#carousel restaurant

Carousel looked too fancy for me but I’m so glad that I finally tried it. It’s a Lebanese-Armenian restaurant that was voted best of Citysearch for group dining. The inside looks like something out of Arabian Nights, with swords on the wall and chandeliers.

The menu is extensive with hot and cold appetizers, desserts, entrees (kebabs, shawarma, lamb chops) soups, salads, sides, sandwiches, and vegetarian/seafood entrees. You can buy meat by the pound too.

Veal liver kebab ($13.50): Fresh marinated cubed veal liver, broiled and topped with cumin, served with a broiled tomato, white onion-parsley mix, pickled turnips, thin pita smeared with red pepper, hummus, and rice pilaf. Never had liver kebabs before and I was missing out – they’re firm, creamy, packed with flavor. And they’re amazing with the sides in a pita wrap. The hummus was extra thick and creamy – maybe a bit too much lemon for me. The pilaf had rice and short noodles – fluffy, buttery, and nutty.

Vegetarian delight ($13) comes with hummus, mutabbal/eggplant dip, tabbuleh, muhammara (spicy walnut dip), 2 sarma/dolmas, rice pilaf, and thin pita smeared with red pepper paste. Mr. Froyo was impressed – said it was the best he’s had in quite some time (and we order Middle Eastern food all the time). Each element had something special – topped with something, smeared with red pepper paste. The mutabbal was silky smooth. The dolmas were a little soft but still very good. The tabbuleh had lots of parsley and wasn’t too oily or wet.

Portions were generous and prices were more than fair. I called in my order but you can also order online. I’d like to try the frog legs, mantee, and quail. Thinking we’re going to be regulars…

4.5 out of 5 stars

This is the chicken lula kebab plate from Carousel Restaurant. I got my plate with hummus and bulgur wheat pilaf, there are other options, and the kebab also comes with broiled tomatoes, onion-parsley mix, and a spiced pita. 

The chicken lula was a little dry but it was well spiced. After eating one by itself, I wrapped the others in the pita and added some hummus and a bit of the onions. While the hummus did offset the dryness of the chicken lula, it really wasn't that good. Kind of bland with a weird spicy hint in the aftertaste, of course that spice could have come from the pita. The pilaf was the best part of the meal. It was buttery, well seasoned, and cooked just right. My coworkers seemed to enjoy their beef lulas, so maybe I should have tried that first instead of the chicken. But there was one other major flaw in the meal...

There was a piece of glass in my coworker's rice. I called Carousel to warn them about it, not looking to get anything out of it, I just wanted to make sure they didn't serve glass to anyone else. The man on the phone got very confrontational with me. He told me that there was no way glass could have been in the rice because there is no glass in the kitchen. I tried to explain to him that there was glass in the rice and the glass had to have come from somewhere in the restaurant. He then asked me what color the glass was. I told him it was clear and then he said that that was impossible because they only have off-white glass at Carousel. He then told me to bring it down to him and I said I would, but then he said, in a menacing voice, "I'll be waiting." So, I haven't taken it over there yet. Not sure if I will. I think I am just done with Carousel.

EDIT

I went over there. I showed the manager, who turned out to be the same guy I spoke with over the phone, the piece of glass and he took it back into the kitchen. When he came out he asked what I wanted from this and I told him nothing, I had just called to warn him about potentially hurting some one and he told me he didn't understand. He said everything comes in bags. I guess in his mind because everything comes in bags, nothing can become contaminated. I tried to explain one more time that I called to warn him about potentially feeding other people glass and he still didn't understand what I was trying to tell him. So, what I learned is nothing can get contaminated in the Carousel kitchen, especially when it involves glass and I am just there trying to get something for free out of him. I guess.

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