Sarah’s Deli Offering more than meets the eye

They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. Well, if the same applies to restaurants, you shouldn’t judge Sarah’s Deli by its location … or its name. The deli is tucked inside a busy gasoline/convenience store on the corner of Barrow and Park streets, and unapparent by its name, Sarah’s is the Tri-parish area’s only Greek/Middle Eastern Restaurant.

I had heard many stories told of this unique establishment and the quality of its food before deciding to give it a try. It took a few passes to find the deli, as roadside signage exists only for the store – Sarah’s Discount. After realizing the two were one and the same, I parked, walked through the store to the right and quickly noticed a glass door that was obviously an entrance to an eatery.

Once inside, the aroma told my senses that this was no ordinary deli.

The quaint location is dominated by a long serving bar lined with six hard-backed stools on the left and the same number of four-seat tables lining the wall to the right. Two high-definition, flat-screen televisions behind the bar hang ready to feature sporting events for those patrons who can’t leave their favorite game at home.

The atmosphere is adequate, but would be improved if there were a separate deli entrance from the outside.

A framed newspaper article sits on the left side of the bar. It features the restaurant’s owner, Sarah Rimawi, who it says is from a community near Jerusalem in Israel.

Sarah’s Deli is open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday. My visit was on a weekday during lunch – a time busy with downtown workers picking up their take-out orders.

We sat at one of the window-front tables and our server emerged from behind the bar and quickly asked for our orders. After perusing the menu, my companion and I ordered two appetizers with a request for more time to decide on our entrees.

Our first starter selected was the Kibby Rolls – a Greek dish consisting of a ground wheat mixture surrounding cooked ground meat and onions and fried until crispy. The first plate of rolls brought to our table were crispy outside, but had to be returned because they were still cold inside. A few minutes later, our server, filled with apologies, brought out another serving of Kibby Rolls cooked appropriately.

The two football-shaped rolls were served with Tzatziki – a sauce made with strained yogurt, garlic, salt, pepper and dill spices. I found the Tzatziki to be a necessary part of the rolls as, left to their own, they lacked a flavorful balance.

On the other hand, our other starter was very robust with flavor on its own. We selected the falafel, which is of Egyptian origin and consists of ground fava beans, chickpeas and spices formed into a ball and fried golden brown. There were four in our serving, and they disappeared fast.

We asked our server for entrée suggestions, and she informed us that two of their most popular plate lunch offerings are the Gyro Plate and the Chicken Shawarma. My companion chose the Gyro Plate, so I chose the latter.

Both dishes are reasonably priced below $10 and served with basmati rice, Greek salad and hummus. While I found the chicken dish to be disappointing, lacking flavor and cooked rather dry, the Gyro dish was extremely pleasing.

Gyro is a Greek dish and this version consisted of thinly cut, marinated beef and lamb cooked with onions peppers and spices and served over the basmati rice. The Gyro meat is also available at Sarah’s to be served in a pita wrap.

Although decidedly different in taste, both of our dishes were presented well, with the crispy Greek salad garnished with fresh feta cheese and the hummus with cumin and a black olive. A sliced pita was appropriately placed on the plate and perfect for hummus dipping.

Hummus is made with mashed chickpeas and is popular throughout the Middle East and Mediterranean.

However, like bread pudding at various restaurants is similar only because each contains bread, all hummus is not created equal except for its main ingredient – chickpeas. I found the hummus at Sarah’s to be good.

What will be your favorite is what is on the dessert menu. The baklava at Sarah’s is clearly the best I have ever eaten. Our order included two triangle shaped wedges of confection perfection and went perfect with the Lebanese coffee I ordered off of the beverage menu.

Be sure to save room for the baklava on your visit.

Although their location leaves something to be desired, I would recommend Sarah’s Deli for anyone looking for something different … just think Gyros and baklava. I did overhear Sarah saying she was planning a new location near Martin Luther King Boulevard. That would solve what I see as the restaurant’s main drawback – location, location, location.

Sarah’s Deli 8006 Park Ave. Houma, LA 70360 (985) 873-9542 Restaurant Hours: Monday-Friday, 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.