You ever wake up on a Sunday morning with plans and a stopwatch? You know..breakfast at 8am, church at 11, late lunch at 2:30 or early dinner at say 3 o’clock? I’m so accustomed to that kind of scheduling during the work week that I had to pause for a bit and just let the day happen. Sort of. It happened one Sunday and Steeler Fan was my motivation because he isn’t the hurrying, timekeeping type. Although the stops of our day were decided, we didn’t feel rushed at all.
Our first stop was Kabob Land for lunch by invitation from Chef Matt Iyibas. The fast-casual restaurant, located in Buckhead, offers a variety of Middle Eastern dishes. We arrived minutes before noon, took our seats in a bright semi-open space and shortly afterwards, this mezze platter was placed before us. I secretly get a kick out of seeing the expression on Steeler Fan’s face when he sees a meatless plate. I know he sits there thinking “Is that all we’re having? I thought there would be steak.” But he’s a trooper and tried everything.
Served with a basket of Pita wedges, the platter featured (from top right): Babaghanoush, Hummus, Maast-o-Khiar, Okra, Mohammara, White Beans and Stuffed Grape Leaves. Aside from the Hummus, everything on the plate was new to us. We enjoyed them all but found ourselves drawn more to the Babaghanoush, a well-balanced blend of roasted eggplant, tahini, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil and the Mohammara, a slightly spicy mixture of walnuts, pomegranate paste, olive oil, spices, breadcrumbs.
The mezze platter was the perfect way to start our meal, especially since each appetizer was pretty light.
Up next was a Kabob Platter with charbroiled Lamb, Beef, Chicken, Salmon and a mixed green salad. Steeler Fan was very happy to see this. The flavors of the marinades the cubes were immersed in were evident in each bite. The meat was flavorful with an interesting combination of tang and smokiness. The salmon was cooked nicely to our extreme pleasure. It was beautifully done on the outside and super moist inside.
The meats were served with a side of Basmati Rice. For dipping, there were individual containers of Tzatziki sauce, Hot sauce and Garlic sauce. It was worth trying them all because they each added their own unique layers of flavor. I loved the garlic sauce most but found it best to use it sparingly as it packed quite a punch.
We finished our lunch with Pistachio Baklava. I actually prefer this type over the walnut filled pastry. These are always a special treat since we don’t have them often.
After dessert, I checked the movie listings for an AMC Theater nearby. As luck would have it, we found one starting at a convenient time so we continued on with our day. Kabob Land turned out to be a tasty and fitting destination for our casual Sunday. The restaurant is open daily for diners seeking their own Taste of the Mediterranean.
Kabob Land is located at 3137 Piedmont Road NE | Atlanta, GA 30305
Visit their website to learn more about the restaurant and to See what’s on the Menu
Disclosure: Lunch at Kabob Land was complimentary thanks to Emily C of ML|A and Chef Matt Iyibas. I was not compensated for this post. All opinions are my own and were not influenced in any way. You can view my full Disclosure Policy here.
