The Desert Inn

I've been wanting to stop in at this restaurant for years, but I just never thought of it. I finally did. I was not impressed. The decor is lovely, except for the "CCW WELCOME" sticker on the main entrance. The bar is odd - a low counter-bar, with rolling chairs to sit in. i felt like i was at the kid's table at thanksgiving. The food....well the fries were good. I got an appetizer sampler, with hummus, dolmades, and baba ghanoush. The hummus was pretty good. the dolmades had no flavor except that murky bitey flavor of the grape leaves. The baba ghanoush was the most unappetizing color I've ever seen - i kind of gritty grey, with a vague hint of brown. And, it was bland...tasteless. baba ghanoush should have some bite to it, a bit of heat. The pita was ungrilled and dry - i would have to guess it was cut and left out for a while. I also got a gyro w fries. At first I couldn't find the tzatziki, but it was hiding in a thin layer under the gyro meat. The sandwich was mostly pita. A few strips of lettuce (??) and a couple chunks of onion. While the gyro meat was pretty good, there wasn't that much of it, and without much onion or tzatziki it left the sandwich rather bland. Considering they tout their belly dancers, I was expecting more authentic middle-eastern fare, maybe a Doner kabab or even an Iskender, maybe some Turkish tea, or syrian coffee....The menu is loosely middle eastern, i'd say more Greek island than Turkish, but with less mint. except for the meze and lunches, everything is "family style" - you pay one price for a table's worth including salad, i assume bread, entree etc. I wasn't that hungry, so i passed on that option. I did go during a very slow time - the lull between lunch and dinner, on a Tuesday. But....I was severely disappointed in the food. They appear to be terrified of spices of any kind. The bartender was lovely and friendly, and attentive. I found myself wondering about her life, how she ended up tending bar in a sleepy little pretend middle-eastern/mediterranean place in the moderately bad side of Canton, in the middle of the day. She was friendly and helpful with the patrons, who were all clearly regulars (except me). Maybe I should have noticed they were only drinking, and taken that as a hint.