"Aside from loving the food itself, Middle Eastern food is usually a joy for me because there is so much that I, as a vegetarian, can eat. The food we sampled at Ammatoli was excellent, aside from one flaw. The flaw as that the spinach in the otherwise marvelous Spinach Kibbeh was still frozen inside. That should never happen at a restaurant of this quality, especially when their somewhat expensive dishes are justified by that quality. However, the mistake with the kibbeh is not the reason for a mediocre review. It is because, for a vegetarian, it's way too expensive. The three mezza dish, which we ordered, costs $29, which is a sort of a deal when you consider that each mezza is about $14 separately. The portions are modest, so for a normal person who happens to be vegan or vegetarian to have a full meal, it would cost $50 $60. And I'm talking about a meal of chickpeas, eggplant, bulgar. For about $30, on the other hand, an omnivore will have chicken or salmon for a dollar less $28 or lamb for a few dollars more, and that includes two sides: like hummas, which, in the mezza plate, comes to $9.33 per item. $9.33 for two spinach kibbehs, served under cooked. I'm comparing items on the dinner menu for simplicity; but we actually ate during the Happy Hour, which reduced the 3 mezza plate from $29 to $22. How about an actual vegetarian plate with an assortment of 5 or 6 items and a few olives and sticks of pickled beets, with smaller portions than the mezza plate but something that overall is comparable as a meal to what omnivores are offered. A pity that a restaurant that could so easily be vegan and vegetarian friendly is not."
Fried Kibbeh
