Restaurant Review: Cafe Cedar

By Jenny Johnston
Editor

    If you live in Parkville, Mo and thought you had to travel overseas to experience Mediterranean cuisine, think again. The riverboat restaurant, Cafe Cedar, is nestled in Park’s backyard next to the Post Office on Missouri Highway 9. Be it lamb, hummus, falafil or spinach pie, leave it to owner Jehad Saleh and his wife Fabiola to bring an authentic Middle Eastern flare to the banks of the Missouri River.   
    I was greeted with live jazz music, friendly faces and the sweet smell of Mediterranean spices. A large, inviting bar is to the left and a more private booth seating area is to the right. Unlike other bars, this one wasn’t surrounded by Plasma TVs or sporting memorabilia. Instead, the atmosphere was professional and intellectual; an appropriate place to discuss religion and politics while enjoying a stogie or a hookah.
    The menu features tasteful delights representing Greek, Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cooking. To start off, I sampled the hummus and pita bread. It’s the culture’s bread and butter and a perfect appetizer to start off the evening.
    To get the full effect of the culture’s tastes, try the warm vegetarian combo. It’s filled with hummus, filafil: chick peas, parsley, onion and garlic mixed with herbs; baba ghonouj: mashed baked eggplant, sesame sauce, lemon juice, garlic, herbs and olive oil; stuffed grape leaves: grape leaves filled with vegetables, rice and spices; spinach pie: phyllo triangles filled with chopped spinach, onions and feta cheese; tabbouleh: chopped parsley, tomatoes, onions, herbs, cracked wheat, mixed with lemon juice and served with warm pita bread. These small samplings were packed with loads of flavor. The blend of garlic, olive oil and lemon juice is a zesty alternative from the usual American seasonings of grease and butter.
    For a main entree, the baked salmon is a must-try. It’s a skinless, salmon fillet in a creamy tomato dill sauce with spiced rice and Middle Eastern vegetables. The rice wasn’t too spicy and there was so much of it that it could have been a meal in itself. The salmon on the other hand took me by surprise. It didn’t smell or taste like a rank fish that’s been left in the heat for two months. This was the freshest, juiciest salmon I’ve had in my life. I highly recommend it.
    If you’re not a fish eater, the lamb kebob is another delicious option. It’s a marinated, seasoned lamb served with vegetables and more addicting rice. The meat was really tender and closely resembled a deer taste. This entree could easily be shared by two or three people, or would make great leftovers.
    To complete the experience, I recommend the rice pudding and baklava for desert. The pudding is hard not to love with its warm, vanilla flavor and the baklava is another nice option with a flaky texture and syrupy, caramel taste.
    If Mediterranean food isn’t your thing, the restaurant also has an American menu containing the classic staples such as hamburgers, steak, fried chicken, pasta and all the side dishes found at a traditional Thanksgiving meal.
    The service was beyond excellent. Since I had no prior knowledge of Mediterranean specialities, Fabiola walked me through the ingredients of each item and explained how they were prepared. If you decide to visit, you’ll notice most of the staff are Park athletes. The restaurant is very accommodating to the Park family and offers students a 10 percent discount. The pricing is already good, so this was a pleasant surprise.  
    Cafe Cedar is an impressive restaurant with mouth-watering food and a pleasant atmosphere to kill time. Every Tuesday and Thursday night from 6:30 to 9 p.m., the restaurant has live music jam sessions. Musicians and singers are welcome to showcase their talent. Cafe Cedar also has belly dancing from 7 to 9 p.m. every Saturday night. Visit cafecedar.com for a closer look at their menu, entertainment schedule and catering and banquet information.