Leila Restaurant

[Curlz]

I'm surprised to see there isn't a thread about Leila Restaurant, which is billed as a "cosmopolitan Middle Eastern grille" in downtown WPB. Leila is a lovely, small spot with a large patio out back that was very enticing, but the weather was a bit too chilly for us to sit out there in mid-February.

We started with mezze for the table:

Baba Ghanouj, delicious, crunchy falafel, Simbusik (minced beef, pine nuts and sweet onion, in a light pastry pouch--think empanada!), and my favorite item of the whole meal, the Ma’anek, spiced sausages with port and pine nuts. Forget the weather; I need to get back there ASAP for these sausages! They were fantastic.

For dinner, we ordered most of the kebabs on the menu (beef, lamb, chicken and seafood). I had the Lebanese Lamb Kefta, which is a mixture of ground lamb with parsley, onion and spices that is molded around the skewer for grilling. YUMMY! Entrees were served with pyramid-shaped piles (and I do mean PILES) of couscous, which was very tasty. Many people were surprised that the coucous was served chilled, but we were told that it is traditional. No matter--it was scooped up!

We were a large group for the restaurant (15), but they did manage to accommodate us quite well. Seating was tight, but we were told it would be ahead of time, so I don't fault them for that.

It was a major birthday for my dad, and we had planned this well in advance, but I decided against bringing in a cake, as I wanted desserts that went with the meal. All I did was hand off the numbered candle to the waiter, and asked that they put it on whatever my dad ordered for dessert. Without my requesting it, the staff delivered a dessert with lit candles--before we ever ordered anything. They then took our dessert orders as we passed the pieces of cake around for tastes. In the end, we ordered dupes of all of the desserts on the menu, with the only disappointment (surprisingly) being the baklava. Other items were delicious, and all interesting, with orange blossom syrup and/or floral flavors in the mix with pistachios and other middle eastern flavors. I ordered the walnut turnovers, which were very filling, but wonderful---not overly sweet, and chock full of ground nuts with rosewater and orange blossom.

On Saturday nights, there is a belly dancer who performs for about 15 minutes a few times throughout the evening. She was terrific, and somehow managed to whirl, twirl and twist her way around all of the tables. It's definitely tastefully done, so don't be turned off by the idea of this brief 'show' interrupting your dinner--it was definitely a fun addition, and the 5, 6 and 8 year-olds who were with us were mesmerized.

I can't say enough about Leila--if you have the chance, GO!!!

Leila Restaurant

120 South Dixie Highway (on the corner of Datura and Dixie)

West Palm Beach, FL, 33401

561-659-7373

Validation parking for lunch and dinner at WPB Municipal Parking lot