You’ll be hard pressed to find a restaurant like Roasted anywhere.
The cafe, lounge and venue space serves up fresh beats, sandwiches and now, a dinner menu highlighted by Mediterranean dishes that allow Roasted to flex a variety of muscles.
We wanted to do this a little differently. So, Justin and I had lunch AND dinner at Roasted last week.
The meals themselves couldn’t have been more different, but the quality and taste was constant.
The GOOD:
Pastrami
It takes quite a bit for me to rave about Pastrami, but there was something about this six inch sandwich that Justin had for lunch. It was prepared like a philly cheesesteak, and the pastrami melted in your mouth. The hoagie held up well under all the weight. Justin was full before he finished the sandwich. With an appetite like his, that’s impressive. My only complaint were the pickles; there were too many for my taste.
Cali Club
While I wasn’t as full as Justin at the end of my meal, this Club was just as worthy of praise. The housemade garlic aioli, smoked ham and bacon brought a rich, distinctive punch to this sandwich that wasn’t too overpowering. The romaine lettuce and tomatoes were fresh and crispy. I didn’t find myself wanting mayonnaise like I usually do.
Mixed Plate
Owner Nick Rizkalla said the spices he puts on his Mediterranean dishes are imported from Egypt, and there is certainly a distinct taste to them. It’s strong, but not overwhelming. There were elusive hints of garlic, cumin and cinnamon that danced across your tastebuds before you could feel confident that that’s what you were tasting.
The spice, which was used on the lamb, steak and chicken kebabs, came with two pieces of pita bread on a bed of brown rice and a medley of broccoli. For $20 and enough to feed two, it’s a steal.
The chicken was a little dry, but the steak and lamb were tender. The vegetables were well-cooked, and we were very happy with our dinner.
The QUESTIONABLE:
Sides
For lunch, I wish there were more options for sides. I don’t want bagged chips or fries. Had the side salad been no extra charge, I would have gotten that. But I’d love to see housemade chips as an option. I’d be willing to pay a little extra for that.
The BAD:
We didn’t have anything that we felt belonged in this section.
NICK: 4/5
JUSTIN: 4/5
Bear Bites: Roasted Cafe and Lounge
Roasted does Pastrami as well as anyone. At $8.99 it is a reasonable price for a top notch sandwich.
Roasted has added a brand new dinner menu. They serve dinner 6-10 Wednesday-Saturday.
