The Cazba Restaurant has been a Downtown Boise institution for almost two decades and serves the best Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food west of the Mississippi.
My friend Leslie and I decided to go to Cazba because it had been a long time since any of us had been there for dinner, and it was a welcome respite after a long day of work, and in Leslie's case, jury duty.
Leslie and I arrived at Cazba a little bit after 5pm on a Friday night to avoid the date-night crowds and enjoy ourselves. Our waitress, Tila, seated us near the bar and gave us some time to decide what to eat.
Leslie and I started with a beer for me and wine for her and a calamari appetizer from Greece. The platter came with deep-fried calamari, babaganoush, a teryaki-ginger dipping sauce, and pita triangles. The calamari was tender and didn't feel like rubber when chewed, and the sauce made a great accompaniment.
For the main course, I had the Kota Pita, which is like spanikopita but with chicken, spinach, and feta cheese on phyllo dough, with Cazba's special sauce. Leslie had the dolomade, stuffed grape leaves. Our plates were huge, with salad and rice pilaf on mine and salad and vegetables in tomato sauce for Leslie. Everything was wonderful. Leslie's Dolomade had a light allspice flavor, from what I could taste from the tiny bite I took, and my Kota Pita was the next best thing to heaven.
Slightly stuffed, Leslie and I couldn't pass up dessert. The sweets were calling our names. I had to have some baklava, the national Greek pastry, while Leslie settled for chocolate mousse. Our desserts were like a work of art, garnished with whipped cream, and cinnamon graced my baklava, which wasn't sickly sweet like some of the baklavas I have gotten from the delis of some supermarkets. One of the co-owners came to our table to see how we enjoyed our meal, and we declared it delicious. I said to Leslie as we were leaving that we needed crowbars to get out of our seats, being so stuffed!
The Cazba is a bit pricier than a lot of restaurants in the Boise area, but it is worth it. It is located in downtown Boise near the State House and is open seven days a week. You can't miss the ancient Greek columns at the entrance, and the decor extends into the restaurant. For those who like nightclubbing, you can go to Club Opa next door, which is owned by the same people who own Cazba.