Page 8
A taste of the middle east
by Colette Rethage
Collegian Staff
Oasis restaurant had its debut
on Perry Square downtown on
September 7 of this year. It is
one of the most unique and
beautifully decorated restaurants I
have ever been to.
Owned and operated by M.
Maher Rahabi, the Oasis is a
great place to try because its
menu consists mostly of mid
eastern foods. There are a wide
variety of appetizers, soups,
salads, sandwiches, platters,
entrees, desserts, and beverages to
choose from.
Appetizers include such things
as Hummos, which are mashed
chickpeas with Tahini (sesame
seed base) sauce, flavored with
lemon juice and garlic, and
topped with olive oil, and Yabak,
which is grape meat, rice, and
spices, cooked in lemon juice and
garlic. Or, maybe you like soup
as an appetizer. The soup
selections include Makhluta, a
split lentil soup with seasoned
ground beef and onions.
If you are a salad kind of
person, you can choose from
things such as Tabbooieh (a
Lebanese style salad) which is
parsley, tomato, cracked wheat,
lemon juice, and olive oil, or you
can go for the more conventional
chicken, steak, or shrimp salad.
The sandwich selections
include gyros, hamburgers,
chicken, and pita melts along
with such items as the Sujuk
sandwich, which is slices of
Armenian seasoned sausage with
tomato and pickles in a grilled
sub, and the Falafel sandwich,
which is a fried patty of ground
chickpeas, herbs, and spices with
diced tomatoes, lettuce and Tahini
sauce with fresh mint rolled in
pita bread.
The lunch platters include
samples of the appetizers and
salads. There is a vegetarian
platter. The entrees include
lamb, chicken, and beef kebobs
served with rice, steak, lamb
chops, shrimp, salmon and items
such as mucjlooba, which is
layers of eggplant, sirloin tips
and rice topped with ground beef
and roasted pine nuts, served with
cucumber yogurt mint sauce. AH
entrees are served with salad and
pita bread.
Some of the beverages include
imported mango juice, Turkish
coffee, expresso, and cappuccino.
The dessert menu boasts such
sweets as Mabrunna, which is
roasted pistachio nuts rolled into
a sweet, twisted, shredded dough
and baked, and Cheese Halawa,
which is ricolta cheese stuffed
into a cheese dough topped with
ground pistachio nuts and syrup.
Eating at the Oasis was the
first experience I had with middle
eastern foods. For an appetizer
my friend Sarah and I tried the
Fried Kibbch, which was cracked
wheat and meat dough, stuffed
with ground meat and onions
served with cucumber sauce. It
wasn’t what we expected, but we
liked it. I tried the Toshka
sandwich for my main meal. It
was seasoned ground meat topped
with Basket Cheese, a thicker
type of mozzerclta cheese, all in a
pita. It tasted like a really good
(Not A Lot Of Money)
Entertainment
hamburger. My friend Sarah got
the chickcn-kebob sandwich,
which was char-broiled marinated
chicken cubes with grilled tomato
and onion rolled in pita bread.
She loved it!
The owner let us sample a new
drink he was trying called
Sparkling Rose. It was perhaps
the weirdest drink we ever tried,
but we liked it. It was pink and
smelled sweet, but it tasted
exactly how roses smell. That is
the only way we can describe it.
For dessert we tried the Cheese
Halawa, which was excellent, and
the Maamool, which is baked
soft dough filled with dates. It
was very good, but very sweet
Although small, the restaurant
itself was beautifully decorated.
The coloring is mostly teal
green, and there is decorative
unique artwork on the walls.
Sarah particularly liked the camel
tapestry, while I loved the crystal
chandeliers.
This restaurant would be
perfect for a first date, because
there are lots of things about the
restaurant to talk about. It is
also great for those bored with
the same old foods over and over
again. Also, the prices are very
reasonable. Dinner for two came
to about fifteen dollars. So, if
you’re in the mood for something
different, try the Oasis restaurant
on Perry Square downtown. You
won’t be disappointed.
The Oasis is located
on Perry Square in
Downtown Erie.
MSRPStarting
SEE YOUR TOYOTA DEALER TODAY.
MSRP BASED ON TAX. TAGS. TITLE. FREIGHT. OPTIONAL & REGIONALLY REQUIRED EQUIPMENT. DEALER SETS FINAL PRICE.
A 'Burgh thing
by Eddie Edwards
Collegian Staff
Well, the semester is near its
end and all you “Pittsburghers”
will be looking for somewhere to
hang out when you're at home.
Well, if you’re stuck for a place,
just drive right down to the
Boardwalk. The Boardwalk is
located on Smallman Street in
the Strip District. The exciting
complex consists of Busters
Crab, Donzi’s night club and the
Boardwalk.
Busters Crab is a very casual
restaurant that specializes in
seafood. The prices are very
reasonable and the food is
excellent. All of their fish and
other seafood are brought in fresh
daily.
Donzi’s is also located in the
loardwalk complex. It is one of
ittsburgh’s most popular night
lubs. They feature top-forty
tusic with a yuppy crowd,
•rinks are served to you by
'aitresses who are dressed in
Applications are being
accepted for the Opinion
editor position for the Spring
'96 semester. They are due
in the Collegian office on
Monday, December 11.
Thank you.
Thursday, December 7, 1995
sailor uniforms to coordinate
with the Boardwalk theme. Also,
the decor of Donzi’s is that of a
ship/aquarium with a modern
tone. It all fits together very
nicely for a complete Boardwalk
look.
The final part of the complex
is the Boardwalk bar. This bar is
located inside and outside and is
built on real wooden planks.
They also play top-forty music.
On nice summer nights boats can
pull up to the complex, and its
passengers may enter the club.
This is an excellent touch for all
of you boat goers.
Tom Barres, one of the owners
of the complex, has done an
excellent job in trying to liven
up the Pittsburgh bar scene. He
also promotes Pittsburgh’s
beautiful rivers by having his
complex located on the riverside.
So if you’re in doubt about
what to do over X-mas break,
just go right down to the
Boardwalk.
<32 TOYOTA
I Love What You Do For Me