Finding a little Mediterranean at Coach’s

John Volo

When I think of Mediterranean food, I envision my wife and me

lounging seaside on some sun-drenched Greek isle gorging on a lavish

assortment of local delicacies made from the freshest ingredients.

In reality, I found myself at Coach’s Mediterranean Grill on Main

Street with my buddy Eric, gorging on a wide variety of Mediterranean

delights.

Mediterranean Delight is actually the name for Coach’s appetizer

platter. This platter contains hummus, falafel, stuffed grape leaves,

tabbouleh, feta cheese, Kalamata olives and pita bread. While gourmet

grocers are stocking their shelves with exotically flavored hummus

(think: cracked chile or roasted red pepper flavor), Coach’s serves

old-school, straight-up hummus. It tastes great as a spread for pita

bread or as a dip for falafel.

The falafel is a fried mixture of garbanzo beans and spices. The

half patty-half ball has a coarse outside and a soft, garlicky

inside. The American version of falafel could be hush puppies. It’s

easy to see why falafel is sold on practically every other corner in

the Middle East. The grape leaves stuffed with seasoned rice were

mildly sweet, providing a nice contrast to the falafel.

I’m not a big fan of the tabbouleh -- a combination of cracked

wheat, parsley, green onions and cucumber mixed with lemon juice and

olive oil. The two sugar cubed-size blocks of feta cheese could have

been more potent, and we were only given two olives. Two olives! I’ve

seen more olives in a martini.

With our appetizers I drank a bottle of Mythos. This Greek brewed

lager is not distinctive enough to seek out at the market. Looking to

have a glass of wine with my meal, I was disappointed to see not a

single offering from Greece (even though I don’t have the highest

regard for Greek wines) on the wine list.

Since Eric and I were looking to sample a variety of items we

decided to mix and match a couple entrees. We could have gotten the

mixed Mediterranean feast for two, which would have covered the

essentials, but I guess I’m just not secure enough with my

masculinity to admit publicly my sharing of a dinner for two with a

male buddy. Instead we got Coach’s mixed grill and the seafood

combination plate.

Coach’s mixed grill had a long skewer of chicken, gyro meat, lamb

chop, kofte (homemade grilled lamb and beef patties), a grilled bell

pepper and grilled tomatoes over rice pilaf. I thoroughly enjoyed

them all. The white-meat chicken shish kebab was well-seasoned; the

tasty gyro meat did well sharing a fork with a moist rice pilaf; the

lamb chop had a mild gamey flavor; and the kofte mixed in a nice

array of spices.

Seafood was the only thing missing from the mixed grill, which is

why we got the seafood combination plate. It wasn’t nearly as good.

Chunks of halibut, mahi-mahi and salmon are char-broiled on a

skewer. The halibut was OK, but the salmon was way fishy and the

mahi-mahi dried out. We would have been better served to get one of

several seafood plates that are sauteed, rather than char-broiled.

We ended our night with some tantalizing desserts.

Of course we got the baklava, which was soft yet flaky, and sweet

and sticky.

I was certain baklava would be a dessert option, but chocolate

souffle? This caught me by surprise.

I’m used to some highly refined server majestically announcing

that the souffle must be ordered mid-meal due to its meticulous

preparation. Ours, however, could be had in mere minutes. I was

astonished by its deliciousness. Topped with cream, the souffle was

warm and intensely chocolate. A drizzled raspberry glaze softened its

sweetness.

Eric and I enjoyed a bunch of tasty delicacies at Coach’s.

* FOOD NOTE: Fellow food lovers mark your calendar. The upcoming

taste of Huntington Beach is April 24 from noon to 4 p.m. at the

Hyatt Regency. More than 50 restaurants and wineries will be

represented.

Last year people were turned away at the door, so be sure to order

your tickets in advance by calling 960-1896 or 374-6446 before April

4.

Hope to see you there.