Dahlia’s Mediterranean Bistro is located at the base of an office building on 124 Street and a place you might not notice if you don’t work in the area. There are lots of good things going on in this part of Edmonton lately–from bakeries to wine bars to boutiques. I’d heard positive snippets about Dahlia’s for quite some time and finally made a point of stopping by for lunch a few weeks ago on a Saturday afternoon.
Fadi Smaidi, son of a Lebanese restaurateur in Montreal, opened up this bistro in 2009. His goal was simple: to bring authentic Mediterranean fare to Edmonton and provide unwavering quality to his customers.
The day we went…Fadi was behind the counter and he greeted us with a welcomed dose of genuine hospitality and good-natured ribbing. That, along with some pretty cool art on the walls and a heady aroma of garlic, smoked meat and spices, and we knew we were about to embark on a memorable food experience.
Service is cafeteria style — menu boards are on the wall, so after you’ve had a look, go to the counter where hot foods are waiting and place your order with Fadi or the sweet and wonderful Rochelle (fantastic server), grab a drink, pay, and have a seat. Or, get your food to go — which is how a lot of workers in the area go about it.
For starters, you will find falafel balls and tahini dip; hummus or babaghanouj (eggplant dip) with pita bread, fatayers (a pastry sort of mini pie filled with meat or cheese or spinach, or combination of ingredients), a soup of the day, and the most incredible, delectable, garlic potatoes with garlic sauce.
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| fatayer |
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| Garlic Potatoes |
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| Greek Salad |
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| Chicken Shawarma |
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| Falafel |
Some more creative combinations are found in the turkey and artichoke on ciabatta; the Gruyere and caramalized onion on rye; a pastrami and sauerkraut on Swiss, and the one we jumped on, the Montreal smoked meat on a marbled rye bread. Thank you Fadi for bringing some of that Montreal flavour to our city. I’m happy to report that smoked meat sandwich was the best I’ve tasted this far west in a very long time.
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| Montreal Smoked Meat on Rye |
Dahlia’s is one of those places that you kick yourself for not discovering sooner. Fadi’s genuine interest in people, his love of food, his commitment to quality, and his sense of humour made instant fans of our group, so much so that a week later my family went back while I was out of town, taunting me with tales of what they ate. But I made up for it the following week by returning for three large containers of those sinful garlic potatoes to feed a crew who were helping move a friend across town. (You know what they say about eating garlic…if one does, you all should. We did, and it was good…very good.)
Dahlia’s is the type of business that is making 124 Street a destination for dining and shopping. A tip of the hat to 124 Street and Area Business Association for their hard work in making 124 street a vibrant and vital economic area. If you haven’t strolled down there lately, check out the area’s website at www.124street.ca/.
To listen to my CBC review of Dahlia’s Bistro, click here.