New Egyptian restaurant in Brookline (Pittsburgh: calculated, prices, store)

[Clint.]

I went to the new Isis Cafe (Isis Cafe) on Saturday and participated in their menu sampling event, and figured I would share the experience for anyone who may be interested in trying a new place or kind of food. The address is 815 Brookline Blvd. (the previous business' sign - The Brookline Deli - is still prominently displayed next to a more diminutive sign for Isis, but maybe that will soon change). The inside of the restaurant looks much better than it did while it was the Deli (that place was a mess), and I'm sure it will continue to improve.

I really wish I would have taken notes rather than rely on memory, but I didn't. I tried so many different items that it is hard to remember them all, but they all tasted good. I'm not really a 'foodie' so may not provide descriptions that are up to more experienced diners expectation, but do what I can. I'll just refer to their website's menu to aid in my recollection. I've never had Egyptian food, and can't really say whether it is authentic or Americanized. It seemed to be mostly authentic, but more knowledgeable people could offer a better perspective.

I had a couple cups of tea - black and karkadeh, which is more of an herbal drink than a tea, from what I remember. The operator (maybe owner, too?), Ahmed, brought out the food and gave brief explanations of what each dish was. Much of the food was vegetarian, fava bean based.

Initial servings were hummus dips - Basera, baba Ghanoug, Yogurt with cucumbers, and (my favorite) tomatoes with Vita cheese. Lentil soup. Okra and rice, and falafel made from fava beans. A dish called Kushari Masri, which was rice pasta and lentils, Samboussa (I had the beef - reminded me of tiropita, as the samboussa was also filo dough). Also, I can't remember what the name is, but it was a spinach and garlic sauce with shrimp and rice. Cabbage rolls, stuffed grape leaves were tasty. Also, beef kabob, duck, and chicken. No desserts were included in the sampling, but I suppose that's because a dessert is a dessert and people tend to like sweet things without having to try a sample.

The sampling was $15, but I think that was a one-time special. The prices from what I saw of the actual menu listing were $4.50 for appetizers, $8 for sandwiches, $4 for desserts - pretty reasonable.

Hopefully people will go there and it will become popular - I think it will be a nice addition to the community, and if it gets support will only improve (and the food quality was already good).

[eschaton]

The menu looks interesting! I love Middle Eastern food, and have always wanted to try Egyptian food.

That said, I am a bit let down at their listed entree choices. My whole family is vegetarian/vegan, and it looks like they'll have a rotating menu each night, with three meat dishes and only one vegetarian entree. Traditional Egyptian food from what I have read is predominantly vegetarian (a holdover from when most of the population was Coptic, as many of the Eastern churches required vegetarian diets for a total of half the year when lent, saints days, and the regular two days a week were considered).

[Clint.]

I thought the same thing about the abundance of meat dishes, especially with beef and chicken, which I wouldn't associate with Egypt. Americans seem to like meat with every meal; not sure if that was a calculated move based on anticipated demand, or what they actually prefer to serve.

[I_Like_Spam]

There are a fair number of Syrians in the Brookline area-a lot moved there from the lower hill when the Civic Arena was built, it would seem to be a good place for another middle eastern based restaurant.

Pittsburgh always has room for another good eatery, I think people are a lot more adventurous than they were years ago.

[HarryRSpooner]

I wonder if they talk politics like the owners of that grocery store in the Strip District, the ones owned by a nice Syrian-Christian family....

[XRiteMA98]

Thanks for sharing. Mu better half is Turkish so we are very familair with the dishes and we'll give it a try next weekendy

[Ahmed.Joe]

Hello everyone,

This Ahmed (Owner of Isis Cafe); I'd like to inform everyone that we've been having problems updating the website. Our menu items have changed and are more vegetarian influenced, we did consider the American Diet when we initially made the menu. I'll be posting the menu soon on the Facebook page, so stay tuned to find out of what we have.

Also we are very open about menu items, discussions, comments and concerns, and we are willing to do anything it takes to improve our hospitality.

Thanks to Clint for his support and thanks to everyone else for their input.

[ML North]

Originally Posted by Ahmed.Joe

Hello everyone,

This Ahmed (Owner of Isis Cafe); I'd like to inform everyone that we've been having problems updating the website. Our menu items have changed and are more vegetarian influenced, we did consider the American Diet when we initially made the menu. I'll be posting the menu soon on the Facebook page, so stay tuned to find out of what we have.

Also we are very open about menu items, discussions, comments and concerns, and we are willing to do anything it takes to improve our hospitality.

Thanks to Clint for his support and thanks to everyone else for their input.

Thanks for posting, Ahmed, and keep up the good work. I'll have to make a visit when I get a little free time.

[Evergrey]

Very happy to see the abundance of meat dishes.

[Clint.]

Originally Posted by Evergrey

Very happy to see the abundance of meat dishes.

See, everyone likes something different...can't be everything to everyone.