Pentagon Row: Lebanese Taverna
I’m frequently asked to suggest a restaurant or café in a city that I visit fairly regularly. When I’m working, this happens nearly every flight. Lately, I realize that I hesitate before answering that question, and when I do answer, it’s almost reluctantly.
Food is such a personal thing. One person’s delicious is another’s horror. My personal tastes and preferences are most likely different than your own. I eat red meat, like comfort foods (meatloaf, macaroni and cheese) and ethnic foods, will try most anything once, and don’t like sushi.
In suggesting a restaurant, there’s also the whole issue of preferences in ambience, price range, and location. It gets very complicated.
After enough questions and some emails about it, I’m going to start sharing some of my favorites. I’ll acknowledge right up front that they may not be your cup of tea. But they are mine. So, I’ll try to give you enough information about these places for you to decide on your own.
The first restaurant that came to mind when I was thinking about this was a place that I went a couple nights ago, Lebanese Taverna. As a friend and I were walking there, he remarked that it was “our” place, as we seemed to go there frequently. He’s right. We do go there frequently, and it’s not just because it’s an easy, default-like decision. It’s because we always have a good time there. The food is good, with lots of choices, it’s reasonably priced, the service is good, and it’s conveniently located.
Lebanese Taverna was started by Toni Abi-Najm. He and his family left a warring Lebanon in 1976 on a cargo ship. In starting the restaurant, the goal was to create a home-like environment, a sense that visiting the restaurant was like visiting Toni’s home. The restaurant got a big break when the Washington Post printed a favorable review, and, as they say, the rest is history.
The small, family restaurant has expanded to four location: Arlington (the original location), Pentagon Row, Tyson’s Galleria, and Washington DC (Adams Morgan). There is also a market, a catering business, and cooking classes.
My last visit was to the location at Pentagon Row (1101 South Joyce Street). The restaurant has indoor seating for 140, with a full bar, and also an outdoor café. This location is an urban center, with shops, restaurants, and residential units surrounding a central plaza. The restaurant and outdoor café are adjacent to the central plaza, where occasionally entertainment is offered.
On this visit, as on every other visit, we started our meal with an order of hummus and warm pita and an ice-cold Lebanese beer. This is probably the best pita and hummus that I’ve discovered to date. My dining companion agreed.
My preferred ordering at Lebanese Taverna is to supplement the starter of pita and hummus with a variety of mezza plates, small appetizers assortments, and occasionally to add in a salad. The mezza plates easily serve two people, and ordering a variety of plates allows for a sampling of several tastes, without feeling like you’ve over eaten. It’s also a good way to try something new. If you are watching what you eat, ordering a mezza plate will allow you to participate in a group meal without feeling deprived or self-conscious. One of my favorite mezzas is the homemade beef and lamb sausages, which come prepared a couple of different ways.
I recommend giving Lebanese Taverna a try. Maybe it will become “your” place as well.
Photo credit: Lebanese Taverna
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