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The weekly dish: Aesop's Tables

by Indy.com Staff

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Aesop's Tables

The Ultimate gyro at Aesop's Tables (Jeri Reichanadter for The Star)

House salad at Aesop's Tables, located at 600 Massachusetts Ave. (Jeri Reichanadter for The Star)

Middle Eastern Appetizer Plate at Aesop's Tables (Jeri Reichanadter for The Star)

The Aesop's Tables Vegetarian stuffed courgette (Jeri Reichanadter for The Star)

One of the best things about Mass Ave. is the culinary tour you can take through its eateries. My quest to eat my way along the avenue continued with a recent stop at Aesop's Tables.

This simply decorated eatery doesn't put on airs. Glass-topped cafe tables and complementary chairs are scattered throughout the small, L-shaped dining room, atop black-and-white checkerboard floors. Photography and other art from local talent dot the walls, and a small dessert case filled with enticing baked goods rests near the entrance.

Don't be fooled by the low-key vibe, though. The food here is top-notch tasty, drawing a loyal crowd of regulars who clearly know their way around a menu that stresses Mediterranean-style cuisine and vegetarian entrees.

My husband and I stopped by on a weeknight and found the place bustling, with our server, Adam, handily attending to all the tables. While sorting through our entree options, we decided to start things off with the Middle Eastern appetizer platter ($7.75). Portioned perfectly for two, it offered warm pita triangles along with a dish of smooth hummus, a small pile of tabbouleh and a petite wedge of yummy asiago cheese.

The hummus was savory without being overly heavy on garlic, and the tabbouleh tasted fresh and mild. We easily finished off the offerings, and we both would have enjoyed a second wedge of the asiago, so we wouldn't have had to share.

House salads came with our food orders. They were nicely sized with a plentiful pile of greens topped by tomato, cucumber and onion slices, feta cheese and kalamata olives. Drizzled over the top was an oil-based dressing, applied with a light hand so as not to drown the produce.

Pete decided to move on to the ultimate gyros ($9.95). Sort of a gyros-on-steroids approach to the classic dish, this version included gently spiced meat served on fluffy, soft pita bread, along with tomatoes, onions, feta and mozzarella.

At Adam's suggestion, Pete subbed traditional tzatziki sauce for the mustard that accompanies this particular preparatio- He found the meat to be more gently seasoned than some other gyro slices he's tried, but still tasty, and the accompanying veggies helped add heft to make this a satisfying optio-

Because I have been over-indulging in meat lately, I decided to try one of Aesop's vegetarian offerings.

The menu listed five options, all of which tempted, from a simple mizithra-cheese and garlic-butter pasta to a wild mushroom ravioli. But Adam's description of the vegetarian stuffed courgette ($13.75) won me over -- and so did the dish itself.

Hollowed zucchini was stuffed with a savory mixture of rice, nuts and fruit, kicked up with flavorful (not spicy) seasonings. Over this was poured a sweet, thick house-made red sauce, which in turn was covered with mozzarella cheese. The whole shebang was baked until the cheese had melted and browned. The result: comfort food at its finest, meat be damned. Even my steak-loving hubby raved about the taste after I shared a sample, saying he would willingly order this himself.

We passed on dessert (that courgette was filling), but I'll be back another day to try the lobster bisque (a house specialty) and a different vegetarian entree. For those wishing to partake of an adult beverage with their meal, Aesop's offers a small but interesting wine list and a fun selection of imported beers, including Tusker from Africa and Maudite from Canada's Unibroue.

One word of warning, though: No outside food or drink is allowed inside, and the staff is quick to enforce the rule. We saw one unfortunate soul arrive with a Starbucks cup in hand to chat with two friends who were dining, and he swiftly was informed that the coffee had to go. So down your caffeine fix before entering, or add a coffee to your in-house order here.