Ali Baba Grill

I initially was leaning towards 3 stars but the combination of quality and price for the area made it somewhere I will definitely go back to.  Gyro meat was grilled to a nice slightly crisp doneness, rice was great, salad was tasty, and all for roughly $8.  Portion size was better then expected, the service could've been better but not bad enough to stop me from going back.

Having lived in Europe and married to a man of Armenian descent, I know how middle eastern food should taste. This place falls short. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't exactly good either. The hummus was flavorless and the consistency of Gerber baby food. The pita breads were nice, but half were burnt. The salad dressing was tasty, but the tomatoes are unripe, pink and tasteless served with iceberg lettuce and cucumbers. We had the lentil soup which was nice and hot, but once again somewhat bland. My entree was the chicken skewer with rice. While the marinade was tasty, the chicken was overcooked and it was skimpy on the onions and peppers. A sauce was served alongside that tasted exactly like Tabasco. Yuk. There was a blob of burnt tomato as a garnish which wasn't even seasoned! I asked for some tahini and tzaziki sauces to try to add some flavor but they fell short as well. All in all it was bland food except for my hubby's gyros. The missing ingredient in the other food was garlic! The sumac on the table was not fresh and also had no flavor. Sorry. This place was not as fabulous as written. Probably because these folks don't know authentic middle eastern food?

This place is on our frequently visited list for lunches in DTC. We've been going there since they opened and it is always good. However, our last visit this week was exceptional! Three of us split an order of hummus and it was even better than ever. Creamy, tasty and just enough to get lunch started. Two of us ordered the salad with gyros. Lots of perfectly cooked gyros piled high on top of a crisp bed of mixed greens, kalamata olives, feta and just the right amount of dressing. Seriously, the dressing did not steal the show by being either too much or overly spicy, it was just right. The salad is such a great value you really can take some of it home - but before you know it - it is soooo good, you've speared the last olive out of the bowl. The third in our party ordered the lamb lunch entree and it was super tasty when she shared bites with us.

Add in excellent, speedy service and the 'colorful' decor and Ali Baba is a super great lunch place in DTC!