Category Archives: Mediterranean

Tapa Toro

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***** (5 stars)

This may be Orlando’s best tapas restaurant. Its diverse menu offers all the standards, plus a lot of dishes with a unique twist, and unlike some tapas places there are a lot of lighter selections and many vegetarian offerings.

My favorite dish by far was the roasted cauliflower, which was perfectly seasoned and sauced, and topped with sultanas and capers. Yum! Grilled asparagus served with grated manchego was also very good.

More conventional were the salmon crudo and the grilled garlic shrimp plates. The assorted cold meat platter was also conventional except for the inclusion of a delicious house-made pate and house-made pickles.

There’s an extensive list of wines by the glass or bottle, plus a very intriguing cocktail list. I tried the Feliz Boca, an inspired mixture of rosemary, lavender, blood orange and bitters. Delicious, and an amazing match to the pate.

There’s a nice dessert menu, but note that there’s also a Ben and Jerry’s about ten feet away! Hmm. Decisions.

Service was very friendly and attentive, and the outdoor dining area is great–mostly shaded, with a view of the Orlando Eye, which is nearby.

Tapa Toro
8441 International Dr
Ste 260
Orlando, FL 32819
(407) 226-2929
http://www.yelp.com/biz/tapa-toro-orlando

Paramount Fine Foods

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**** (4 stars)

This bright, airy space near the Orlando Eye offers Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food in a fast casual atmosphere. It’s part of a rapidly expanding Canadian chain.

The extensive menu includes pitas, falafel and pizza-like manakeesh. I had a lunch combo veggie wrap consisting of a Zaatar manakeesh (think of a flatbread brushed with Thyme & Sesame olive oil) wrapped around cucumbers, black olives and mint leaves. It was tasty, but the wrapper was pretty sturdy for a wrap. A companion had a falafel sandwich and it was wrapped in conventional pita.

The meal included complementary pita, which was made in the puffed up Turkish style. You’ll probably want an order of hummus or the dip assortment to accompany it.

That brings us to the absolute highlight of the meal: THE FRIES! These have to be the best fries in Orlando. Crispy–almost crackly–on the outside, and light as air in the middle, served hot and perfectly seasoned. Wow!

During our visit the restaurant was a quick serve concept where you order at a counter, but a hostess seated us and gave us menus. I understand it is transitioning to a full service concept, which will work very well in this space. Our server was very attentive about asking if we wanted refills.

It remains to be seen whether there is going to be enough traffic near the Orlando Eye to justify the large size of this and the many other restaurants in the area, but we certainly enjoyed our meal and would go back. Parking is free in the adjacent structure.

Paramount Fine Foods
8371 International Dr
Ste 60
Orlando, FL 32819
(407) 930-8645
http://www.yelp.com/biz/paramount-fine-foods-orlando

Cuvee Destin

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**** (4 stars)

Cuvee, as you might expect, offers an excellent wine list. The list is oddly divided into two parts, essentially the cheap part and the expensive part. Pricing varies, but seems to be about double retail. For me the highlight was the two pages of half bottles, something you don’t see a lot of anymore.

I thought the food was good, but there weren’t really any home runs. We tried the portobello mushroom, fried green tomatoes (which were more about crawfish), and the pecan crusted grouper (be sure to get the very sweet sauce on the side).

Our server was excellent, and we liked the quiet back corner of the back room, as the bar can get quite boisterous.

Cuvee Destin
36120 Emerald Coast Pkwy
Destin, FL 32541
(850) 650-8900
http://www.yelp.com/biz/cuvee-destin-destin-2

LaBinnah Bistro

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**** (4 stars)

This is clearly the best (and only) fine dining restaurant in Hannibal. It’s located in a quaint old house, and decorated in a pleasant amalgam of Victorian and eclectic.

The menu is extremely diverse, and it’s hard to define the cuisine. A few things about the restaurant are unusual. First, nearly every thing comes on bread. We had an artichoke and spinach appetizer served with bread, a sort of pesto appetizer served on bread, a lamb chop (weirdly served on top of bread) and one of four different salmon preparations (weirdly served on bread). I admit the bread does sop up the juices, so it can be tasty, if a bit soggy. But I’ve not seen entrees served this way before. Perhaps it’s a Turkish twist, since there is a Turkish element to some of the dishes.

And speaking of Turkish, the homemade baklava was a superb dessert, lighter than most baklava, and not overly sweet, but perfectly flakey.

Another somewhat odd thing about the restaurant is that you pay at a register counter in the back, which is completely at odds with the elegant atmosphere of the dining area.

Anyway, service was very friendly, and we enjoyed the meal in what is definitely Hannibal’s best restaurant.

LaBinnah Bistro
207 N 5th St
Hannibal, MO 63401
(573) 221-8207
http://www.yelp.com/biz/labinnah-bistro-hannibal

Sayat Nova

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**** (4 stars)

Most of the items I tried at Sayat Nova were fine, but not stellar. The hummus appetizer was a bit grainy but okay, and it was served with fresh warm pitas. The number 2 combination at lunch features a nice assortment. I really liked the salad dressing, and the stuffed eggplant was good. the Plaki was pretty thin and rather flavorless.

But the Spinach Boereg was phenomenal–a perfectly flaky philo triangle filled with scrumptious sautéed spinach. I would definitely go back just for this one item, and probably try some kebabs or other items, too.

Service was very friendly, and the decor is neat, although I ate on the sidewalk because it was a beautiful day.

Sayat Nova
157 E Ohio St
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 644-9159
http://www.yelp.com/biz/sayat-nova-chicago

Taverna Opa

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**** (4 stars)

Taverna Opa offers one of the most fun venues at Pointe Orlando. Serving both lunch and dinner, the restaurant has very different atmospheres at day and night.

Lunch is a quiet affair where you can eat outside, inside, and large parties can be accommodated in the spacious back room. At night it transforms into a lively party atmosphere, with much twirling of napkins and shouts of “Opa!”

The menu offers all the Greek standards. The cold appetizer platter is a nice sampling of three dips, and the hot appetizer platter offers delicious wings, lamb ribs, and so-so calamari.

Complementary hummus that you crush yourself is served with very fresh pitas.

The best appetizer is probably the flaming cheese.

The souvlaki is actually a gyro served with fries, and your choice of filling.

Service is friendly and the wine list is extensive.

Taverna Opa
9101 International Dr
Orlando, FL 32819
(407) 351-8660
http://www.yelp.com/biz/taverna-opa-orlando-3

Nia

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**** (4 stars)

This tapas place at the start of Randolph Street’s restaurant row offers a nice assortment of small plates, craft cocktails and interesting wines.

The food emphasizes Greek and Eastern Mediterranean food rather than Spanish tapas. An eight course dinner offers several selections for each course, providing a nice way to sample a whole range of offerings without being stuck with preset choices.

Several interesting wine flights are available, including uncommon varietals from Greece. Service was friendly and efficient.

Nia
803 W Randolph St
Chicago, IL 60607
(312) 226-3110
http://www.yelp.com/biz/nia-chicago-2

Travelle

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salmonbenedict

***** (5 stars)

Beautiful space with high ceilings and lots of light. We went for a Saturday brunch. There is an extensive buffet, but we ordered off the menu.

The skillet we had was good, but the highlight of the meal was the Benedict. We selected the salmon, and it was an amazing blend of ingredients. The sauce was not a standard Hollandaise as is usual on a Benedict, but rather something much more citrusy and a perfect accompaniment to the salmon and the beautifully cooked eggs. Wedge potatoes had a strong herb flavor but were unremarkable. Service was attentive.

It should be noted that, although we did not have wines (since it was 10am), the wine list here is perhaps the most interesting in the city, with a very broad range of selections ranging from extravagant to affordable, and all very interesting.

Travelle
330 N Wabash Ave
2nd Fl
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 923-7705
http://www.yelp.com/biz/travelle-chicago

The Purple Pig

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**** (4 stars)

Despite the name, this place is also a good choice for vegetarians. We had six courses, and aside from a little bacon in one of them, there was no pig or other meat involved. The highlights were the peas (because of the fresh mint mixed in) and the leeks.

There is a great selection of both pasteurized and raw milk cheeses, which made a wonderful dessert plate for two.

For me, though, the reason to go is the remarkable wine list, with hundreds of selections, all from countries bordering the Mediterranean. Nearly every selection is available by the glass, demi, half or full bottle, and they’ll even open a bottle of any of the wines priced under $50 (which is nearly all of them) and pour you just half. So it’s a great place to explore varieties and appellations you’ve never heard of.

One word of warning: the atmosphere is vibrant (read that as LOUD) to say the least, so it’s not a place for intimate conversation. It’s somewhat better on the patio, but even there it’s pretty boisterous.

The Purple Pig
500 N Michigan Ave
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 464-1744
http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-purple-pig-chicago

Clos Maggiore

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**** (4 stars)

Clos Maggiore has a well-deserved reputation as London’s most romantic restaurant. It’s convenient to the West End theatres, and open late enough to go after the show.

The food is reliable and elegantly presented, and the wine list ad Bas Armagnac are extensive and top notch.

But above all it’s the romantic atmosphere of the garden-like (but completely indoor) dining room that draws us back.

Clos Maggiore
33 King Street
Covent Garden
London, WC2E 8JD
+44 20 7379 9696
http://www.yelp.com/biz/clos-maggiore-london-2