The other day hubby and I wanted to go out to eat somewhere
for lunch where we could sit outside. We wanted something good to eat, to not
be right on a super busy road AND to have a drink with our lunch. A lot to ask I know. We settled on Canal Bistro. We hadn’t been there together in a long time
and it was the perfect day to sit along the canal.
We were having a pretty big dinner that night so we didn’t
want to eat too much. We had the Mediterranean pizza ($11) and the spinach pie
($6) to share. I have had the pizza
before and I really quite like it. It is
basically a pita that is topped with kalamata olives, red onions, artichoke
hearts, tomatoes, lots of herbs and feta and baked so that it is crisp on the
bottom and everything on top is warm. It
is a fairly simple idea, but with great flavors from the olives and artichokes
and crunch from the onions. This one had
maybe just a little too much cheese, which made it dominate the other things
maybe just a little too much, but all in all, this is something I really enjoy.
Particularly with a glass of wine.
The spinach pie (or spanikopita) was great. I have had it before and didn’t remember
liking it as much as I did this time (but spanikopita in general is one of my
favorite things at Greek restaurants).
Basically they are little triangles of phyllo dough wrapped around a
filling of feta and spinach. What made
this one so great was how wonderfully crispy the phyllo was without being
burned at all. It was perfectly browned
all over. Honestly, it was almost like
it was quickly deep fried, it was so evenly crispy (usually this dish is baked,
and is often not so uniformly browned and crisp). I also love the little salad underneath of
pickled red onions, olives and parsley (as well as a little chunk of fresh
feta). A little bit of the salty, tangy
flavors from this with each bite of the pie was perfect. I would get this again in a minute. It has everything that makes me crave
something—crunch, saltiness, tanginess, smooth cheese and the savory flavor
from the spinach. Makes me want to go pick up an order right now actually.
Anyway, a great place to grab lunch—and I could order off
the appetizer menu for days. But what do
you guys like here? Maybe next time I will delve deeper into the menu.
Canal Bistro
6349 N.
Guilford Ave
Indy 46220
317/254-8700
I enjoy their falafel. It's perfectly crispy on the outside, slightly moist on the inside, and appears to be made with fava beans instead of chickpeas, which is what I prefer.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite is the chicken kabobs. The mazza plate is also good here, and lets you sample a number of things at once. The owners are egyptian (husband) and lebanese (wife), and I think their tabbouleh is among the best in town. (I am lebanese and eat a lot of tabbouleh.) The other thing I would recommend is the za'atar, which they mix themselves. This is a mixture of herbs that they serve with warm pita bread. You add olive oil to the za'atar and dip pieces of bread in it.
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