After really long day of Judging at the NCFL, my posse and I needed Food and FAST. We were back on Hotel grounds along with the other millions of participants and our dinner options were limited. Imagine so many people being deposited in the same place at the same time without dinner?
Madness.
The hotel restaurants were loud. And crowded. The pizzeria had a line out the door. McDonalds was not an option…and the cafes and italian spots were BUSY. Right across the street from the Hotel we spotted Lebanese Taverna.
From the outside it looked really busy but when we walked in our party of 4 was seated immediately.
The server came by and refilled our water several times before this basket of fresh bread came out. It was a cross between naan and pita. Parts of it were crispy crackery and others were warm and chewy. We devoured this with some herbed olive oil…and because we swallowed the bread at such an alarming rate, they came over with more bread. STAT.
As was our custom over the weekend, we agreed upon several dishes to order tapas style.
First up were some pickled veggies that I wasnt really a fan of. The brine they were pickled in had a little kick to it but the bitter and spicy combo was too much for my palette.
Stuffed grape leaves. Growing up i was never a fan of these but have to say that as an adult I have really developed a taste for them. They were covered in a delicious olive oil and I might have been the only person eating them lol.
The kids got a spinach pizza that I didnt try but heard was very good!
The spiced rice was amazing. Slivers of almonds, hints of cinnamon in the basmati rice plus the awesome mouth feel kept me coming back to the spiced rice over and over again. Who knew i would like this so much?? I could go for some right now. *Swoon*
And when is it a Diva Party when there is no cheese? We ordered this cheese and olive plate and prayed to the dairy gods that this would not destroy our tummies (it didnt destroy us!). Of course, the feta was amazeballs!
We also ordered stuffed baby eggplants. Biting into the eggplant was a little weird. I got a mouthful of seeds and mush that just didnt really make me want to bit into it again. It was also a little on the bitter side.
What I really loved was the Hommos. Thats how they spelled it on the menu. When i said hummus, the guy said Hommos. whatever. This Hommos was so creamy and flavorful! I was dunking greedily with my naan pita hybrid bread and shoveling the dip into my mouth like a boss. 
Another pizza on our menu. This one I did try! The cheese was kinda Feta-y. But it melted really nicely… so im not so sure what it was. Best believe i tore this baby up.
Finally, we ordered this spicy dipping sauce that can only be described as “Enemy Dip”. A tiny drop of this stuff made me want to cry. It was so incredibly hot that all of us just kinda looked at it and thought yeahnoidontthinkso. 
Peep the spread! Good times! I really loved our communal family style meal.
The service was decent but it was crowded in the restaurant. The service, though rushed was still with a smile. The food was actually really good too! If I am ever back in the area, i would love to come back for that pizza, hommos, and rice… though not all at once.
dang that looks absolutely amazing and the fresh bread looks to-die-for!xo
I used to loe LT when I lived in DC. My favorite was the kofta – little lamb meatballs serves in a pita. so so so good!
I love hummus! The Israeli's way to pronounce/spell it is 'hoomoos'. Yours has a lot of olive oil going on and no tahini. I love that they add whole chickpeas on top.
LOVE Lebanese Taverna! I went there for the first time last spring when I was in DC and can't wait for my next trip. Their hommus is creamy and dreamy!!
The food of my people