OTT: Uncovered: Hidden Ethnic Cafe

BRIARMART CAFE 

Rating: 2.5/5

6799 N Academy Blvd.

(719) 528-6869

Hours: Mon-Sat: 11am-8pm Sun: Closed

Prices: $5.99-$10.99

What you need to know: Convenience store meets Mediterranean/MiddleEast cafe.

Sometimes you must venture into the unfamiliar when searching for that next dining spot. Located in what was previously a Mexican restaurant, completed in the adobe style, the Mediterranean-oriented BriarMart Cafe is an unexpected find in an unexpected place. 

With its corner location and BriarMart name, you would be excused for thinking this cafe is a type of convenience store. And, in part, you’d be right. BriarMart is convenient for its dual purpose of selling both prepared Mediterranean/Middle-Eastern fare, and the numerous market staples that perch upon a series of open shelves running the length of its interior.

Perusing the isles uncovered a half kilo of Indian loose-leaf, black tea, originating in Assam, that proved powerfully strong and an excellent pairing for the forthcoming meal. Dessert was secured in advance when a box of authentic Turkish delight was discovered. Thick with pistachios and doused in powdered sugar, the chewy cubes were not overly sweet, but, rather, unctuous in flavor. Take care, as the entire box is liable to be polished off in one sitting.

Turning next to the takeout-catering counter, the falafel plate ($9.99) provided four flavorful and dense falafels nestled aside a serving of spiced hummus, flanked by pita bread and a Greek salad.

The gyros plate ($8.99), with its shavings of lamb and beef, was something of a deconstructed gyros sandwich. Wedges of pita, a Greek salad, sides of oil dressing and a mild tzatziki sauce, stand ready to come together to form a customized, open-faced sandwich.

Best was the classic gyros sandwich ($5.99), with textures and flavors pleasingly assembled. The pita bread remained soft and fluffy, while a nice layering of the shaved beef with lettuce, tomatoes, onions and tzatziki, came together in a way reminiscent of gyros food-stalls in distant lands.

Having relocated from a strip-mall location farther north, BriarMart Cafe appears to be doing well. Their gyros sandwich proves the point; and it certainly doesn't hurt that they also operate as one of very few ethnic markets in town. Let us hope it’s a reflection of the city’s increased interest in stepping out of culinary comfort zones.

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