Review: Bey Mediterranean brings Lebanese hospitality to Roswell

Bey’s menu kicks off with familiar Mediterranean spreads, such as hummus, baba ghanouj and garlic labneh, all three of which are offered in a dip trio. The portions in the trio were a touch meager, so most diners would do better picking one or two spreads. Thankfully, small portion sizes are not a problem elsewhere on the menu.

The dips, along with nearly all the appetizers, were richly flavored with such Middle Eastern staples as garlic and lemon. Wonderfully crisp french fries were dusted with lip-smacking sumac, while fried cauliflower was dressed in spicy red harissa and rich, cooling tahini. Charred octopus — tender but crusted with grill marks — got an almost Spanish treatment with romesco aioli and salsa verde. An order of three generously sized meatballs came atop a savory, complex tomato ragout.

Credit: Handout

Credit: Handout

Bey’s salads were excellent as well, from the plate of roasted beets scented delicately with an orange blossom vinaigrette to a traditional fattoush mixture of romaine lettuce, tomatoes, radishes and cucumbers in a vinegary sumac dressing. Mansour is particular about his tabouli, which requires a specific ratio of lemon, salt and parsley that can change, depending on the produce that’s delivered.

The dishes got better as the meal progressed. Grilled branzino was tender, flaky and tasted of a clean ocean — a perfectly executed dish that punches above its $36 price tag. Bey’s fried chicken, with a thick, heavily spiced breading, was a spectacular achievement of both flavor and texture.

But the star was the upside-down lamb pilaf, a mountain of irresistible Middle Eastern comfort food. It might not be the most visually beautiful dish, but it matters little when you go cross-eyed from the delicious scent of the cardamom rice, which was cooked in the same braising liquid used for the fork-tender lamb shank that capped the dish. Each grain tasted almost as rich as the meat itself.

Credit: Henri Hollis

Credit: Henri Hollis

It’s the type of dish that you’ll look forward to eating as leftovers — and won’t stop thinking about, once it’s gone.

Highly personal restaurants sometimes suffer from their owners’ blind spots, leading the service or beverage programs to suffer, even if the food is good. But Bey has a strong beverage program; Mansour has a good eye for wine and hired a consultant to help him craft a sophisticated but crowd-pleasing cocktail list.

The best of the drinks was the Tyrian purple, an unusual cocktail that combined the licorice-like intensity of the Lebanese spirit arak with gin, orgeat and yogurt. While not for everyone — because of the polarizing flavor of anise — it was a beautifully balanced, indulgent cocktail.

Credit: Henri Hollis

Credit: Henri Hollis

In Bey, Mansour and Khoury have built a welcoming, family-run restaurant that is likely to appeal to plenty of American diners. At the same time, they haven’t abandoned their roots, with many homey dishes that are native to the Levant, as well as a name that’s recognizable to nearly all Lebanese nationals — Bey is the airport code for Beirut.

The space is comfortable and attractive, the service is solid, the food is excellent and the bar program actually adds to the experience. One hopes that Bey is embraced with the same hospitality that the restaurant shows its diners.

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