Eat Salt Lake

This post is for Rob, who’s been utterly disappointed by my lack of commitment to this blog. It isn’t that I’ve lost the passion for trying new restaurants, I’ve just not made enough time to actually write about them. Until now.

Cedars of Lebanon exceeded my expectations. We were seated promptly and the service was excellent throughout the remainder of the experience. Our water glasses were frequently refilled and those who ordered drinks were also offered refills as soon as their glasses were empty.

We started the evening with an order of Baba Ghannouj. I ordered this appetizer based solely on a comment my older sister made once about a roommate who made this incredible stuff called “Baba Ghannouj.” Turns out the stuff is pretty incredible. Baba Ghannouj is a dip served with pita bread. The dip is something like hummus but made from eggplant, tahini, lemon juice, and some other stuff. Cedars of Lebanon has great pita bread, by the way. It seems like a lot of pita bread is somewhat dry and dense, but theirs was some of the best I’ve had.

The entrees we tried were Pastilla, Chicken Tagine, and Lamb Tagine. All three were listed under a section of the menu called “Moroccan Specialties” so I’m not sure at this point if I can claim I’ve eaten true Lebanese food. Each entree was $17-18.

Pastilla is traditionally made with pigeon, but ours had chicken instead. It’s basically a sweet-tasting meat pie served with a flaky pastry crust. I’d order it again but I did wish the chicken was of a more consistent quality. Some pieces seems like they slipped past the quality assurance department. Or maybe they were pigeon. The dish was served with a healthy portion of white rice and sauteed vegetables. I think the vegetables were my favorite part of the meal.

The Chicken Tagine is a curry-based dish of shredded chicken breast. Again, served with rice and vegetables. It had a bit of spice, but was fairly mild.

The Lamb Tagine was basically the same as the Chicken Tagine. I don’t love lamb so I’d order the chicken version next time.

Be sure to check out their website. The music on the website is pretty much the same kind of stuff you’ll hear during dinner. On Friday and Saturday nights they also feature belly dancers.

Address: 152 East 200 South
Website: www.cedarsoflebanonrestaurant.com