Jerusalem - Taste Of The Holy Land — Restaurant in Rio Rancho

It was a Sunday, late afternoon and my very first time trying Jerusalem, Taste of the Holy Land. Upon arrival, my telephone ordered food was prompty ready in 30 minutes, just as promised, and made for a quick carry out.

My family and I started with the appetizer combo and we weren't disappointed. The baba ghandush and hummus was splended. Each topped with fresh herbs, parsley, and a good quality olive oil that produced a symphony of bold and delicious flavor. We dipped the soft warm pita bread into each appetizer and were completely satisfied with each bite.

I had ordered two chicken shawarma sandwich combos for the kids. Each sandwich was made with quality ingredients and wrapped in a soft pita. The wraps were generous in size, contained ample meat, and were each seasoned perfectly. The garlic yogurt sauce was delicious and each sandwich was moist from its first bite, to the last. The fries with the combo meals were bountiful and light in color; an indication the deep fryer oil was fresh and not in need of changing.

My wife and I each had chicken kabob platters. Well portioned, perfectly seasoned and char-grilled chicken breast chunks that were served on a bed of yellow rice. This healthy and delicious meal was a home run choice for each of us. The salad that accompanied the chicken kabob was perfect and contained lettuce tomato, red onion, and feta. Taste of the Holy Land doesn't stop there. Also included were a few kalamata olives, a peppercini, and some pickle slices beside the salad. Each of the accoutremonts added further flavor and an authentic taste, especially when combined with their zesty herb laden vinagarette salad dressing. Once again, the silky smooth yogurt/garlic sauce was present and was great for dipping the char-grilled chicken into, resulting in a cool and complimentary balance of flavor.

The attention to detail exhibited by Taste of the Holy Land was profound. I took early notice of the fresh ingredients used. I could see and taste the perfect compliment of finely chopped parsley, the quality of the olive oil, and the intentional use of fresh herbs and seasonings added throughout. Even the final sprinkle of Sumac placed atop my rice did not go unnoticed; instead, it reminded me of the tastes and smells I became accustomed to while on my journeys to far away places in the Middle East and along the Mediterranean coast.

I'm thrilled to have discoverd such a delicious and healthy option for both lunch and dinner. Instead of airline terminals, baggage checks, and far off travels, Jerusalem, the Taste of the Holy Land delivers authentic flavors at a reasonable price, while being located in my very own...

Walked into this restaurant excited to try their food based on all of the great reviews. There was no signage indicating whether to seat ourselves or wait. We were unable to see any other customers and there were no restaurant employees there to guide us. We waited about a minute before calling out 'marhaba' to the kitchen area. Waited about half a minute more and finally heard some shuffling from the back. A thin bearded man came out and the first words out of his mouth were "there is no need to scream, we have customers in here". No apology for the wait and no welcome as is customary at a good restaurant. We apologized and said we didn't know if anyone was there or restaurant staff knew if we were there. We were also unable to see the one other table with customers as it was in another room behind a wall. The thin bearded man acknowledged that he had seen us on his camera and claimed we had only been waiting two seconds. This is patently untrue. There was also no 'scream". I can only think his false hyperbole was based on his embarrassment about starting our experience with such simply bad service. If he saw us come in on his camera, why did he not come out to greet us? At any rate, we told him we decided to go somewhere else and he said that was fine as he didn't want any "rude customers" . Again, false hyperbole. I've dined all over the world, including many places in the middle east, and have never been treated so rudely by any restaurant staff. If it was possible to rate this place zero stars, that's what our experience would rate based on service alone. Enter at...

Me and the girlfriend went to Jerusalen for her birthday dinner to try out, the decor is nice and inviting. Right away I noticed the floor, table, salt/pepper shakers and Catchup containers were all sticky to the touch. We ordered the appetizer plate with humus (2 types) with pita bread (4 extra small pieces) not enough to even finish one of the humus drops of the appetizer, the other items were decent. I ordered the Gyro plate (sandwich, fries, and drink), the girlfriend ordered the lamb plate (bed of jazmine rice with very small pieces of lamb). Food was good. portions were small. about a half hour later, I started experencing excessive gas, stomach cramps, bloatinness, and had to take some alka-selzer to relieve the stomach craps. Based on our determination, I probably got the gas, craps, and bloatiness due to using the catsup container that was left out the whole day that i used on my french fries. Would i go back, NO! probably order out maybe, the place needs to be evaluated for overall cleaness !!!! On the window was a HELP wanted sign, so probably were down some peoeple, but when we arrieved, no one was in the place, so i would utilize that time to clean things down with a clean cloth, mop, etc. that is sterilized in a water/clorox mix, and keep the plastic catsup contaners in the fridge and clean, until needed.

Also, Not very enconomical in pricing, as the price was over $ 60, no drink for the girlfriend, my dish included the drink, which the server forgot to bring until i requested It, from him at the end of my meal. Disappointed...