LaLa Rokh - A Different Beacon Hill Flavor

A little while ago (as in pre-wedding!) my mom and I were running some wedding errands and ended up back in Beacon Hill right around dinner time, so Nick and I took my mom out for dinner.  Since we normally take her to 75 Chestnut, Paramount, or The Bistro, we decided to switch things up and went to Lala Rokh.  This Eastern Mediterranean restaurant is tucked up in the garden level of a lovely brownstone on Mt. Vernon St.  Nick and I had been there once before and really enjoyed the different flavors and had been looking for a reason to head back.

While there is a small bar at the front of the restaurant, we were immediately brought back to the dining room (it was a bit on the earlier side) and started to review the drink menu.  With some fun cocktails on their list, my mom and I had to indulge.  They were delicious and just what we needed after a day of running around.  However, I cannot remember the ingredients and there does not seem to be a cocktail list online.  Regardless - its worth a trip for a cocktail!

While we were enjoying our pre-dinner drinks, we dove right into the bread that was accompanied by some hummus.  It was so flavorful that I was just scooping heaps of it onto the bread, which only ended up being a tool to get more hummus into my mouth.

Bread and Hummus

With all the fun flavors and different dishes, we had to share an appetizer.  The Dolmeh Kado, which is zucchini stuffed with tabrizi spices, rice and beef, sounded too good not try!  I loved this dish.  The textures and the flavors were amazing.  The zucchini was smooth and in perfect contrast to the richness of the spices in the dish.

Dolmeh Kado

For main courses, my mom went with one of the specials of the evening, the trout (ever consistent!).  The fish was cooked perfectly and, after navigating around a few bones, each bite was tender.  The accompanying roasted veggies and rice rounded out the dish.  I believe Lala Rokh has a rotating fresh fish special every evening, which is always fun.

Fish Special

I look to servers for a lot of meal decisions, especially when there are a couple of things on a menu that I cannot seem to decide between.  In this case the server hinted that my initial decision was not the best dish - in fact it was be taken off the menu in a few weeks!  So, I switched my choice to the Sib, which had braised veal medallions with seared apples, yellow split peas and saffron served with basmati rice.  The meat was tender and easy to eat.  The seared apples were good, but not my cup of tea - too sweet and the wrong texture for me, but Nick loved the dish.

Sib

Nick went with a dish I normally would have selected: the Kabab-e Bareh, a lamb dish with juicy marinated lamb kabab and ground lamb with pistachio.  Seems like Nick and I should have switched dishes, because while he like this, I loved it.  The lamb was flavorful and the different types of lamb added a fun texture contrast as you worked your way through the plate.

Kabab-e Bareh

Lala Rokh is one of those neighborhood finds that is rare in the Boston area with its unique flavor and dishes.  I definitely need to make more of an effort to get to Lala Rokh more often - too many good dishes to try!  If you are looking for a bit of a flavor change Lala Rokh is a great destination.

Where do you go for dinner when you need to switch it up?