Ceazar Is Worth A Trip To Elkridge

Restaurant Review

Only A Few Disappointments On Middle Eastern Menu

The bonus for driving out to Ceazar Restaurant in Elkridge is a trip to its adjoining parent store, Ceazar (formerly Sizar) International Market. It's a great place to buy crates of dates, sacks of basmati rice and honey-soaked pastries. It's fun to browse here, too, because it's the kind of place that reunites Americans with roots in the Mediterranean and Middle East with the cherished grocery products from the old country - "Ah, Kurukavechi Turkish Coffee, at last I've found you."

Ceazar Restaurant, which opened this year, is every bit worth seeking out. It's just a few minutes off of Interstate 95, and we had little trouble finding its business park address. The interior is pretty, with lemony walls and crisp white tablecloths under glass. Ordering is done at a counter, and the food is brought to your table when it's ready.

It turned out that a Saturday afternoon was a good time for a first visit. The owner, Mohammad Sizar, was there baking bread for the weekend, and the restaurant itself, because this was the middle of Ramadan, was much quieter than usual. Observant Muslim customers would be coming in after sundown for the nightly buffet that Ceazar is serving until the end of the holiday.

I might go to Ceazar 50 times (and I easily would) and still not be sure exactly what I'm supposed to do with the little plate of parsley, radishes, feta cheese and hunks of raw onions that come to your table when you order certain platters. Because these plates arrive with the appetizers, you're not entirely sure whether you're meant to eat some of them immediately and reserve some for garnishing your entree.

There are a few other minor mistakes you can make here, such as ordering a salad that ends up coming with your platter anyway, or not paying more to have a platter come with rice instead of bread, because the saffron rice here is perfect. Some things need no explanation, though, like the tenderness of good meat, the pleasure of fragrant spicing and the satisfaction of a well-balanced meal. The best idea we had was to order the combination platter, combining one or two kebab meats (tenderloin, sirloin, chicken), which all come with rice, a delectable tzaziki (yogurt-cucumber) sauce, and a small but super-fresh salad of tomato and diced cucumber. The tzaziki and salad arrive early, too, and they are worth hanging onto.