Mishkenut Mediterranean Cuisine
Mishkenut Mediterranean Cuisine
221 Ridge Rd - Munster, IN 46321
Mishkenut Mediterranean Cuisine is a little-known spot in downtown Munster. I visited the restaurant on a Thursday evening for dinner. Overall the service was great, the atmosphere was quiet, the food was fresh and flavorful, and the prices were very fair.
When we walked in, four other groups were seated in the dining area. The décor was simple and clean. The dining area could probably seat 36 people comfortably. I sat myself and waited for a waiter. Someone came over quickly with a menu and took my drink order. While they do not serve alcoholic beverages, they do have soft drinks, teas and coffees. I ordered a glass of water so that I could fully taste the food.
The menu had a selection of salads, appetizers and entrees for all appetites. Good non-meat selections, as well as chicken, beef, lamb, and veal. The selection was not overwhelmingly large, but definitely had something for everyone. The options were enough to make you want to come back to try it all.
The friendly waitress came over and asked if we had any questions. She answered, in detail, questions about the ingredients and flavors in the dishes. While the menu had short descriptions for most of the items, it was good to have a guide to give you information about a cuisine that is unfamiliar to many.
The appetizers had an option to order a plate of two or three different foods. It’s a great opportunity to sample different flavors. I ordered an appetizer of spinach pie and samboosa. The spinach pie was homemade pastry dough folded around spinach, and the samboosa was tiny pockets of the same dough stuffed with ground beef. The dough was not flaky, but was light, buttery, and good. The spinach in the spinach pie tasted like it had been stewed with a little onion. It had that warming feeling of a great home-cooked meal. The samboosa had flavorful ground beef with whole pine nuts. The spices in both were just right for my tastes.
For the entrées I ordered the Mishkenut Classic and the kufta kabob with rice. Both were seasoned very well. They were both prepared to bring the best qualities of the dishes out.
The Mishkenut Classic was a great way to keep sampling some of the different foods. It has stuffed grape leaves (meat or vegetarian), baba ghanoush, hummus, and tabbouleh salad. It comes with pita bread. I tried both the meat and vegetarian stuffed grape leaves. While they were both delicious, the meat was more my taste. They both had that slow-cooked quality to them. The meat one was stewed in tomato. The hummus (chickpeas) and baba ghanoush (eggplant) were both the perfect texture. They both had olive oil drizzled on the top. The hummus had paprika on the top, and the baba ghanoush had a little touch of what tasted like onions and green peppers on the top. The tabbouleh was really refreshing and light. The mixture of parsley, tomato, bulgur, and onion went well with the flavors of the lemon and olive oil.
The ground meat in the kufta kabob was mixed well with parsley and garlic. It was very moist. I’ve had overcooked, dry kufta kabob in the past, but this was cooked perfectly for my taste. The rice was also cooked very well. It wasn’t dry, but was not mushy. The parsley added a nice touch.
The service was really good. The server was attentive without hovering. She was within sight most of the time if we needed anything. The other server was talking with one of the customers describing how they make the pasta for the lasagna from scratch in a three-hour process. The chef/owner came out to talk to one table. I believe both servers working were children of the owners. It was a very friendly atmosphere. They seemed to take pride in the quality of the food and cared enough to connect with the customers.
I was having such a great time with great food, great service and a relaxing atmosphere that I decided to order dessert. I got an order of baklava and a Turkish coffee (black, though they had an option for sweetener). The coffee was nice and hot. It was roasted and bitter, but didn’t taste overly brewed like some. It paired nicely with the sweetness of the honey in the baklava. The baklava had a walnut filling. The taste of the cinnamon and honey came through. I finished off my coffee taking care not to drink the coffee grounds at the bottom, a sign that this coffee was freshly pressed.
This was a great meal. I was very satisfied with the quality of the food, the relaxed atmosphere, and the friendly staff. I was even more satisfied when I got the bill. Not just because of the homemade fruit and almond chocolates that came with it, but because of the total cost. For an appetizer, two entrées, dessert, and two coffees, the total was $36.40. Mishkenut has great food and is light on the wallet for a great night out.
221 Ridge Rd - Munster, IN 46321
Mishkenut Mediterranean Cuisine is a little-known spot in downtown Munster. I visited the restaurant on a Thursday evening for dinner. Overall the service was great, the atmosphere was quiet, the food was fresh and flavorful, and the prices were very fair.
When we walked in, four other groups were seated in the dining area. The décor was simple and clean. The dining area could probably seat 36 people comfortably. I sat myself and waited for a waiter. Someone came over quickly with a menu and took my drink order. While they do not serve alcoholic beverages, they do have soft drinks, teas and coffees. I ordered a glass of water so that I could fully taste the food.
The friendly waitress came over and asked if we had any questions. She answered, in detail, questions about the ingredients and flavors in the dishes. While the menu had short descriptions for most of the items, it was good to have a guide to give you information about a cuisine that is unfamiliar to many.
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| Spinach Pie and Samboosa |
For the entrées I ordered the Mishkenut Classic and the kufta kabob with rice. Both were seasoned very well. They were both prepared to bring the best qualities of the dishes out.
 |
| Mishkenut Classic |
The Mishkenut Classic was a great way to keep sampling some of the different foods. It has stuffed grape leaves (meat or vegetarian), baba ghanoush, hummus, and tabbouleh salad. It comes with pita bread. I tried both the meat and vegetarian stuffed grape leaves. While they were both delicious, the meat was more my taste. They both had that slow-cooked quality to them. The meat one was stewed in tomato. The hummus (chickpeas) and baba ghanoush (eggplant) were both the perfect texture. They both had olive oil drizzled on the top. The hummus had paprika on the top, and the baba ghanoush had a little touch of what tasted like onions and green peppers on the top. The tabbouleh was really refreshing and light. The mixture of parsley, tomato, bulgur, and onion went well with the flavors of the lemon and olive oil.
 |
| Kufta Kabob |
The service was really good. The server was attentive without hovering. She was within sight most of the time if we needed anything. The other server was talking with one of the customers describing how they make the pasta for the lasagna from scratch in a three-hour process. The chef/owner came out to talk to one table. I believe both servers working were children of the owners. It was a very friendly atmosphere. They seemed to take pride in the quality of the food and cared enough to connect with the customers.
I was having such a great time with great food, great service and a relaxing atmosphere that I decided to order dessert. I got an order of baklava and a Turkish coffee (black, though they had an option for sweetener). The coffee was nice and hot. It was roasted and bitter, but didn’t taste overly brewed like some. It paired nicely with the sweetness of the honey in the baklava. The baklava had a walnut filling. The taste of the cinnamon and honey came through. I finished off my coffee taking care not to drink the coffee grounds at the bottom, a sign that this coffee was freshly pressed.
 |
| Baklava and Turkish Coffee |
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