Fresh food from Beirut -- new Lebanese flavors on Baymeadows
Authentic Lebanese fare has a flair and heritage all its own, and now Baymeadows Road is bookended by a pair of eateries that reflect Lebanon’s unique tastes.
Joining the excellent Mandaloun on the eastern edge of Baymeadows, Beirut Restaurant & Spirits opened in February on the western end, just east of San Jose Boulevard in a former Pizza Palace.
First impressions-wise, Beirut, which is named after the Lebanese capital, might as well still be a pizza joint. The brick-walled, spartan dining room sports little more decoration than a few glowing neon beer signs, which border a sea of homogenous tables that can easily come together for larger parties.
Thankfully, the menu here shows up the dining room aesthetics when it comes to variety. You’ll find a healthy mix of Lebanese flat breads, hot and cold mezze, or small plates for sharing, salads, kebab-dominated platters, and a handful of authentic specialties featuring such delicacies as raw beef, veal brain and frog legs. Family-style dining is available for parties of two or more (dinners start at $20 per person).
We started with a hot mezze selection, the Sambousek ($5.99). These petite, empanada-like turnovers pack in a tasty mix of ground beef, onion and pine nuts. I also tried a cup of the soup of the day, a lentil ($3.99; upgrade to a bowl for $6.99), a smooth, tangy number with overtones of cumin and white pepper prominent and enjoyable.
My friend’s entree, the Mezze Platter ($11.99) was a sampler plate offering hummus, baba ghanoush, labneh (strained yogurt) and garlic, sausage, falafel and fattoush, a pita bread and mixed green salad. If you’re not comfortable with meat, you can substitute, as we did, grape leaves for sausage. The smoked baba ghanoush was a standout treat on this plate, paired with Beirut’s homemade thin-crust pita bread.
My main course, the Chicken Shawarma platter ($11.99), was a pita triangle sandwich brimming with marinated chicken chunks, lettuce, pickles and plenty of garlic. The very thin pita bread makes this sandwich strictly a fork-and-knife affair. I opted for a side of fresh, hot, middle thick-cut french fries instead of standard white rice.
For the obligatory sweet wrap up to our meal, we chose two of the four desserts on the menu. Beirut Nights ($5.99) is a traditional custard-style semolina pudding, topped with peaches, whipped cream and syrup. The pudding itself didn’t do much for my sweet tooth. It was bland for my palate, with the slightest buttery nod. We fared much better with the Chocolate Biscuits ($5.99), a walled fortress of crushed chocolate and butter biscuits guarding a dollop of vanilla ice cream. This fortress was no match for my wrecking ball, a motivated, fast-working fork.
Beirut features a full bar, with weeknight happy hours from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. featuring two-for-one beers, American and traditional Arak-based cocktails, and red, white and pink vintages, many from Lebanon and the West Bank. Slow sippers, take note: You get both drinks at the same time.
Saturday nights often bring live music, with DJs, the occasional belly dancing exhibition or violinist starting at 9 p.m. If you’re more of a daytime nosher, Beirut also features a $9.99 lunch menu weekdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., with chalkboard specials that rotate every couple of weeks.
Overall, Beirut’s kitchen turns out a quality product. I will return to sample some of the dozen flat breads I missed my first time around.
Source: jacksonville.com