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View
the Mediterranean Garden Grill menu
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Restaurant: Mediterranean Garden Grill
Where: 335 W. Foothill Blvd., Monrovia
Phone: (626) 358-6811
Reservations: Accepted
Cocktails: Beer and wine
Service: Full Wait Service
Atmosphere: Casual
Outdoor Dining: Yes
Credit Cards: MC, Visa, American Express,
Debit w/logo
Kid’s Menu: Yes
Senior Discount: No
Food to Go: Yes
Catering Menu: Yes
Price Range:
$4.00 – $19.95, most items under $ 9 |
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MGG
is on Foothill Blvd. in Monrovia |
With
all the lights and such, it's very festive at night |
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Murals of Middle Eastern scenes add to the atmosphere |
Ditto, and so does the lively Mediterranean music |
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The
Appetizer Sampler (for two) |
The
Kebab Combo, covered with fresh pita bread, which helps keep the kebabs hot |
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Sans
pita |
Baklawa for dessert |
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A Look At San
Gabriel Valley Restaurants by SanGabrielValleyMenus.com
Mediterranean Garden Grill – A
Taste of the Middle East, in Nearby Monrovia
By Bill Coburn
Mediterranean Garden Grill is a family owned and run
business with years of experience, handed down from generation to generation.
The food is made fresh daily using the highest quality ingredients available.
Joey Kouchakian, along with his wife Lucie, run this Mediterranean restaurant
where you’ll find everything from Baba-Ghanouj to beef kabobs to baklawa,
and everything in between.
I was joined for lunch this week by Ann Luke, Sierra
Madre volunteer extraordinaire (former president of the Woman’s Club, Chamber of
Commerce, and Kiwanis, among other things).
We started off with the Appetizer Sampler, which
gave us a chance to try many of the appetizers at one time. There was pickled
turnip, grape leaves, hummus, Baba-Ghanouj, tabbouleh, sliced tomatoes and
cucumbers, and a hunk of Feta cheese, in a beautiful presentation. I’d never
had grape leaves (stuffed with seasoned rice) before, but Ann assured me that
she enjoys them frequently, and that these were quite good. I’ve had hummus
(whipped chick peas, sesame paste, olive oil and seasonings) and tabbouleh
(Lebanese salad) before, so I knew what I was getting into there, and was quite
pleased with MGG’s. I actually enjoyed the Baba-Ghanouj, which I wouldn’t have
even tried if I’d known it was eggplant based, but I did, and enjoyed it. Ann
and I were both quite pleased with the Appetizer Sampler, which the menu states
is meant for two. In addition to those appetizers found on the sampler, there
are another half dozen or so appetizers available on the menu. One that I’ll
probably be trying next visit is the Hummus Special, which is Hummus served
with sauteed, marinated, diced beef or
lamb topping. Sounds good to me.
Ann’s a light eater, so I was the only one to order
an entrée. I’m not a light eater, so I ordered the Kebab Combo, which is also
designated as a meal for two. It has Chicken, Beef and Lule Kebabs, served with
rice pilaf and grilled vegetables.
When the food arrived, the presentation was again
impressive, but the taste was even better. The first thing I tried was the
chicken, and it was beautifully seasoned and cooked to perfection. I was quite
pleased with it, as I was with the rest of the meal. The Beef and Lule Kebabs
were every bit as good as the chicken kebab was, and I probably would have eaten
it all, but I felt a little self-conscious with light-eating Ann instead of the
family, who are used to seeing me shovel it down. So I took part of it home and
enjoyed it for dinner the following day. The rice pilaf was also quite good,
light and fluffy. Ann wanted me to make sure I mentioned that the grilled
tomato was quite good, in fact, she told both the waitress and Joey that it was
the best tomato she’d ever eaten.
Joey was kind enough to send over a couple of
complimentary baklava for us to try after our meal, and I was again glad that
Ann is such a light eater. More baklawa for me, and it was excellent, flaky and
light, with just the right amount of sweet to finish off an exemplary meal.
Their menu is far more extensive then what we tried,
and features such delicacies and special orders as Frog Legs and Sauteed Quail.
You’ll also find sandwich combos, seafood, salads and soups. You can view their
menu online at
www.sangabrielvalleymenus.com/mediterraneangardengrill, or go directly to
www.mediterraneangardengrill.com
Mediterranean Garden Grill has just done a major
remodel to their dining area, and the money was well spent, as the décor is a
vast improvement over what it used to be. Friday and Saturday evenings feature
belly dancing, and MGG is the only place nearby that I’m aware of where you can
enjoy a hookah (Turkish water pipe) with your meal. They have a large variety
of flavored tobaccos for your enjoyment. Stop in and be sure to let them know
you read about them in Dot Com Dining.
Bill Coburn is
owner of SanGabrielValleyMenus.com, a restaurant website featuring more than 150
restaurant’s menus, as well as downloadable coupons. He has nearly 20 years
experience in the restaurant business, and has been eating for much longer
than that. |
