Middle Eastern, Please!

All of my food adventures start with a strong craving. This time the craving was for stuffed grape leaves. Grape leaves are leaves that are usually stuffed with rice, meat, and spices.  They are popular in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine. This time I used Yelp as a resource to find a restaurant. I felt like driving into D.C. so I chose Mama Ayesha's in Adams Morgan. The restaurant got mixed reviews. Consistency seemed to be an issue but I wanted to give the restaurant a try.

Not everyone can make good stuffed grape leaves so I had my fingers crossed the whole way there. The restaurant has Jerusalem roots so I was sure I wouldn't be disappointed.

When I arrived I was seated immediately at a outside table. The waiter was gracious and promptly took my order.  I ordered hummus ( pureed chick peas with tahini, lemon juice, and garlic) as an appetizer and a combination entree which consisted of shish kabob, kifta kabob (ground beef with onions and parsley), couscous, grape leaves and kibbeh sineeyah (baked lamb cooked with wheat and spices) served over rice and vegetables.

The hummus and pita bread arrived at the table within minutes of the order. It's been months since I've had good hummus so I was excited. Let's just say the hummus didn't met my expectations. I like my hummus with lots of garlic. Also I prefer my pita bread to not taste like bread that could've been purchased at the supermarket. So I must admit I was disappointed already but I was giving Mama Ayesha's a second shot.

The combination platter arrived at the table and I started to chow down. Shish kabob, good. Couscous, ok but not a fan. Kifta kabob, lots of parsley. Kibbeh Sineeyah, not a fan. Grape leaves, nothing like I anticipated, not enough spice.

Overall, I must say the staff was very friendly and the decor inside was nice. The food left much to be desired. Would I go back? Probably not. The restaurant has a famous mural painted on the exterior wall of 11 U.S. presidents. It seems to be a tourist attraction. Here's the link if you want to give it a shot: http://www.mamaayeshas.com

Mama Ayeshas inside decor