The Pyramids

The Pyramids

Monday-Thursday, 11am-10pm; Friday-Saturday, 11am-11pm; Sunday, 11am-9pm
The Pyramids arrived on the Austin scene with a good pedigree: owned by the same group that brought us Kismet Cafe on 24th, just off of the Drag, a Middle Eastern spot that is packed constantly with adoring students. The Pyramids takes Kismet's care for their product and injects it into an interesting menu that centers on things Lebanese, producing a venue with solid food.

For a two-top, it's hard to pass up the excellent Appetizer Platter for Two ($23.95), a bit of a misnomer, because the platter will fill any two normal eaters to the gills. We began our last meal there with the dinner salad that comes with our entrées. What arrives is a plate containing crisp lettuce and cucumbers, ripe red tomatoes (a rarity in most places), and red onion, doused with a delectable dressing with plenty of goat cheese and a dab of mint. Then the constant stream of dishes that make up the platter arrive.

Babaganouj is first: a spicy blend of smoky, roasted eggplant with a subtle tahini backdrop, and one of the better versions in town. Hummus is next, their version a mild one with just a hint of garlic and lemon. Spinach pies arrive ... neat triangular units filled with spinach, parsley, and lemon in a thin pastry. Kibbeh footballs ascend with thin cracked bulgar shells enveloping a nicely spiced ground-meat interior. Warm grape leaves filled with lemony rice-and-herb stuffing are part of the mix, as are delightful herbed, crunchy falafel patties with a nice tahini dipping sauce. The topper is a large plate with gyro meat slices and chicken shwarma slices, half and half. Both of the meats are perfectly cooked and the chicken deliciously marinated. The platter is accompanied by a different dipping sauce for each item, all yogurt based, and all with a different flavor. We loved the platter.

Entrées suffered from the fact that we were packed full of food and already contented. The Kebabs of Half Beef Tenderloin and Half Lamb (served with fluffy basmati rice and hummus, $11.95) came to the table a bit overcooked for our tastes (we should have specified medium rare), but the flavors are spot on and satisfying. The Lamb Shank ($11.95) is a large portion of unctuous meat around shank bone, with a sauce of peas, carrots, onion, and parsnip in brown sauce, topped with pine nuts ... again, all excellent.

Raves go out for the Lebanese Iced Tea ($1.50), sweet and lemony, with a hint of rose water, as well as the Turkish Coffee ($1.95): intense, lightly sweetened espresso with a hint of cardamom.

A previous lunch visit produced tasty, refined versions of gyro and Chicken Shwarma Wraps ($8.95). We also split a dish of their version of Moussaka ($8.95), which is thinly sliced potatoes, strips of eggplant, and onion all napped in a rich béchamel sauce. Service is helpful and efficient without being hovering. Lunch was what convinced us to come back for dinner, and dinner is what convinced us to keep coming back for more. The Pyramids has proven they are the worthy big brother of Kismet, and if you haven't been yet, it's high time that you go.