Summary
For its part in the greater gastronomic good of Boise's restaurant scene, Cazba's role is perhaps understated. From its whimsical cloud-covered walls to its framing columns, the Eastern Mediterranean eatery channels an air of elegant mystery, furthered only by the mystery of how the unequivocally ethnic-only menu propelled the restaurant through the first few years of its existence when words like "shawarma" and "falafel" were almost completely absent from the average Treasure Valley diner's vocabulary. Cazba, however, has abided fairly strictly by a policy that forbids altering what is apparently "not broke," a practice that has earned the downtown restaurant a foodie following while still managing to lure in curious new customers.
On a recent Saturday night, we were a twosome who arrived for an early dinner, during which one of the owners doted on us as though we were the only paying customers on a night that was quickly shaping up to be a busy one. My hankering for a not-too-fussy lamb dish had me honing in on the Lebanese shawarma wrap ($13.95), a choice lauded by our server as his favorite. Tender bite-sized nuggets of lamb and sauteed mushrooms were dusted with feta and made for a formidable mound atop warm pita. Served with tangy tzatziki and, in this case, a boat of vegetables sauteed in herbs and stewed tomatoes, the shawarma makes a serious case for menu favorite. It is rivaled, however, by the koto pita ($15.95), which is most simply Greek spanikopita with marinated chicken and "Cazba's special sauce." Uncovering the flaky phyllo and spinach pie from beneath the hefty portions of rich sauce and chicken to build careful bites featuring equal portions of sauce, chicken and spanikopita is the best way to enjoy the koto pita, otherwise a diner could find his or her palate has wearied of too much sauce or an overwhelming amount of sauce-less spinach.See the full content of this document
Extract
Cazba
On one plate then the other ... BW sends two critics to one restaurant.
CAZBA211 N. 8th St.208-381-0222Mon.-Sun., 11 a.m.-lO p.m.In the pantheon of ethnic restaurants, Mediterranean food-Greek, Lebanese and so forth-tends to get short shrift in America. Some places have a nice selection, but it's not all that common. Fortunately, Boise has several restaurants that deal in the s...See the full content of this document
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