G-Vegas Magazine.com - Food Critic Corner with Bigus

Jericho's Restaurant & Hookah

It is said that the best way to learn about and understand a culture, you have to eat their food. Sampling a certain culture’s fare brings one closer to understanding its people. Wanting to offer Greenville a better understanding of their family’s culture and heritage, Brothers Luai & Moe Adobo opened Jericho’s Restaurant & Hookah in late January. Jericho’s, named for the city of Jericho in Jerusalem where their father was born, is a family owned and operated business catering to the Downtown Court district and surrounding college neighborhoods. “We wanted to show people our real culture and attitude” said owner Luai Adobo who is a US Army veteran and ECU graduate. Jericho’s offers its customers a place to relax from breakfast to the wee hours of the night. “Jericho’s is a place for people to be treated right, relax, and feel at home” Adobo said, “at night time we are an alternative to the bars and the trouble that sometimes happens at them.”

From the outside, Jericho’s still greatly resembles the Andy’s restaurant that previously occupied its space. On the inside, the feel of its predecessor still looms and has the feel of a quick serve greasy spoon burger joint. The setup and design of the restaurant does not give one an impression of Middle Eastern cuisine other than some paint work and hookahs that seem out of place on each table. I ordered at the counter and found myself a seat at one of the booths.

First, my appetizers of Dolma and Tabuli arrive. As is most common, this Dolma was seasoned rice stuffed in stewed grape leaves. Unlike other Dolma I have had in Greenville, Jericho’s Dolma was light, savory, and was not bitter and made that day. Pleased with the freshness of the Dolma, I moved on to the Tabuli. Tabuli is a simple parsley salad seasoned with salt, pepper, and oil. The tabuli was very fresh, light, and thankfully not overpowered with seasoning. With my appetite being aroused I moved on to my entree. I had ordered “Jericho’s Kabob” which features a beef kabob, chicken kabob, and Kufta(ground beef) with sides of salad, pita, rice, and homemade hummus. First, I had to try the hummus. This hummus was very flavorful, and most importantly fresh. Each ingredient shined trough in perfect harmony. For those not familiar with hummus, it is a paste like compilation of mashed chickpeas, cumin, lemon zest, oil, and spices. Being very happy with my hummus, I moved to the kabobs. Each kabob was acceptable, however, all but the Kufta kabob were a bit bland and left me a bit disappointed. Next, I tried a couple pieces of the ever classic Falafel. The Jericho Falafels were also a little under seasoned but after adding some hummus and wrapping in pita bread, was definitely a joyous experience. Somehow, I had managed to save room for a bit of dessert, and was delivered the special dessert of the house. It seemed to be a cut up loaf composed of wafer cookies and rich chocolate, and I was informed that I was to have Ola’s Special Mediterranean Chocolate. Despite what criticisms I have made of everything else, I would go on a steady diet of Ola’s creation.

Aside from some definite décor and layout issues and some cases of under seasoning Jericho’s does have some very good menu items (which does include burgers and subs). All recipes were created by Ola Abodo, mother of owners Laui and Moe, and all items are made in-house. The freshness and authenticity of the food provide sufficient cause to overlook the décor, and will most likely provide Jericho’s with a great following of regular customers. Jericho’s also offers specialty hookah tobaccos ranging from $7.99-$12.99. Jericho’s is located at 220 Cotanche street and is open 7am-10pm Mon-Wed, 7am-3am Thurs & Fri, 5pm-3am Saturday, & 5pm-10pm Sunday.

Price Range: $3.49-$8.99

Location: C | Atmosphere: C | Service: B | Food Quality: B+
Overall Grade: B

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