It looks fairly unassuming, the little dining room with several neat round and square tables and a to-go counter where you can load up on perfectly spiced ground lamb and rice-stuffed grape leaves or take a seat so you can properly fork into the eggplant Napoleon, slices of fried eggplant layered with babaganouj, tomatoes, and basil. Caluccio’s Louis Coluccio Jr. picks it as one of his all-time favorites: “What a culture shock. At the time the aromas were vastly different in my mind; mint,eggplant, chickpeas, and lamb. What a treat I was in for. I ordered the organic lamb braised with string beans in a spicy tomato sauce, and it is a dish I still order ’til this day. Tanoreen is full of surprises and great culinary treats but the house-made spice mix that is generously spread on each and every dish is a masterful Mediterranean and Arabic blend. Family owned and operated, this is a real labor of love.”