If you ask a native Toledoan for a restaurant recommendation, there’s a good chance you’ll be directed to The Beirut.

For almost 40 years, the restaurant owned by Labib and Karyn Hajjar has set the bar for Mediterranean food in the Toledo area and, in 2012, was named the best ethnic restaurant in Ohio by The Official Best Of television show.

A pair of recent visits show that The Beirut, 4082 Monroe St., still lives up to the hype.

It is the perfect place to enjoy great food and the company of others. The restaurant serves a variety of Mediterranean cuisine and a smattering of Italian fare in a casual and sometimes loud environment akin to a boisterous family dinner.

“Perfect” was an often-used description during our visits.

The meal began quickly as pillowy, flavorful pita bread arrived at our table, and we followed it with fatoosh ($7.75) and grape leaves ($10 small, $18 large). The fatoosh was spectacular with large chunks of green peppers, onions, cucumber, and tomato paired with crisp pita chips and a light lemony dressing, and it's no stretch to call the grape leaves the area's best. (Meatless leaves are also available for $7.50 and $14.)

The baby lamb chops (small for $14, large for $28), as our server promised, were beyond wonderful. Chosen from the appetizer menu for a light meal, the chops were perfectly prepared, rare, with little to no fat and paired perfectly with the giant fatoosh.

It’s easy to craft a full meal from the appetizer menu. A small order of grape leaves, for example, numbers 10.

The Beirut Best ($19), light, creamy hummus topped with tasty tender marinated filet tips and a special lemon sauce, makes use of the unlimited pita bread.

The charbroiled salmon ($16) arrived piping hot, with a crispy, seasoned top that gave way to the fork with a little pop and revealed steaming, moist, pinkish flesh underneath. The spices on top complemented rather than overwhelmed the mild flavor of the fish. The salmon was served with a half lemon and a small cup of Tahini sauce, but it needed no embellishment.

The Beirut filet ($26), a grilled beef tenderloin, came to the table just as ordered, pink in the middle. Well-seasoned with beautiful grill marks, the filet could have been prepared in the kitchen of any fine steakhouse. The plate was completed with a small pile of chopped onions mixed with parsley, and a small grilled tomato. A serving of hummus instead of the onions would have given it a Lebanese touch.

Another companion chose the chicken shawarma ($16), a dish that she had found somewhat dry in the past. That wasn't the case on this visit; this shawarma was fantastic. The tahini sauce was plentiful but not overpowering, the chicken was cut into appropriately sized strips, and there was a nice balance of spices in the whole dish. 

The kabob combo ($23) included a beef tenderloin shish kabob with green pepper and onion, something that was reminiscent of a summer barbecue, with straightforward, familiar flavors. It was paired with shish kafta, a mixture of chopped lamb, onions, and parsley, deliciously spiced, rounded to fit a skewer, and charbroiled.

The kafta was a beautiful contrast to the beef kabob, and the two were a memorable meal, especially with the hummus that was served alongside a bed of rice.

From the Italian side of the menu, we tried the Beirut brachioli ($24), which is a baked tenderloin stuffed with ham and cheese served with sauteed mushrooms in a wine sauce, green beans, and a choice of fries, vegetables, or rice. The meat was cut-with-a-fork tender and the wine sauce was spectacular.

The servers are friendly, helpful, and efficient, but don't expect speed; The Beirut is the type of restaurant where one is expected to savor the meal at a leisurely pace.

Expect massive portions at moderate to slightly above moderate prices (the online menu is outdated with several prices running a couple dollars higher than indicated), but be sure to save room for the decadent baklava ($1.50 for a single square) and Turkish coffee ($1.25).

Contact Bill of Fare at: fare@theblade.com.

First Published March 14, 2018, 11:09 p.m.