The only thing I hate about choosing a restaurant is ruling out possibilities.
If I go Greek, I can’t eat Italian. If it’s Middle Eastern, then kiss French good-bye. Here’s my restaurant fantasy: one that features great dishes from all over the Mediterranean without resorting to a predictable, “greatest hits” style menu.
Basha, a Mediterranean restaurant on Lower Greenville, is my dream come true.
Owned by Chef Bachar Alaia, a Syrian native, and fiancée Liz Korkames, the restaurant features traditional dishes from throughout the Mediterranean and creative interpretations of Mediterranean classics.
But unlike most restaurants nestled in strip centers, Basha’s goes the extra distance with soft lighting, white linen table cloths and elegant presentations. Put this all together with fine food, and you’ve got a memorable meal with a reasonable price tag, considering the quality.
Our meal began with a surprise: a complimentary relish tray of pickled Lebanese chili peppers, cucumbers and tomatoes with fresh pita bread triangles. It made for nice nibbling while we read the menu and sipped a glass of the house Merlot.
For an appetizer, we shared a Mazza Plate ($7.50) accompanied by pita bread. Big enough for two to four, this sampler consisted of hummus (chickpea) dip, roasted eggplant dip, tabouleh, dolmas and kishkeh dip – a rich yogurt cream cheese with walnut, mint and scallions.
Grilled stuffed eggplant ($6.25) was another winning appetizer. The meaty eggplant rolls held grilled artichoke hearts and roasted garlic and arrived in a pool of slightly sweet tomato coulis. A cup of lentil puree soup ($1.95), made with Turkish red lentils and vegetable stock, was well-seasoned and satisfying.
Entrees at Basha aren’t for small appetites. Roasted lamb shanks ($11.95) was a feast in itself, served with Egyptian fava bean ragout and roasted new potatoes. The shank was the best I’ve tasted in a long time. Its tender meat fell off the bone with very little fork prodding.
Casmir chicken ($9.95) was a sautéed chicken breast in a French style curry cream sauce – significantly milder than the Indian curries. The subtle sauce married well with the sweetness of currants and grilled pineapple sprinkled over the dish. A side of wild rice pilaf accompanies the chicken.
Another winning chicken dish was Chicken Scallopini ($14.50), a special destined for the permanent menu. The dish was bursting with Mediterranean accents: sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, calamata olives, capers and orzo – a rice shaped pasta.
A creamy sauce we swore weighed in high in fat, blanketed the chicken and bound the pasta. We were shocked to discover the sauce was based on reduced chicken broth, not cream. It was rich tasting nonetheless.
Too stuffed for more, we asked only to look at the dessert tray. The sheer variety of elegant pastries ($4-$5.50) was impressive. We counted nine, but fewer selections are available on weeknights.
Among the regular dessert offering are lemon pistachio tart, date bars with vanilla bean ice cream and caramel sauce, bourbon chocolate pecan baklava, bittersweet chocolate crème brulee, and chocolate raspberry chambord torte.
A Turkish coffee ($2.50) would have made a nice ending, but the caffeine content would have kept us awake for hours. Coffee and dessert will have to wait for another visit.
Basha is located at 2217 Greenville (824-7794). Dinner hours are 5:30-10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 5:30-11:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday. Lunch is served weekdays from 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m.
