Byblos

Lebanese (or perhaps more appropriately "Mediterranean") cuisine was my original ethnic food fetish. Long before I discovered sushi or banh mi, I was scarfing down falafel and dolma on weekly trips to Mona's on Banks Street. Back then we ate at Mona's and only Mona's - my little brother refused to go anywhere else for gyro. Today I don't eat much Lebanese because The Folk Singer is not much of a fan of the cuisine in general. However, a few weeks back I was all by lonesome and thus able to stop in at Byblos on Metairie Road for lunch.

Perhaps my frame of reference is skewed because of my long established loyalty to Mona's, but to me the "standard" dishes at Byblos are different from what I am accustomed to. Seeing as I have never been to the Mideast, I can't really say whether one restaurant's food is more authentic than the other. All I can do is describe the flavors as best I can, and let you decide which you prefer.

But before we get to the food, a quick word about the ambiance and prices. Byblos is probably the "nicest" Lebanese restaurant in the city, with white table cloths and a sleek interior design at every location. With this in mind, it's not surprising to hear that the prices are a tad higher than you would expect.

Hummus and baba ghanoush may be the mainstream favorites, but labneh was always been my go-to dip at any Lebanese restaurant. Most are tangy with the predominant flavor of yogurt; but Byblos', on the other hand, had more of the flavor and texture of cream cheese. It was not exactly sweet, but definitely lacking the sour twang that I was looking for.

What does one do when he cannot decide between chicken and beef? Get the combination plate, of course. Both shawarmas were abundant with flavor from an assertive marinade, but they differed in texture. The chicken was quite tender, while the beef was pleasantly chewy. Neither had a crusty exterior like the thinly sliced gyro meat you may be used to. In fact, gyro is not offered at Byblos at all.

'

The combination plate comes with your choice of 2 of the following: hummus, baba ghanoush, tabbouleh, or rice. (I noticed that it says differently in the online menu, so maybe this is a recent change.) While I appreciate the right to choose, I surprisingly found myself missing the feta cheese salad which is customary almost everywhere else. Regardless, both the hummus and baba ghanoush that I had were some of the better local examples of those dips.

Byblos - Par.