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Best Bargain Restaurants: Mama Ayesha's

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Mama Ayesha's
Washington

Gone are the oxblood leatherette booths and wall-mounted jukebox selectors that marked Calvert Cafe as one of the last of the neighborhood taverns that flourished in the Washington of the 1950s. Gone, too, is the former name, replaced by Mama Ayesha's, a tribute to the restaurant's founder and chef, whose name is synonymous with reliable Middle Eastern cooking at modest prices. The pastel-yellow walls and chandeliers that have transformed the ambience from perpetual twilight to welcoming cheeriness have affected neither the contents nor the prices on the menu.

As at the Calvert Cafe, one starts at Mama Ayesha's with a deliciously smoky purée of eggplant, stuffed grape leaves glistening with olive oil and lemon juice, or a simple plate of Lebanese olives and goat cheese. An expertly grilled marinated half-chicken provides an alternative to the various treatments of lamb that dominate the main courses. Mama Ayesha's memory is honored by the tenderness and delicate flavor of a braised lamb shank that tops the couscous, the sausage-shaped kebabs, and the grill-crusted marinated lamb chops. For dessert, the choice sweet is the "bird's nest," crunchy filaments of pastry stuffed with chopped pistachios.

Mama Ayesha's , 1967 Calvert Street NW, Washington; 202/232-5431. Open Sunday through Thursday 11:30 am to 11 pm, Friday and Saturday 11:30 am to midnight. AE, MC, V. MapIt!

QUALITY: ****Excellent; *** Superior; **Very Good; * Good
PRICE RANGE: $$$= Very Expensive; $$ Expensive; $=Moderate; ¢=Inexpensive

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