Cedar House - Lebanese Cuisine $$

At Cedar House, there's live music every Fri. and Sat. night. I could hear it from the parking lot with their doors closed. They sang, "Those Were the Days" and got everyone clapping. Is that cliche enough for ya? The room was way too small for these guys. Or, should I say the room was way too small for their amp? If they were going for the intimate feel, they didn't need the mega speakers they had. But, what do I know? I'm no techie.

At 8:30, a belly dancer named Gia performed. Until then, I thought this was a family place. One of the musicians introduced her, "She's going to loosen you up." A silver haired grandma at a nearby table was the first to put a dollar in Gia's skirt. Then, in her bra. It was a little disturbing. Gia wiggled her way to a table where a family with small children were eating. The father encouraged his toddler son to put a buck in her skirt, which he gladly did. Daddy applauded. Hey, why not start 'em young. Next, they'll all be riding the bull at Saddleback for family time. Gia's there every Fri. and Sat. night. So, all you boys and grandmas out there better make your reservations.

Bathroom: Finally, a good one! It even smelled good. They've got a spritzer. Can we just hear it for automatic bathroom spritzers? I hope the inventor got a medal. 5 forks.

Ambience: Warm, inviting. On any other night, I'm sure it's rated G. On Fri. night with live music, and Gia, it's PG-13. 4 forks.

Food: We decided to get the "complete feast" for 2 because it had a little bit of everything for $24.95. It came with salad, hummus, babaganouj, tabouli, grape leaves, 3 kabobs - chicken, lamb and kafta, rice pilaf, meat turnover, and more pita than you can shake a stick at. We ain't messin' around here! The salad was fresh and crisp with a vinegrette. (Maybe ranch hasn't hit the mediterranean yet.) The hummus was rich with tahini, but yummy. The babaganouj was creamy. Laurie loved the grape leaves, which had a tomato puree mixed in with the rice. The whole appetizer plate tasted very lemony. I guess they like lemons over there. The skewers were fabulous. But, Laurie liked the meat turnover the best. She wanted me to tell you that she doesn't eat red meat, except for any meat prepared by mediterranean people - Greek, Lebanese, Armenian, etc. Food - 5 forks.

Service: When we got there, all the tables were taken. But, when one opened up, the waitress said, "A table is open. You can sit there." And then, she left without escorting us. 3 forks.

Overall rating: 4 forks.

Next up: El Chavo Burrito stand. I've been secretly wanting to go there! Very excited. Maybe I'll even find out what a chavo is.