Emelia?s Kitchens Gets 5 Stars (Business Lunch)

Emelia’s Kitchen
309 W. Dickson St., Suite 2
Fayetteville
5 STARS

We thought we had slipped off Dickson Street and landed in New York City when our trio stepped inside Emelia’s Kitchen. The sophisticated ambiance of the small Mediterranean restaurant gave it a distinctly urban feel.

There was only one vacant table during the lunch rush that Friday, so we were escorted to the back of the restaurant where we could eyeball the baklava on a nearby counter while we perused the menus.

Classic smooth jazz in the background added just the right touch.

The first item on the lunch menu caught our attention. The “mini mazza” ($8.50) included an assortment of Mediterranean appetizers: hummus, babakanoosh, tabouleh, peppers, green olives, sarma and pita bread. But there were three of us at the table, so we ordered the regular sized serving of mazza ($12).

It was all delicious, and we were bowled over by the babakanoosh in particular. Babakanoosh, also spelled “baba ghanoush,” is an eggplant purée flavored with lemon, olive oil, garlic and crushed sesame seeds called tahini. It even upstaged Emelia’s excellent hummus.

For entrees, two of us ordered gyros ($7.50) and were surprised to learn that doesn’t always mean sandwich. The seasoned meat was served in chunks on a plate next to tabouleh, tahziki sauce, hummus and pita bread.

The gyros were excellent and allowed us to customize our intake with our favorite mixture of ingredients.

Emelia’s tabouleh and hummus were so delicious that even a meat-and-potatoes man piled them on his pita along with meat and sauce.

That diner said it was the best gyro he’d had since eating at his favorite Greek restaurant in college. But Emila’s meat was tender and savory, unlike the greasy spoon of university lore.

Another diner opted for the shish kebab ($7), which consisted of grilled ground beef mixed with parsley, onion and spices and served with rice pilaf, grilled vegetables and pita bread. He said Emelia’s presentation and flavor are second to none in the market.

For dessert, one diner at our table tried the baklava ($3), a pastry filled with chopped pistachios and walnuts covered in caramelized sugar. He said it was so good he was tempted to order another one.

We ended our meal with tiny cups of sweet Turkish coffee that jolted us back to the office.