A feast of falafel at Beirut's in Groton

May 08, 2014 12:00 am • Last Updated: April 10, 2015 2:14 pm

By Jill Blanchette

Tucked in between a dry cleaner and a dollar store in the Groton Shopping Plaza sits Beirut's Food Palace, its "Open" sign blinking out a spastic Morse code that, if translated, surely would say "Come on in, the falafel's divine."

Besides the wildly twitching neon, there's little else outside to recommend the place. But open the glass front door and an exotic aroma of frying falafel and shawarma spices draws you in.

This mom-and-pop eatery (she's at the counter and he's in the kitchen) offers take-out and eat-in Mediterranean cuisine, mostly from countries on the eastern end. Patrons step to the counter to order, and beverages are self-serve from two stand-up coolers.

On our first visit, late lunch on a Saturday, the day's specials included eggplant lasagna ($10.99), stuffed peppers ($8.99), and lamb and beef donair, a Turkish meat mixture traditionally cooked on a vertical spit, sliced thin and served in a pita. But I couldn't resist another special, a chicken and falafel sandwich ($8.99). My husband chose a pita full of lamb shawarma ($8.99). Our hostess recommended tahini as our sauce choice, so we took her advice.

We also tried the stuffed grape leaves ($5.99), served warm. The fresher than usual leaves held soft, tangy rice, diced tomato and herbs.

Interestingly, it's my husband that loves these little dolmades, but he wasn't wild about these. He prefers them cold, the rice, chewy, but I enjoyed the soft texture in the briny leaves.

I love falafel in all its incarnations, from soft and spicy, mini-doughnut shapes to highly textured, darkly fried, crispy orbs. Beirut's is more the latter. And much to my delight, my generously-sized sandwich had plenty of it, wrapped inside a thin, fresh pita and accompanied by slices of tender, spicy chicken breast, crispy lettuce and cucumber, and an array of pickled veggies - including some salty, sour turnip that, with beets, had been pickled pink. The rich, nutty tahini sauce brought it all together.

The shawarma with which I am familiar is made by stacking cuts of seasoned fat and meat on a vertical rotisserie. As it cooks, the fat melts, basting the meat, and the outside layer is sliced off and served in a pita with an assortment of vegetables and condiments. In Beirut's shawarma sandwich, the lamb seemed very finely ground. It was highly spiced and quite floral, perhaps with cardamom and clove. We didn't love it. The meat's texture was a bit grainy.

On our second visit, just before 7 p.m. on a Thursday night, we opted for take-out: baba ghanouj ($6.99), a labneh sandwich ($6.49), and the roast beef dinner ($10.50), which came with either tabbouleh and hummus, rice or French fries, and either tzatziki or tahini sauce. I chose the tabbouleh and hummus and the tahini sauce.

I was back in my car in about 20 minutes, and soon was rewarded at home with a tangy, smoky baba ghanouj. The owner had told me that she had just finished making this batch and that it is her favorite menu item. Baba ghanouj is a dip made from an eggplant that has been charred whole on an open flame until it collapses, its interior becoming the texture and color of butterscotch pudding. The charred skins are discarded, and tahini, lemon juice, garlic and some spices are added to the roasted flesh. At Beirut's, it comes with a generous serving of chopped, fresh pita pieces for dipping. Their version is extra smoky, tangy and garlicky. It might be my favorite, too.

Labneh is a cheese made from strained yogurt. Beirut's combines it in the sandwich with oregano, meaty black olives, crispy lettuce and cucumber, plum tomato slices, mint and olive oil. It's a mild sandwich, and perhaps could have used a bit of salt and pepper, but it is nicely fresh and light.

In the entrée, the slices of spicy, tender roast beef were delicious dipped in tahini sauce, and equally good stuffed between squares of pita, which are served on the side. But for me, the star of the plate was the Lebanese-style tabbouleh, basically a pile of freshly chopped herbs, a bit of chopped fresh tomato and only a very small amount of bulgur (cracked wheat), in a tangy, light dressing. It is unlike the more familiar western version where the wheat dominates. With the rich, quite plain hummus as the backdrop, the tabbouleh really shone when piled high on a pita square and drizzled with tahini sauce.

There's so much more to try here, from sambusik, little pastries filled with meat, vegetables and cheese; to kibbeh, a meat and grain loaf made with bulgur, onions and pine nuts; and moudardara, a rice and lentil stew topped with caramelized onions.

I suspect we'll go back to try it all.

J.BLANCHETTE@THEDAY.COM