Brisket with a Middle Eastern Accent

While Middle-Eastern has never been among my favorite cuisines, I do crave it every once in a while. One such instance occurred earlier this month, and a little online research led me in the direction of Desert Rose in Media, Pennsylvania. 

Media is a short ride from us, so we eat in its downtown, which has an active restaurant scene, with some regularity. Yet we weren’t familiar with Desert Rose, perhaps because it’s slightly further west than most of the other restaurants on State Street, home of the town’s main dining and shopping drag. 

We arrived early for dinner and the place was empty, although a couple other parties arrived by the time we left. 

The dining room is cozy and tastefully decorated.

While most of the menu at Desert Rose is Middle-Eastern, they also surprisingly offer a selection of cheesesteaks. As many of you know, I love a good cheesesteak. But that’s not why we were there and I quickly dismissed the notion, focusing instead on the rest of the menu.

They had some interesting entree options, with the one that jumped out at me the most being the brisket. When I mentioned it, our helpful server alerted me that it was also available as a sandwich with espresso harissa barbecue sauce, cabbage, cucumber and hummus on a pita. He didn’t have to twist my arm to get me to to opt for that route.

My wife ordered a Sabich sandwich, which includes sauteed eggplant, hard-boiled egg, tomato, cucumber, parsley and amba on a pita. We also ordered a side of hummus with pita to start. That arrived before long.

The hummus was super creamy and came garnished with olive oil, paprika and a fresh herb – possibly parsley. I’d have preferred a bit more garlic, but it was still above average hummus, at least in these parts. 

There was plenty left over for us to enjoy during the week, as we didn’t come close to finishing it in an effort to save room for our main courses. That turned out to be a wise move. 

Our jaws must have dropped a bit when the sandwiches arrived at our table. It’s unlikely either of us had ever seen pita sandwiches that were as packed as these before. It appeared that the wrapping in which they came was the only thing holding them together. I tried picking mine up to eat with my hands, but it just wasn’t possible, and I resigned myself to using a knife and fork. 

My wife’s Sabich sandwich was right up her alley and even looked good to me in spite of the absence of meat. She did a nice job of putting a solid dent in it and still had enough left for dinner the following night. 

That was also the case with my brisket sandwich, which remained difficult to eat in the basket and wrapper in which it was served even with a fork and knife. So I agreed to the server’s suggestion that he bring a regular plate. That did the trick and I went about enjoying my meal.

I’ve never liked coffee or coffee-flavored food items, so I hesitated before ordering the brisket because of the presence of espresso in the sauce. But I’m glad I decided to forge ahead anyway. The first bite of the meat was sensational. I couldn’t believe how soft it was. It came as close to melting in my mouth as brisket ever has. 

But as much as I loved the brisket – and in line with my general ambivalence toward Middle-Eastern food – I think I’d have liked it even more as a platter with traditional sides rather than with so many small pieces of cucumber and cabbage on a pita. 

Having said that, anyone who likes both brisket and Middle-Eastern food is bound to love this sandwich. 

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My early plan for next week is to post on a new cheesesteak and smashed burger shop in South Jersey. I’m still not sure which one I’ll order, although I may attempt to talk my dining partner into some sort of sharing arrangement so we can try both.