Mediterranean and More
By B.A. Nilsson

BFS Restaurant & Catering

1736 Western Ave., Guilderland, 452-6342. Serving lunch Mon-Sat 11-4, dinner Mon-Sat 4-9. AE, D, MC, V.

Cuisine: Mediterranean and then some

Entrée price range: $13 (dolmas platter) to $18 (Mediterranean sampler platter)

Ambiance: bright and cheerful

A good Mediterranean restaurant by default is well-positioned to offer healthy fare: The tradition of the many seaside cuisines that comprise this category is to cook with fresh ingredients and olive oil and an array of bold-flavored extras.

So it only made sense for Shaw Rabadi, chef-owner of BFS Restaurant, to stress the heart-healthy items on his menu. But he did more than that. He devised a regular array of such items to feature on a separate menu page.

If the chicken florentine ($17) is any indication, this menu might give healthful food an even better name. You’d swear it was deep fried, but the crisp coating is baked onto the bird and topped with a glaze of pomegranate jelly for a mouth-filling combination of flavors. Inside the breast is a creamed spinach mixture; under the breast is a fat-free sauce that’s nevertheless full of persistent appeal. Basmati rice laced with pine nuts and a big slice of spanikopita finish the plate.

Other items on that menu page are a shrimp-and-scallops mix over ziti ($16), grilled swordfish steak ($16), beef and shrimp kabobs ($16) and an $18 Mediterranean sampler that gives you hummus, tabouleh, spanikopita, baked kibbee, moussaka, stuffed grape leaves and more.

This has long been a BFS specialty, these Mediterranean items. Hummus, which I tasted as part of the appetizer menu’s mini maza sampler ($8), has a garlic-infused freshness about it, and you’ll use up plenty of the pita wedges served in lieu of bread. (It’s presented with some butter containers, but you’ll want to dredge the pita through the dish of olive oil spiced with zataar and sesame seeds for better flavor—and health.)

The appetizer sampler also includes a ball of kibbee, which features sautéed ground lamb within a hard shell of lamb and bulghur wheat, an amazing confluence of flavors. A spinach pocket is just that: a pastry shell with a seasoned spinach filling; a couple of stuffed grape leaves, some salad greens, and a traditional tzatziki (cucumber-yogurt) sauce finish the plate.

Any of those items serves as an individual appetizer, along with such delights as baked brie or goat cheese ($6.75 apiece), grilled portobello mushrooms ($7), and even a trio of different hummus styles ($10).

Lunchtime features an array of sandwiches, hot and cold, familiar and abstruse, for $7 or $8. A page of stuffed wraps range from hummus, tuna or deli meats to roasted leg of lamb, battered eggplant and much more.

Other lunch specials fall into the $10 range, including a grilled vegetable platter, a shawarma (gyro) platter built around a kind of meatloaf made with lamb and beef, spanikopita, ziti, lasagna, a falafel platter and more.

Falafel is another BFS specialty. Deep-fried mashed chickpeas are served with a seasoned tahini sauce in pita bread or over salad greens, and I sampled it in the guise of a salad ($7.75). This is the basis of a wonderful meal all by itself, with the crunchy falafel pieces strewn across a plate of crisp, fresh lettuce.

A dozen more salads help fill the page, including Caesar salads with different additions, antipasto salad and much more, good enough for lunch or dinner right there.

Rabadi left a long career as an accounting consultant to turn an on-the-side catering business into a full-time storefront-based activity. It started life as a deli, but so great was the clamor for tables that he soon moved down the street to a larger location with a dining area.

“We no longer carry all of the deli items and imported goods we used to have,” he says, “but there are some things people always insist I carry.” I know the feeling: I’m a big fan of the tahini you find at BFS.

The place also could persuade me to turn vegetarian—at least temporarily. Although most of the menu categories feature meatless items, there’s also a full page of vegetarian fare. For kabob fans, there’s a skewer of eggplant, peppers and mushrooms ($14) that’s grilled and served over rice.

Five different pasta sauces are available for the pasta sauté ($16): Mediterranean, pesto, pomodoro, puttanesca and creamy Alfredo. Under the fish listing are traditional items like seafood stuffed sole ($16) and more adventurous dishes like a baked shrimp casserole prepared in a Greek style ($16).

Greek eggplant and lamb casserole ($16), or moussaka, mixes savory and sweet with a pudding-like béchamel sauce baked atop the more pungent casserole. Roasted red potatoes with a hint of garlic and a pile of excellent steamed vegetables finished the dish.

“I think our plate presentations could be better,” Rabadi insists, but I think he overstates his worry. Mediterranean food has such an array of color to begin with that the food itself is artistic however you arrange it.

And you’ll have plenty more to sample on the entrée page, including enlarged versions of some of the appetizer items as well as roasted leg of lamb ($16), chicken parmigiana ($14.59) and Moroccan chicken ($16), the last-named baked with onions, olives and lemon.

A new wine list is a BFS feature worth checking out, a helpful pair of pages sporting reproductions of the labels as well as descriptions of the well-chosen array. And a calendar of takeout items includes a rotating list of daily specials to keep dinner interesting if you depend on the place for your evening (or lunchtime) meal.

Dining within is pleasant, and warm weather adds some patio tables. Servers are knowledgeable and efficient, and I’ve never been disappointed with any of many visits I’ve paid here over the years.

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