Dining out: Mediterranean on Broadway recommends...

After a few temporary closures and a back injury that almost made them permanent, Sam Alsmadi has officially opened Mediterranean on Broadway for an indefinite period of time. The new grill and expanded kitchen have allowed him to add pastas and grilled items to the menu that only enhance his authentic Mediterranean dishes. Dishes he ate as a child in Syria and pulled from his family's Syrian and Lebanese background. "Family recipes. That's what we do," he said.

Here, Alsmadi, offered SE Live his top recommendations from the menu.

Drink:

Iced Tea

It sounds like an everyday item, but Mediterranean on Broadway brews tea and infuses it with orange blossom for a twist on the familiar favorite. "Orange blossom is the essence of the flower itself," Alsmadi said. The effect is a fresh slightly citrus, slightly floral tea.

Appetizer:

Hummus with Pita

A traditional Mediterranean dish, the dip comes covered in parsley, tomatoes and extra virgin olive oil and surrounded by pita bread. "We make it from scratch," Alsmadi said. They mix up chick peas, homemade yogurt and other special ingredients for the dip.

Entree:

Combo Kufta and Mediterranean Kabobs

Normally these options stand as their own dinner-menu item, but the enlightened customer (that's you) knows the kabobs can be mixed. The Kufta is a ground sirloin mixed with diced onion and parsley and the Mediterranean is marinated top sirloin beef. Both come with grilled vegetables and served on a bed or rice or a hot pita.

Dessert:

Mediterranean Baklava

Baklava in it's simplest form was just thin bread, mixed nuts and honey, Alsmadi said. The recipe at Mediterranean on Broadway doesn't vary much. These bite-sized beauties come with a layer of crushed pistachios and simple syrup sandwiched between 40 layers of philo dough — 20 for the top, 20 for the bottom.