Before the summer ended, Rank & File decided to put a new spin on the food review by having a staff review. So, Rank & File headed to Tigris Grill, a middle- eastern restaurant tucked in the heart of Oakton.
Tigris Grill serves typical Middle Eastern/Mediterranean food and is a bit smaller than the average restaurant so, if you do not mind being cramped and inches away from other tables, then coming here for the food is a must.
The owners, Mowafak Alshagra and his wife, Laheeb, welcomed the chance of Rank & File entering their restaurant and made sure we had good food to accompany our dining experience.
Tigris offers some of its entrees as appetizers, so if you are not in the market for a big meal, you can always stop by for a snack. However, Tigris? bigger portioned meals were served along with two sides, flatbread and rice.
However, it was the colossal bread that stole the show, or rather, the plate. If you thought that big pieces of bread would not cook evenly, you would be wrong because the bread at Tigris is soft, fluffy and easily pulled apart. Its soft texture offered a nice contrast to the crunch of the fresh and crisp salads.
The tzaziki sauce, a yogurt mixture, was smooth and creamy and gave the warm aspects of the dishes a cool feel. The flavor of the tebuli, a chutney-like sauce, was ruined by an overabundance of vinegar and detracted from what could have been a palate pleasing side dish.
Although the sides did not meet their potential, the meat dishes made it halfway there. The beef schwarma, a saut?ed and marinated beef loin, was a bit overpowering in flavor. Also, the chicken tikka was slightly dry and a bit chewy. The beef sheesh kabob, which consisted of two skewers of ground beef kabob, had a pleasantly surprising spice to it.
The grilled salmon platter was presented in cubes, providing a unique spin to what could have been a boring dish. However, the salmon was dry and tasted slightly over-cooked, making the meal become half of what it could have been.
Similarly, some of the vegetarian dishes also failed to meet expectations. Although the falafel, a dish made of ground-up chickpeas, was well-cooked and tasted good even after it had cooled down, the garlic flavors in the dish proved too strong.
But the charcoal grilled vegetables in the vegetable kabob added an authentic flavor to the dish. However, the vegetables lacked the spices needed to complement the savory flavors of the grill.
For the health conscious or vegetarians, Tigris cooks its food in corn oil and has a variety of vegetarian options in all of its courses.
Speaking of courses, the dishes are priced at an average of 12 dollars. They are generously portioned so that, if desired, you can share one dish with someone else.
If you are looking for a new taste Tigris Grill is just about halfway there.