciously salty and creamy, perfectly balanced by the slight tang of the parsley and the crunchiness of the dough. I ate it with a tomato slice to cut the richness a bit, though I wouldn't recommend the tomato by itself - it's obviously out of season.

Not-a-Greek and I also had lentil soup. It was pureed, not too thick, and redolent with spice and just a touch of fire. It also made an excellent dip for my pita.

Ironically, we all ordered the same lunch special - a lamb kebob served with rice and salad. The lamb was tender and gently spiced, practically melting in my mouth. The rice was simple, well cooked and almost savory-sweet. The salad, I was bored with. Lettuce with some sort of dressing - nothing special.

Not-a-Greek and I were full at this point but Justice Boy had Turkish coffee, which he heavily sugared and then proclaimed good.

It was definitely an inexpensive and good meal.

Here's the downside. The service was lackluster. The food did come out at a reasonable rate but the waiters looked bored by the whole ordeal. Not-a-Greek commented she thought they were gossiping about us based on several things they did as they conversed in Turkish. Turned out Justice Boy understood Turkish and after we left he told us what had been said. The waiters pegged Justice Boy and Not-a-Greek as Greeks, which was half right, and me as a Croatian, and then proceeded to make some unpalatable and inappropriate remarks. Justice Boy disclaims that his Turkish is rudimentary and he may have misunderstood but certain words were present.

So there you have it.

-Vixen

Mediterranean Kebab House
190 Post Ave
Westbury, NY 11568
516-333-8715
website