Raouche Cafe, Merrifield - Lebanese on Lee Highway and Gallows Road

[ScotteeM]

Dining in Merrifield...? Interesting topic to get into, like....

Is Sea Pearl still as disappointing as it has been in the past? Is Sabrina's Grill still dishing some of the better rotisserie chicken in our area? Is righteous kabob still to be found at Raouche Cafe? Is Uncle Liu's Hot Pot still worth a detour despite all the construction all over Merrifield?

Merrifield isn't entirely barren, nor is it teeming with dining pleasures. But there sure is plenty to talk about here.

I didn't have the kabob today, but the Falafel and the Hommos with Shawarma at Raouche Cafe are still the garlicky goodness they have always been, and the folks are so nice!

[DonRocks]

I stopped into Raouche Cafe tonight for a quick bite, but ended up getting it carryout due to time constraints.

My young dining companion and I both got the Raouché Combo ($15.95, and yes, it has an <<accent aigu>> over the second "e," and I still don't know the pronunciation of this restaurant). Me, with shish tawouk, kafta, and beef; he, with shish tawouk, kafta, and lamb - both of us splitting the third meat. The platters came with brownish, heavily gingered rice with the occasional pistachio thrown in, grilled onion, and tomato, a tiny tub of thick, white garlic paste, crummy, purchased naan, a little side salad in a vinaigrette, and nothing else to lend moisture to a dish screaming out for it. Both platters were dry to the point of being unpleasant.

The highlights of both platters were the shish tawouk (grilled marinated chicken cubes), followed by the kafta, and then the lamb, which was better than the dried-out beef.

We both agreed that this was, as a whole, a pleasant dinner for two hungry men, but nothing we would ever return for absent reliable information that something happened to increase the quality of the cafe. The employees were all pleasant, and it appeared like Raouche Cafe was doing as much carryout as they were dine-in.

I wish I had something else earth-shattering to write about our meal, but sometimes, "ordinary" is about as much as you can say about a restaurant, and please bear in mind that ordinary does not mean "bad." Raouche Cafe was okay, and nothing more than that - fair value for the money.

[MsDiPesto]

I've wondered about that place, that whole strip mall is pretty dumpy, and I try to be especially alert when I go to either the Office Depot or the VA ABC there, due to the "freestyle driving" I witness, and that creepy sports bar that's there. I can't imagine that complex is long for this world with all the development in the area, but then, Merrifield Garden Center seems to be an institution on the other corner that will last.

[thistle]

I was there, sort of on a whim yesterday, & after lunch at Red Apron, went to Merrifield Garden Center. I worked at a large garden center in the past, & I was impressed w/ their layout, & also by how many people greeted me, & offered assistance-it was almost spooky (I had no idea I'd be going there that morning, so unfortunately, I was wearing a hoodie w/ my former employers' name, which made me extremely self-conscious, although I don't think that's why I got so much assistance).

I think it'll be interesting to see how the Mosaic district develops, whether it can offer a semi-suburban alternative to urban life, I sort of wish I had visited Cava over there, but it was an impulse trip. The townhouses were attractive, & I'm sure there are plenty of employers in the area.

[DonRocks]

I try to be especially alert when I go to either the Office Depot or the VA ABC there, due to the "freestyle driving" I witness, and that creepy sports bar that's there.

You mean Velocity Five, with their *50* flat-screen TVs!

Needless to say, this shopping center is also where the second Mario's is.

[weezy]

I was surprised to find this thread -- my sister and I stopped in today for a quick lunch after shopping at the Target and still needing some stuff from Office Depot after that.  We both got simple pita wrap sandwiches -- hers the chicken shwarma, me the falafel.  Mine had a bit of a bitter taste to it the first few bites; probably picked up some leftover char off the grill, but it got better as I ate.  Their falafel is a mix of fava and chickepeas, and it certainly didn't have that pronounced chickpea flavor that I'm used to.  It wasn't bad but I had my mouth set for garbanzos.  My sister really liked her wrap - I didn't try it.  However, there was a table of gentlemen who were getting quite an assortment of things -- salads, kabobs, hummus, lebnah, mezze platter -- and that all looked great, especially the shish tawouk. 

I will say, it's an awful name to put up on a sign in English -- at first glance, I though it said Roach Cafe.

[Kibbee Nayee]

I was surprised to find this thread -- my sister and I stopped in today for a quick lunch after shopping at the Target and still needing some stuff from Office Depot after that.  We both got simple pita wrap sandwiches -- hers the chicken shwarma, me the falafel.  Mine had a bit of a bitter taste to it the first few bites; probably picked up some leftover char off the grill, but it got better as I ate.  Their falafel is a mix of fava and chickepeas, and it certainly didn't have that pronounced chickpea flavor that I'm used to.  It wasn't bad but I had my mouth set for garbanzos.  My sister really liked her wrap - I didn't try it.  However, there was a table of gentlemen who were getting quite an assortment of things -- salads, kabobs, hummus, lebnah, mezze platter -- and that all looked great, especially the shish tawouk. 

I will say, it's an awful name to put up on a sign in English -- at first glance, I though it said Roach Cafe.

We might be able to blame the French for this name. The upscale neighborhood in Beirut with the same name overlooks Pidgeon Rock, which is also called Rock Raouche, which I'm told is derived from the French word for rock, or rocher.

Not to distract from Raouche the restaurant, which serves up the best Middle Eastern fare in and around that neck of the woods.

[Kibbee Nayee]

Carry out from Raouche yesterday was very good. If this place served alcohol, it would be in my regular rotation. But nonetheless, this is quite good food.

We enjoyed the Tuesday okra special -- a stew of okra, beef, tomato, garlic, cumin, coriander -- plus the Raouche platter, plus the chicken kabseh, plus the hummus special and tabbouli. All were quite good, even after travel time from Merrifield to Springfield. The Raouche platter is a skewer of lamb kabob, a skewer of chicken kabob, and a skewer of kafta, over a bed of rice, with grilled onion and tomato. Their rice is delicious, a nice pilaf cooked with cardamom and cumin.

I should add that Lady KN and I both agree that the hummus topped with shawarma was about the best we have tasted in this area.

Their concept of the daily special is a good one. One of mama's special dishes, prepared each day. Tuesday is the okra stew, which was excellent. On Wednesday there is stuffed grape leaves (warak enab) and stuffed squash, and on Saturdays there is stuffed cabbage (malfouf). Markers are on my calendar for these days.

Where does it rank in Kibbee Nayee's notional Middle Eastern rankings in the DC area? Well, I still have Me Jana at no. 1, and Lebanese Taverna (tie between the original location in Arlington and the Tysons Galleria outpost) at no. 2, but it might be in my top 5. It compares favorably with Mediterranean Gourmet Market in Franconia.

[DonRocks]

42 minutes ago, Kibbee Nayee said:

Carry out from Raouche yesterday was very good. If this place served alcohol, it would be in my regular rotation.

There's an app for that.

[Kibbee Nayee]

2 minutes ago, DonRocks said:

There's an app for that.

Well played.