busyThe food was excellent. First there was fresh bread ... raised bread, but a long flat loaf cut in little slices, very soft with sesame seeds on the top. It was hard not to fill up on that. Doug and my parents split a mixed appetizer platter. I'm not a fan of snack pastes myself, but everyone else was pleased. There were Pasha's Chaman, tabouli, humus, babaganoush, and pepper delight. The cherry juice was a slow symphony of bright and dark fruit flavors. I ordered the Shrimp Pasha: large shrimp, portobello mushrooms, and potato wedges in a saffron sauce. It was delectable; I was especially impressed with the portobello, which were just lightly cooked to the meaty stage, my favorite and not very easy to find. (They're also good when cooked down to the soft brown stage like other mushrooms, and that seems to be more common.) I pounced on the galaktoboureko for dessert; it's a kind of dense milk custard in a phyllo crust. Imagine cheesecake crossed with angelfood cake. There were plenty other things we didn't get to try this time, and mean to go back for another time.
The prices are a little higher than my usual preference, but 1) perfectly reasonable for celebration food, and 2) you get what you pay for. The food is wonderful, it's authentic and not over-Americanized, it comes in large portions ... and if you're lucky, there's entertainment too.
It turns out that Pasha hosts belly dancing every Saturday evening, and on the first and third Fridays of each month. Tonight's dancer was Dana Schlake of the Trikhala troupe; there are a total of eight dancers available. There's a nice poster of them on the restaurant door, and if you look in the website's "photos" section there are a few pictures there too. Dana was lovely and skillful. I'm just enough of a belly dancer myself to appreciate the skill: belly rolls, shimmies, hip drops, and some beautiful hand and arm gestures. She sinks well, and that move is trickier than it looks. Creative garb too; I haven't noticed anyone using cowrie shells in a belly dance outfit before, but I loved the chatter and tonkle of the shells on their tassel. The main pieces were a coin-decorated bra and a divided skirt with a belt of coins and long strands of ribbon and heavy yarn. Marvelous movement and sound. (I'm particularly stuck on the sound of dancing garb, so all my jingly things are chosen for tone.) At several points a little girl from a nearby table stood up and tried dancing too ... it was fun to watch. After one of the sessions, Dana came around and chatted with people at the tables, so we were able to learn a little more about the dance offerings. There's even a little stage set up in one corner, though it didn't come into use tonight.
If you're in the Champaign area and you're in the mood for Turkish/Greek/Italian food, Pasha is a great choice.
April 6 2008, 16:00:16 UTC 13 years ago