We were excited to try Galit, one of the newest Michelin-starred restaurants on the block, earning their first star just last April. Galit is a pretty casual-ish Middle Eastern food spot, with an extensive Middle Eastern wine selection including some of the big names like Chateau Musar from Lebanon among other lesser-known wines.

The space is pretty large and has bankettes, tables, as well as a long bar-like table along the bustling open kitchen. I love open kitchens, and I kind of wish we had a view of this one while eating, rather than sitting further away by the window. The decor is pretty basic – nothing super exciting to point out. I thought that the fluorescent lighting was a bit harsh. While I enjoyed the abundant light for photographing our meal, if they dimmed the lights slightly it would have a more elegant, rather than cafeteria-like feel here.

Service was quick and pleasant. One of our friends, Jenn, who was eating with us (and chose the place!) is vegan, and so our server checked off all the things on the menu that were vegan or could be made vegan, which was literally 80% of the items – part of our main reason for coming here.

Galit has a fixed menu that they call “choose your own adventure.” There are four courses to choose from, which costs $84.00 per person – not a bad deal considering the amount of food you get. We started with two kinds of Hummus and Salatin, which are sort of like enhancements for your incredible bread. This was, unanimously, our favorite course of the evening. We got the Tehina and the Masabacha Hummus – both vegan – to share for the table. I absolutely loved the Tehina and wanted to get a bucket of it to take home with me. For the Salatin, my favorite accoutrements were the Ezme (turkish peppers and tomato, walnuts, garlic) combined with the super-rich Labneh (hyssop, sumac, sesame). So spicy and creamy it was a great combo.

Next were the Mezze, and this was a pretty fun course, especially since we were able to share four different plates. One thing I would note here, though, is that the courses are theoretically meant to share, but they are not easy to share. For four of us, they gave us three falafel! TOUGH to split! That said, we agreed that the Foie Gras was a bit heavy for a “mezze” and was too sweet, being served on a sweet challah slice along with grapes and grape sauce. I would’ve liked this for dessert! The falafel had a great flavor, but we thought they were too over-fried and way too crispy such that they fell apart when we tried to cut them. The Beet Kibbeh Nayeh was the highlight of this course, with the beets being chopped up super tiny so that it was like a tartare. Here I go loving the beets above all else, as usual. Finally, the Knish with potato and apple roses was delicious, but also really difficult to share.

The mains were what we were most excited about, but I honestly think we were all too full already to give our dishes a fair shake. We ordered (not to share) the Honeypatch Squash, the Lamb Kebab el Babor, Smoked Turkey Shawarma and the Pastrami. I thought that my Pastrami was incredibly flavorful, and it might’ve been the best dish of the four. Brian’s Shawarma, he said was also really good. Robert was a bit disappointed with the Kebab, since it was difficult to eat in the broth it was served with. I tried the lamb, and thought it was delicious, but perhaps the way of serving it was a miss. The squash looked pretty delicious, and I don’t recall any complaints from Jenn, except that she was already full – which we all were!

For dessert, Brian and I split the Crispy Phyllo Pie, which was again, difficult to share, but extremely delicious. Jenn and Robert split the vegan Chocolate Cream “Pie” which looked pretty darn good, and Jenn was super excited for a vegan dessert with chocolate, and said it didn’t disappoint.

Overall, we enjoyed our meal here, however, I kind of wish they wouldn’t force a four-course tasting menu, and allow for it to be more tapas style instead. As mentioned, I think that the mains were totally under, or even un-appreciated, due to the fact that we were all so full from the first courses. I would recommend this place for elevated middle eastern food with a heavy emphasis on vegan options – just know you will be 100% overstuffed by the end, and maybe ask to take your main home with you!