I was puzzled when I walked through the doors of Cafe Soriah. I glided past a wall displaying numerous awards — “Best Romantic Restaurant,” “Best Outdoor Dining,” etc. — into a small room containing a full bar, about five tables seating guests in cocktail attire and sipping coffee and a decorative shelf full of aged wine. I thought, “Is this an actual restaurant that deserves ‘best of’ awards, or is it a bar?”
Then, a waiter led me behind a curtain into the real restaurant, a quaint, light and airy room accented with greenery, Greek statues and vases containing dainty flowers. Aha! What a pleasant surprise.
The dining room appears to be set up attentively — a complementing landscape portrait here, a jungle-esque plant there — and the same concept applies to the food. Ingredients are fresh, varied and applied with care, starting with the bread basket. Bread arrives soft and in three variations, including wheat featuring walnuts and a sesame seed crust.
The cuisine is a melange of Mediterranean specialties focusing on Greek and Persian dishes. The menu boasts typical appetizers, such as stuffed grape leaves and hummus running between $8 and $9, salads with similar prices, and entrees featuring beef, seafood, lamb, duck and chicken that run from around $13 to $25. A few creative vegetarian dishes are available, such as the delectable eggplant curry. For this creation, circles of eggplant are grilled enough to achieve a slight outer crispiness while maintaining inner moisture and topped with a creamy and slightly spiced yellow curry. Flavors are complemented by pine nuts and cooked cherry tomatoes.
Lamb curry is fused with a spicy, fruity sauce accented with raisins, but the meat is a tad on the tough side. Prawns jericho come draped in a light, seasoned white wine sauce. Most entrées come with fluffy saffron-tinted basmati rice and flawlessly sautéed yellow and green zucchini.
Desserts are showcased on a tray to aid decision-making. Some choices can be found at most restaurants, such as a vanilla cake woven with strawberries, chocolate pot de creme and chocolate-rimmed cheesecake. Two ethnic concoctions are available — baklava, a pastry constructed from layers of phyllo dough, honey and nuts; and an Arabic rice pudding topped with crushed pistachios. The rice pudding, which is made with specks of orange zest and rosewater, is lusciously thick and sweet.
One standout aspect of Cafe Soriah is its authenticity. The staff is professional and knowledgeable about its delicacies. My Arabic-speaking waitress told me the name of the rice pudding in her native language, which translates literally to “rice with milk.” This is similar to the Arabic equivalent of “Soriah” — the milky way.
But Cafe Soriah is more like a shining star. Although it is spendy for the college crowd, it’s the perfect destination for quality ingredients and intimate gatherings. It certainly deserved those “best of” awards.
Cafe Soriah is located at 384 W. 13th Ave.