Hey! What do we have here? A Lebanese (& American) restaurant in Findlay. At least there are some silver linings after all. With the loss of the Big Jerk and Guru India, I was starting to get a little agitated with this town. Since there is so much American food around here, I flat out ignored that section of the menu. I know it's there to appease people who may not want something different. Fortunately, I am not one of those people. My dinner started off with the national dish of Lebanon: Kibbie (or Kibbeh or Kubbeh or Kibbe). It was a delightful mix of beef, onion, and bulgur wheat. They were served in the traditional fried, torpedo-shaped croquettes with a cup of yoghurt.
Next was a Kafta (Kofta) Kebab served with a side of rice which appeared to be seasoned with saffron and topped with sliced almonds. The kebab was juicy with both the beef and onion flavors coming through without the onion overpowering the dish. I appreciated that. The whole plate was very filling, but I was up for at least one stuffed grape leaf. Oh my, these were the largest I've seen in town, and they weren't bitter at all. Tangy, but not bitter. It also had wonderful aroma of spiced wine on the inside. These were, by far, the best grape leaves to surface in Findlay as of right now.
It wasn't perfect. The dining room was a little tight for all of the patrons. That's something they'll need to address when they pay off the costs for the initial construction. The waitress forgot to get the bowl of lentil soup that came with my meal, however I only remembered it after everything was said and done. I would have liked to at least tasted it. That doesn't seem to bother me too much, though, as I will definitely be going back again.
-Reviewed by Nate L.
The Cedar Valley Cafe is located at 1132 Tiffin Ave. (next to Tim Horton's, near the US 12 split). Open Sun.-Thurs. from 11am-9pm and Fri.-Sat. from 11am-10pm, you can call ahead for pick-up (making use of their drive-thru) at (567) 525-5665.
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We just got back from dinner at the Cedar Valley Cafe, and I wanted to add my thoughts to what Nate L. already reported.
Walking in, it is obvious of two things: first, that they spent a lot of money on decor. Secondly, they didn't spend much on changing the layout or remodeling. It is beautiful inside, for certain, but I agree that the layout is not conducive to comfortable seating.
Seating ourselves, we were waited upon immediately, and placed our drink orders, which arrived equally as quick. We then took a few minutes to peruse the menu.
The only other negative thing I can say about the experience is about the menus; with a dark background and stylized font, they are difficult to read. In addition, like items should be grouped together better (all kebobs in one section, all sautees in another, etc.). The last-and potentially most damaging-thing about the menus is that the random listing of Lebanese foods will scare most people off when trying to decide. I suggest that maybe a better description of what you are ordering is needed.
Besides the layout and menu, everything else was top-notch. We ordered a *small* hummus as an appetizer, and it was an incredibly generous portion for only $4.29, with a basket of both fried and regular pita slices.
I ordered a side salad with the "House" treatment, which was lemon juice, olive oil, and spices. Not bad, and it contained crisp cucumber and tomato pieces in fresh romaine lettuce.
I ordered the stuffed grape leaves with lamb and rice and I am in full agreement with Nate L.-they were delicious. They came with an additional serving of hummus, as well as the biggest side of jasmine rice I have ever seen. The rice contained peas, carrots, green beans, corn, and almond slivers, and was surprisingly cooked to PERFECTION. Rice is hard to get right, usually coming out too soft or undercooked. This was just tender, but not sticky...awesome.
One of my companions ordered the chicken and onion sautee, which also came with rice and a salad. However, the server accidentally put in her order as chicken and mushrooms...unfortunate, but it happens. Immediately it was returned to the kitchen, and the cook brought out a cup of the crushed lentil soup for her to eat while we started on ours. Within 5 minutes, her correct dish was at the table, but as a result we both got to sample some of the tastiest soup I've had so far this year. I also tried her chicken, and it was seasoned and cooked wonderfully. If this is a sign of how their meat is cooked, then any of the meats on their menu would be worth a try.
Our other companion ordered a hamburger and potato wedges (which they called fries). She said the burger was delicious, and I enjoyed the potato wedge that I sampled.
In addition to what we ate, I looked around at what our fellow diners were eating. All of their servings were humongous, and the kebobs and other sautees looked as good as what we ordered.
Our servings were so large that we had four grape leaves, a decent size container of hummus, and a giant mound of rice left over. That will definitely be calling my name later this evening.
If I didn't mention the service much, it isn't because the service was bad; drinks were refilled, things were taken care of in a timely manner. In truth, the food was just so good that I didn't really pay much attention.
The bill wasn't my responsibility, so I can't report on the total cost. However, I mentioned the cost of the hummus and the dinner entrees were in the $10.99-$14.99 range (even for shrimp or steak), so this is definitely an affordable outing for most anyone!
I know, just as Nate L. said, that I will be eating there again, and often.
I have to say, we have been there twice and loved it both times. We took your recommendation on the grape leaves and found them to have excellent flavor and tender. The hummus is some of the best I hve eaten. Everything we have tried has been delicious. Please keep publishing reviews, we tried it because of yoru review.
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