NVM Review

By Warren Rojas

Ethnic-dining enthusiasts and avid dieters may have paved the path to the sound eating principles of Mediterranean-style dining.

But now that that door has been opened, it seems that most everyone has come to appreciate the combination of robust vegetables, healthful proteins and calorie-shaving dressings now enjoyed the world over.

Pop into either of the local Sorrento Grills for lunch or dinner, and you're likely to share meals with svelte female office workers, kebab-devouring buddies, extended Middle Eastern families or any number of assorted demographic groups who crave the taste of charcoal-flamed meat and olive oil-tinged legumes.

The saffron pearl salad presents the best of all possible worlds, then, delivering balsamic-drenched greens, a row of chilled couscous flush with saffron, diced peppers and onion, as well as a bonus layer of the freshly grilled protein of your choice—salmon is probably the healthiest choice, but the lamb is just too satisfying (well seared yet totally succulent)—draped across the final preparation. The overlapping sensations produced by the warm meat, cold grains and poignant vinegar make traditional chopped salads seem so embarrassingly quaint.

Strict traditionalists, however, can feast guilt-free on a salad sampler laden with generous scoops of hummus (zesty chickpea staple), tabbouleh (the more mint, the better), shirazi (cucumber refreshes, tomato invigorates) and pureed eggplant (an unheralded hero).

By Warren Rojas

A Mediterranean mainstay inexplicably nestled in a faux Alpine strip mall, the homey Sorrento Grill provides fresh-tasting favorites that are short on flash but full of authentic flavor.

The sensible restaurant holds no more than 20 tables. Customers are expected to retrieve their own utensils and typically bus their tables when they finish eating, but everyone does so with a smile because of all the care and attention staff devote to the food while back in the kitchen. Nothing on the menu climbs above the $15 mark, and most individual entrees or combo meals remain under $11. Weekday specials are all under $10 and include a tomato-laden chicken stew (Monday), a savory lamb stew topped with crunchy potato sticks (Tuesday), a roast chicken steeped in sour Iranian barberries (Wednesday), a wholesome kidney bean and lamb stew (Thursday) and a mouthwatering lamb shank dinner (Friday). The weekend deal brings juicy lamb chops and an oniony salad for $13.95.

Twin scoops of rich red pepper hummus ($3.50) are the perfect companion for the fresh baked flat breads passed out with every meal. An order of falafel ($3.95) brings three snowballs of fried herbs accompanied by a zippy tahini sauce (a traditional cucumber-yogurt blend). A grilled lamb wrap ($6.95) bears slivers of roast lamb mixed with diced tomatoes, onions and herbs, all wrapped in a warm pita (the entire bundle gets that much better when you add any leftover tahini sauce). The kubideh, a strip of moist ground beef, is always flavorful and filling, whereas an often zesty boneless chicken breast sometimes emerges from the grill a tad too dry. Additional grill selections include filet mignon, lamb, salmon and shrimp kabobs, and virtually every specialty kabob comes with an abundance of roasted vegetables, as well as rice or additional oven-baked flat breads.

Meanwhile, an order of the golden baklava ($2.38), an extra flaky pastry made up of chopped nuts and phyllo, virtually bleeds honey (very dense and very sweet).