Malabar: Grade: "A"

My water glass was always half full.

That was enough to keep me satisfied. However, that was just the beginning.

Meriam and the staff at Malabar took care of us and made us feel right at home in the restaurant full of older people and business men.

Usually servers tend to look at younger people as ignorant and bad tippers so they feel it necessary to just stereotype all of them and give all kids bad service.

But Meriam didn’t.

She made sure we were all doing well throughout our meal and besides the delay in dropping the bill everything was very timely.

Even then, as we were all sitting there trying to figure out who owes what she jumped in and asked if we’d like her to split the bill up individually.

This, too, isn’t seen too often. She knew exactly what everyone had and was very quick with the cashing out process.

Oh yeah, and the food was outstanding.

For those who don’t want to spend 15 dollars on an appetizer they have two good-sized pieces of French bread for under five dollars.

Their meals ranged from $9.99 to $28.50 and offer a wide selection of all different types of food. 

I had the mushroom swiss burger, which came with some of the best French fries I have ever had.

The burger was awesome, too. The mushrooms overflowed from the patty to the plate and the vegetable setup was done perfectly. Everything was fresh, and fresh is always good.

The only major problem seems to be the location it is put in. It is right off the freeway, which is a plus, but as you pass the side of it there is no entrance. So you have to go past a few fast food restaurants, take a right at the light, drive ¼ of a mile, turn right then navigate your way through the maze of entrances and exits to six other places.

It’s tucked away in the corner, which is good and bad. It’s good because you feel like you accomplished something in being able to find the place; and bad because you have to feel accomplished by being able to find the place.

Really though, walking in without a collared shirt or slacks you feel a little out of place. However, the staff treats you just like everyone else and the prices aren’t outrageous (not even for Dom perignon which was at a cool $175).

My portions were plenty, but it seemed that a few other dishes, like the Ahi, worried more about presentation than amount.

Other than that, the experience was phenomenal, and the overall grade for Malabar is definitely an “A”.

This place can be recommended to friends, even those who are poor, and is affordable to just about everyone.

And when I left, my water was still half full.