Taza Lebanese Grill

This was a pick from one of my teamates at work as the desired place to go for our team's lunchen today.  It's located at Eaton center on Chagrin.

The dynamic team, minus two of my favorites Tania, who ducked out of the picture and Shaina who did not come out.

We ordered so much food and were able to try bites of a variety of things, so it was totally perfect for how I like to eat out.

They bring out pita bread and a sesame seed dipping sauce, (this I did not get to try, because so many other things were getting put on the table)  I'm sure it was good, because it was going fast.  The hummas however was fantastic, Nicole who ordered it asked for hot sauce to be mixed in, which to my suprise gave an extra bite it did not have before and I very much enjoyed it.

Hannah and I started with Lebanese Jibneh.  This was fried Lebanese cheese topped with crushed pistachios and basil sauteed in olive oil and served on top of a pomegranate sauce with kalamata olives and grape tomatoes garnish.  It was a stunning mix of flavors, the cheese was lighter than a normal fried cheese.  We agreed it was a bit bland, but the sauce's sweetness really made you forget it needed more bite.  I would for sure order this dish again and again.

Tania ordered the tomato couscous soup, which she was thrilled with.  She was not into trying to much more than this, however she still decided she return on this note. 

I also had soup which I did not take a picture of, it was the Lentil soup.  It was good but La Kabob's is still my favorite.

The falaffel was amazing!  The best I have ever tried.  It was crunchy on the outside, with a moist almost creamy middle, packed with tons of flavor.  The garlic jumped out of each bite and the mixture of tomatoes, parsley and tahini that topped it, made this dish so delicious that I anticipated each bite more than the last.

Hannah ordered her classic favorite, the Fattoush salad.  A bed of romaine with green peppers, parsley, cucumbers, garlic, lemon, seasoned pita chips, and olive oil.  I mean you can't go wrong with this combination of ingredients.

Nicole who is a pro at ordering at Lebanese restarurants ordered Mujadara.  This was a bed of steamed lentils and rice, topped with the vegi mixture in the Fattoush salad and toasted onions.  It was quite delicious.  It was hearty, yet not overly heavy.  I only tasted a bite, but it left me wanting more, so I plan to return to Taza and will have to give this dish another go. 

We had a lovely lunch this afternoon.  It was good to get out of the office for a while and of course to be able to try out a new restaurant.  Another great place to try in this area is Paladars Latin Kitchen.  I have eaten there a couple of times, once for lunch and another for dinner.  The dinner is a little expensive, so if I return again, or if you want to just try it out, I suggest a lunch date with this place!