NOW OPEN: Mazag Caf�

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NOW OPEN: Mazag Caf�

POSTED: Wednesday, October 29, 2008, 5:47 PM
Filed Under: Openings | Vegetarian
Photos | Drew Lazor

Can't decide between embarking on a windswept culinary tour of the Mediterranean or sitting and watching old heads toss bocce in Bardascino Park? Well I'll be — now you can do both. Mazag Café (1001 S. 10th St.), which opened Oct. 11 in the 10th and Carpenter space that formerly housed the Bella Vista branch of Mount Airy's InFusion, is cozycute brainchild of Dahlia Osman, with help from her mother, Nemi Assaad.

Osman and Assaad, who are Egyptian (Mazag means "good mood" in their native tongue), cook up Medi choices from multiple countries. Drop in for stuffed grape leaves with yogurt sauce; goat cheese-, almond- and veggie-laden couscous; Italian bean salads and panini; and salad-type dishes from Lebanon, Syria, their homeland (a fried rice dish with tuna and green peppers is one Egyptian specialty) and more. Baklava, spinach pie and various other bread-y offerings are baked fresh daily; plenty of vegetarian and vegan options are on hand, as well. The menu will continue to grow as customers become better acquainted with some of the more authentic offerings, Assaad says.

They're also doing a full range of coffee and espresso drinks in addition to harder-to-find beverages like Turkish coffee, hibiscus tea, and sahlab, a hot drink that's extremely popular in the Middle East. Derived from orchid root, the thick treat is served with milk and nuts, which you're meant to spoon out and eat prior to your first sip.

Mazag, which is still waiting on their phone line hookup, is open Mon.-Fri. from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sat.-Sun. from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.


clint
Posted 2008-10-29 15:15:58
Ooh, I know where I'll be getting lunch tomorrow.

Foobooz » Blog Archive » Quick Bites
Posted 2008-10-31 09:34:28
[...] Mediterranean delights come to south 10th Street as Mazag Cafe is pumping out stuffed grape leaves, couscous, Turkish coffee and more. [Meal Ticket] [...]

Melissa
Posted 2009-03-14 18:02:20
I went to Mazag again, today - great sandwhich and tea! Great selection of food. This is my new favorite cafe in the city.
Posted by Drew Lazor @ 5:47 PM  Permalink | Post a comment
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Founded in October 2008, Meal Ticket is a City Paper blog about food, drink and assorted other things that make you go mmm. We do recipes, interviews, restaurant news, commentary and much more. We don't do restaurant reviews herethose are handled in print, mostly by our critic (and Meal Ticket contributor) Adam Erace. Got a tip, question, thought or concern? Just want to say hello? Please shoot a note to caroline@citypaper.net.

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