Ya Hala Inn, Evanston

Last night we made it to Ya Hala Inn, a new Lebanese/Palestinean restaurant in the old Dixie Kitchen space. Nothing was elaborate, but everything we tried was well-prepared, with only a few things to nitpick.
We started with a couple of appetizers:

The Spinach Sfeeha was a simple, crispy phyllo pie stuffed with spinach. Nothing elaborate, but a nice start to the meal. Wrack Dawali, served cold, reminded me of dolmades, without the lamb. Also simple and tasty. The only disappointing part of the dish was the tomatoes - they were the kind you'd expect to get at an average supermarket in mid-winter, not what's still in season now.

For a main entree, we went with the mixed grill, a generous platter of kebabs of beef, chicken and minced beef with onion.

The beef might have been a bit more done than I would have liked, but the marinated flavors were good. The other two meats were excellent, as was the rice. Jerusalem salad was finely chopped, with lots of dressing; it made a nice side.

Compared to Olive Mountain, just a few blocks away, the menu is more compact, but it contains all the basics.

As Moetchandon noted, the food is also easy to share, which will come in handy when the Evanston Lunch Group™ visits on Monday, October 17.

Ya Hala Inn
825 Church St
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 859-6991

Yesterday, Wife Number One and I had lunch at Ya Hala Inn. It was a good meal and we would return.

She had the falafel sandwich which was satisfying. I started with the flavorful lentil soup. It's made with yellow lentils, onions and plenty (but not overwhelming amounts) of black pepper.

For the main I had the salmon which came with a side salad (I picked the Jerusalem salad), potatoes, rice and tomatoes. Everything tasted fine and the salmon was prepared the way I like it -- cooked thru, but still moist.

Quantities were generous. I'll have the rest of my salmon for lunch today.

Service was friendly and efficient.

I thought prices were a tad high for lunch, but would be reasonable at dinner time. Of course, I've been conditioned by Pita Inn to expect Middle Eastern food to be cheap, so this is not a big complaint.

As I said at the beginning, I'd certainly return.