Pasha Cafe

This is more of a neighborhood eatery then a true ethnic restaurant but the food was delicious. The menu has a mix of middle eastern cuisine and pizzas and pastas which have a more American flare. Our waiter was a very nice young man who wasn't really sure what the true Egyptian dishes were so we did the best we could to get authentic dishes.
The appetizers seemed the most authentic so that is where we started. The roasted red pepper dip was delicious. It had an unexpected complexity that comes from walnuts and pomegranate. The stuffed grape leaves were different than others what we expected. A yummy combination of rice, spices and tomato wrapped in grape leaves and served warm. A great surprise compared to the gummy cold ones we have often had. The roasted eggplant dip actually had very little eggplant in it. The dip was mostly large chunks of tomato mixed with roasted onions and roasted eggplant as kind of a binder. The grilled cheese dish was very good. It is slices of a firm cheese grilled just to warm it served with a pomegranate sauce over lettuce. The tabbouleh is perfectly executed. It is mostly parsley and mint with a bit of bulgur mixed in. The nice sized shrimp are grilled to perfection and a light hand with the dressing make this one a winner. Too many restaurants serve this dish and it is mostly bulgur with just a handful of parsley this is perfect for a hot summer night.

The only entree we ordered was grilled chicken served over rice with green beans. The chicken was nicely spiced and grilled but the rice is very nondescript but a great way to enjoy the delicious yogurt sauce in this dish. I am always pleasantly surprised by the yogurt sauces we have tried in middle eastern restaurants. I am sure they are as simple as yogurt, lemon and spices but what a great tang they add.
We shared a baklava for dessert and were expecting the usual walnuts, cardamom and honey. This baklava has a surprising combination of nuts (we think there were peanuts) and some other spices and flavorings. It is not as heavy as this desert can sometimes be. The only negative is there was no special coffee available to go with it.
Pasha Cafe was better than we were expecting. If we lived closer this would be the perfect go to place any time you just wanted a tasty meal out. The prices are good too.