Review: Only Jerks Would Criticize the New Aleph Eatery

If you’re a sweetheart like me, then Aleph will leave you happy.

How can you not have a soft spot for a husband-and-wife restaurant with a website that says: “Food does not take sides and I wish to express this story through creating a place out of the similarities in the Middle East rather than focusing on the differences.”

In the face of such love, what sort of shallow jerk would point out that his $8 side of potatoes came out a full five minutes after he had already finished his $15 halloumi grilled cheese, without so much as a “sorry about that?” Or point out that halloumi, a cheese that doesn’t melt, maybe isn’t the ideal choice for a melted cheese sandwich? Or recount a story from a fellow patron who, upon pointing out that her pancakes weren’t cooked all the way through, was told they like to serve them “juicy?”

Not me, that’s for sure. I’m the magnanimous sort who’d rather focus on how great that costly bowl of potatoes was—super-crispy, with a beautifully light tahini and what tasted like fresh-grilled peppers, all served in a gorgeous lapis-hued bowl. Or the type to notice that the halloumi had been thoughtfully pre-fried before being grilled in the sandwich in an effort to get it toward an appropriate level of gooiness. Or to enjoy a light, airy space so cute and rough-hewn that I assume they’re violating some civic ordinance by not selling copies of Kinfolk. If you’re a sweetheart like me, then Aleph will leave you happy.

But if you’re like that aforementioned jerk in the first paragraph, you’re probably best to skip it. You’ll be too busy griping about the lack of parking to feel the love anyway.

Aleph Eatery

1889 Powell Street604-428-7975alepheatery.com