Restaurant Review: Pasha Takes You on a Passionate Ride to a Faraway Cuisine
By Linda and Uri Guttman for YourArlington.com
Uri and I went to Pasha with two friends and enjoyed an excellent meal while enjoying the exotic ambiance of Turkey. Lavish tapestries adorn the walls and tables with rich Ottoman colors. And then there is an extensive menu of a variety of Middle Eastern specialties, with Turkey well represented.
We started out with a hummus appetizer. It consisted of a good-sized portion of homemade hummus and cucumbers, radish, celery and carrots for dipping, as well as warm pita bread. The hummus had a creamy texture, and its flavor was well-balanced. Pasha also uses its own blend of special Turkish spices. This dish served the four of us adequately.
Pasha serves delicious homemade warm bread with a tray of condiments, such as olive tapenade, herbed olive oil and a roasted red pepper spread. The bread is shaped like a boule and is lightly seeded.
You won’t go wrong if you choose either soup on the menu. The red lentil soup is redolent of warm spices and vegetables, and it is very satisfying. The tomato soup may remind you of your mother’s homemade but has a surprise of some shredded mozzarella melted into it.
Mediterranean, shepherd salad
We also shared the larger-sized Mediterranean salad, which is composed of mixed fresh seasonal greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and crumbled feta cheese. All the ingredients were extremely fresh. It was dressed with a raspberry vinaigrette, which complemented the greens perfectly.
You can order a shepherd’s salad as a salad dish, or it comes as a side with some of the entrees. It is composed of diced tomatoes, cucumbers, red and green peppers, mint, dill and parsley with house dressing. Schedule multiple visits, so you can try the wide variety of the seven other salads.
The doner kebab was an exotic presentation of Turkish foods. The meat was a combination of ground beef and lamb and was similar to a Greek gyro. The kebab was served on a plate over toasted pita with tomato sauce and yogurt on top. Kebabs are also made with chunks of lamb, beef or chicken. They are marinated, grilled to order and served with grilled vegetables. Our lamb kebab was cooked as desired, but the beef was overcooked, so make sure you get your kebab cooked to your liking.
The sautéed lamb dish is more like a casserole composed of slices of lamb layered with a variety of vegetables and an aromatic sauce that was heavenly. The Turkish spices and vegetable combinations are unique to this style of cuisine.
Pasha is a great place for vegetarians and omnivores to share. There is a full page of vegetarian entrees, and most of the appetizers and starters are veggie as well. Some choices include Fainting Imam, which is a whole baby eggplant stuffed with fresh vegetables, pine nuts and raisins, covered with tomato sauce. There are many vegetable stews, with the focus on potatoes, zucchini, mushroom, spinach, beans or cauliflower.
What to choose: Our picks
A page of authentic dishes includes several sautés and stews with lamb or chicken. You won’t go wrong with any of those. Stuffed eggplant or cabbage are good picks, too. Grilled entrees offer skewers of lamb, chicken, beef or doner, which is spiced ground lamb and beef. All come with a choice of two side dishes.
Many of the entrees offer the option of rice or bulgur. Choose the tasty bulgur, which is cracked-wheat kernels cooked in stock like a pilaf. Other entrees offer a choice of two sides, including the bulgur, shepherd’s salad and french fries. Avoid the onion rings, which were lackluster.
For dessert, you could choose the classic baklava, layers of phylo bathed in butter and syrup. We would recommend you try the more unusual items, such as kanafah, which is a distant cousin of a cheese knish with the wrapper made of baked shredded phylo. And don’t miss out on the baked butternut squash, called a Turkish Pumpkin Dessert.
Service at Pasha was professional and friendly, with clear answers to our questions about the menu. Parking is possible on Mass. Ave. or in the public lot behind the row of buildings.
Price ranges
Soups, appetizers and salads ranged from $5 to $10. Entrees were from $14 to $22 and desserts were $6 to $7.50.
A long list of lunch specials includes wraps with lamb, beef, chicken or doner kababs. Many of the dinner entrees are also offered for lunch including a selection of vegetarian stews. Lunch specials range from $10 to $15.
Pasha is the type of place you want to go back to and enjoy familiar dishes and try out new ones.
The menu is full of comfortable dishes and interesting surprises. There are Middle Eastern favorites done very well as well as Turkish delights. Even with our multiple visits, we have yet to try out their Lahmajoun and pizzas.
Pasha, 669a Mass. Ave., Arlington
781-648-5888
Hours
Monday: 4 to 9:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Wednesday: 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Thursday through Saturday: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Sunday: 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Pricing: $$$ (on scale of 1 to 4 dollar signs)