Da Austin Hunting Diary : A Taste of Mediterranean: Arpeggio Grill

To me, one of the mysterious yet charming cuisines is the Mediterranean dishes. In the years that I studied in Toronto, I had tried several Mediterranean restaurants. I personally loved the distinctive spices used in the food but I could not determine if any of these restaurants were authentic. However, my food hunting journey in Austin fulfilled my desire in searching an “approval” Mediterranean restaurant. With the recommendation from my Turkish friends, they guided me and my family to this mysterious and delicious food hunt.

Before I begin to show you what I have looted, I want to briefly talk about the food history in Islam. To my best understanding about the restrictions, all consumable food and drinks need to be Halal (permissible). A general rule of thumb to me is that any 4-legged animals which hoof has two toes are Halal, for example, cattle and lamb. Swine is an exception. Animals whose diet requires killing others are not allowed to consume. The examples are tigers. In addition, blood is strictly prohibited in the food.

Comparing to other food culture, my Turkish friends did not think that their cuisine is limited by these religious restrictions. I agreed with them; the Mediterranean food had its own position because I could not recall any trace of cross-food culture among the Mediterranean and other cuisine I had tried before.

Enough of my personal opinion about the Mediterranean food culture, please allow my taste buds to explain my experience in the restaurant, “Arpeggio Grill.” I had been the store twice with my family. My first time visiting I ordered the chicken kabob plate. The plate included a side of Greek salad, pita bread, and rice as well. The serving order was different from the Western Cuisine because I expected the salad would first be served following by the entrée. At Arpeggio Grill, all dishes came out at once. I personally preferred this way because I could have a mix of taste o everything. The first bite of the chicken kabob to my surprise was that the meat was very tender and juicy. Austin restaurant usually served white meat. Yet, I loved dark meat because of the chewiness. However, from now on I could say this is my own misunderstanding because white meat could be cooked as tender as dark meat. Not only did the texture surprise me, but the taste also (and more importantly) engraved in my mind. The strong scent of different untold herb rushed into my mouth. However, the taste of chicken meat was not overwhelmed by the herbs. To me, the portion of the herb was just right so each time when I chewed the meat, a combination scent of meat mixing with herb released.

Then next thing I immediately put into my mouth is rice. This was just my habit but my habit had led me to a wrong way of tasting the Mediterranean rice. The reason was that the rice was cooked with basmati and chicken broth. The rice itself was a perfect dish. Now I finally understood why my Turkish buddies did not enjoy the regular plain Asian rice. To make an analogy, the rice tasted similar like Hainanese Chicken Rice. However, the rice served in this restaurant was less oily and lacked of the taste of ginger but enhanced with basmati. I wished the rice portion was bigger because I loved grains very much.

The salad in the plate had a very important function because once my mouth was saturated with the strong taste of rice and kabob, something fresh could help clearing the scent. The salad came with a side of tzatziki dressing. I usually did not like any dressing but I could not resist the taste of fennel. As my taste was restored back to its level, I was ready to finish the rest of my plate.

The food amazed me but in fact the environment was another factor that I loved. The restaurant not only provided regular seats but also a carpet area for the foreign to enjoy. Sitting on the carpet was one of the best experiences I had ever had in my dining experience because I felt like I was eating as a royal family. Looking around the restaurant, most of the customers were from the Middle East or Muslim background. This ensured me that this restaurant served authentic Mediterranean food and its reputation was notable.