Kansas City: Middle Eastern

We lived right near the Lawrence/Kedzie corridor in Chicago, so in addition to missing good close Thai food, we really are lacking good closer Middle Eastern here.

I first expected the Mediterranean Market on Metcalf to be Italian or Greek, but it turns out, its Turkish.

The people here are incredibly friendly, its a nice spot, brightly lit market, and has some window-side tables where they serve food restaurant-style.

Despite my very earnest attempts to enjoy it, I felt the flavors fell a little flat.

The kofte was dry and uninspiring, though the accompanying salad was okay.



The veggie platter was generous, with hummus, baba ghanoush, a red pepper hummus, red tabbouleh, potato salad, green bean salad, another bean salad, Israeli couscous salad, dolma, and a falafel. Again, unfortunately, no standouts, not anything really that made me think "I'll come back for more X."



They have a pretty broad array of the salads and such available in the deli counter, and they also sell a promising array of pastries, which fared slightly better.



Didn't try the pizza-looking thing. They had a big, weird spanakopita that looked kind of like an Ann Sather cinammon roll, but was pretty decent. We were also pretty hungry when we got it. The boys liked these cinammon dumping things we got, too.

As for the merchandise/dry goods, it seemed like a pretty good selection, and nice to have relatively close. Got some excellent Turkish pistachios and dried apricots.

It was interesting that, in contrast to a couple other Middle Eastern shops I've been in here, most of the stuff was sourced from LA (from where the owners came) rather than Chicago. The Saraf brand was especially prominent.

They serve doner and iskender kabob during the summer, and based on the friendliness of the place and its proximity, we'll probably give it a try. My hopes are tempered, though.

Mediterranean Market
7417 Metcalf Ave # B
Overland Park, KS 66204
913-722-7744

Aaron, sadly you moved to KC just after the demise of the Sahara Cafe, a small hippie run operation in an old Taco Bell. Great food but if you wanted to take a leak you had to go outside and around the back to access the mens or ladies room. Best to just take care of that before you left home frankly.

The Sahara Cafe was located on Metcalf, not far from the Mediterranean Market. the building may still be there on the east side of the street, just south of a Winstead's on the west side.

The Sahara had many unique dishes that I had never seen before, none of which leaps to mind because I never did get a carryout menu before they closed.

There are other Middle Eastern outposts in and around KC, (Jerusalem Cafe comes to mind) and I will do a bit of research with my local friends and family before making a recommendation.

Best of luck in your quest,

Buddy

P.S. If you really want a challenge, try finding a Greek restaurant in KC. In 28 years of visits I've only seen one, Tasso's, and I don't even know if they're in business anymore or worth visiting.

B.

BuddyRoadhouse wrote:P.S. If you really want a challenge, try finding a Greek restaurant in KC. In 28 years of visits I've only seen one, Tasso's, and I don't even know if they're in business anymore or worth visiting.

There's a place called Mr. Gyros on Metcalf that looks nice and is reportedly good. Haven't gotten around to trying it yet.

Tried Jerusalem Cafe a few years ago and thought it was pretty mediocre. There's al-Habashi in the City Market and Holy Land Cafe off 87th and Quivira, neither of which I've tried.

Last time I went to the airport, I was driven by a Syrian guy who basically said Middle Eastern food here was dreck. He did, however, highly recommend a pita bakery called something like Olive Bakery, out by the old Bannister Mall that I need to check out.

Holy Land Cafe at that location strikes a chord. I thnk we ate there once after finishing up at the American Royal Barbecue. It was pretty good but nothing memorable.

Buddy

Jerusalem is mediocre, but the Jerusalem Bakery further down Westport Road at Roanoke Parkway is better. They have a buffet style lunch that has more of the ethnic hole-in-the-wall feel where you'd expect to find better food.

My favorite was the recently-closed Cafe Rumi on 39th. Currently, I'm left without a favorite but I hear Illiki up north is good.

staubio wrote:My favorite was the recently-closed Cafe Rumi on 39th. Currently, I'm left without a favorite but I hear Illiki up north is good.

Welcome, staubio! I believe Iliki Cafe closed recently too.

Cafe Rumi is now another mediterranean restaurant, cant remember the name, but I assumed it was the same owners and food as Rumi, just opened up with a new name. That happens a lot in KC for some reason.

bnowell724 wrote:Cafe Rumi is now another mediterranean restaurant, cant remember the name, but I assumed it was the same owners and food as Rumi, just opened up with a new name. That happens a lot in KC for some reason.

I don't think it is. One of the owners is cooking at a cafeteria on the Sprint Campus and the other owner left for another venture.