Great New Restaurant In Oshkosh

No, not Becket's--though they have lots of potential.

The great new restaurant is Josef's Caspian Kitchen (242 Wisconsin Ave.). From the menu: "Josef . . . owner of Gyros Kabob in Appleton WI welcomes you. Continuing the tradition started at his original Soldier's Square location . . . Josef is now serving the same delicious food at the Caspian Kitchen . . . with some new additions and some old favorites."

And delicious it is! We had an order of hummus, which was glorious in taste and texture. I was literally licking every last bit out of the cup. The dolmas (stuffed grape leaves filled with rice, ground beef, yellow peas, herbs and onion--served with a side yogurt) were so fresh and satisfying that they alone were worth the visit.

For the main entree we shared an order of chicken kabob & rice. The marinated, white chicken pieces were so tender that they seemed to melt in the mouth.

I wasn't especially cranky walking into the place, but after eating I actually felt more calm and upbeat. Great food can do that.

The prices are extrememly reasonable--the large order of hummus, two dolmas, and the chicken kabob came in at $17.50.

Caspian Kitchen is not a fast food place, so you have to wait a bit longer as the the food is prepared. That's great, because no food is just sitting under a warmer waiting to be served. The inside is small and feels somewhat like a cafeteria (they bring the food to your table but there are no waiters and waitresses per se), and I wish they would turn the lighting down a bit, but it is an intimate environment with comfortable tables and chairs. Definitely a good place to have lunch or dinner with a relationship partner, coworker, or anyone else.

So check it out. I don't think you will be disappointed.