Everything about Byblos seems cute and simple, almost effortlessly so.
The food and decor at Federal Hill's new Lebanese eatery go hand-in-hand; both are charming and down to earth, with shades of the Middle East, and neither assumes too much. It's the kind of restaurant you didn't know you needed until it opened about three months ago, amid the neighborhood's plentiful pubs and sushi spots.
Named after the Lebanese city, Byblos is run by the husband-and-wife team of Sami and Hala Tabet. A restaurant decorator before opening Byblos, Sami painted the walls brown and tan and adorned them with his own oil paintings. Hala, who used to run a Lebanese restaurant in Brooklyn, N.Y., with her family, handles the cooking.
Though the food is seasoned with Old World spices, none of the menu items is a tongue-torcher. Many are vegetarian, some even vegan. There aren't too many to choose from in the first place: a handful of flatbread pies, three sandwiches, about a dozen cold appetizers, several platters and a few desserts. That's a good thing, a sign that Hala is sticking to what she knows best. For the most part, the food is the better for it.
Most of the appetizers and desserts are cooked in advance, wrapped in plastic and shelved in the glass deli counter, which makes it easier for newcomers to Lebanese food. This way, Zaatar ($1.50) isn't just a strange word on a menu; it's a doughy flatbread brushed with oil and sprinkled with sesame, sumac and thyme, sitting in plain view. Be sure to pay the extra 50 cents for chopped tomatoes and onions, tasty toppings for the comforting bread pie.
With chunks of chopped cucumbers and a shade of mint, a liberal serving of creamy Yogurt Salad ($3.85) is a lighter, cooler alternative to the Zaatar. Same goes for the Falafel sandwich ($3.95), a mishmash of chickpeas, onion, lettuce and fava beans wrapped in a thin pita. The chickpeas are a complement, not the centerpiece, of the sandwich, and a pinch of chopped parsley and mint give it a summery zest.
Some of the items taste better than they look. That's the case with the Kebbeh ($6.95), a few dark-brown, egg-shaped lumps laid on a bed of iceberg lettuce. Each has a blend of juicy chopped meat, nuts and onions stuffed inside a thick layer of ground beef and cracked wheat. It sounds and looks odd but tastes rich and hearty.
For the money, the Chicken Shawarma Combo ($8.95) was a lot of food: hunks of chicken, chopped salad, hummus and a pita. But the salad, with its parsley and pieces of feta cheese, was the best part. Garlic or tomatoes could have lent some character to the otherwise bland hummus, and the chicken bordered on dry. I wasn't sure what to do with the side of buffalo sauce, which, for some reason, came with the platter.
For now, Byblos' dessert options are limited, consisting mostly of Maamoul, or stuffed pastries. Two dense, bite-size portions, one with pistachios and another with walnuts, were $2.50. The walnut pastry, with its layers of phylo dough, was a winner, but the pistachios were stuffed between pieces of shredded wheat, giving the pastry an odd consistency for a dessert.
When Byblos first opened, its glass showcases were right by the front door, which didn't allow for much seating. During the Memorial Day weekend, the Tabets moved the counters back and set up a half-dozen metal tables near the entrance — a much better use of the space. With the standout menu and convenient location, they'll need the extra seating.
Byblos
Where: 1033 Light St.
Contact: 410-209-2495
Open: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays and 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.
Food: ✭✭
Service: ✭1/2
Atmosphere: ✭✭
[Key: ✭✭✭✭: Outstanding; ✭✭✭: Good; ✭✭: Fair or Uneven; ✭: Poor]