I was just about to give up all hope that I would find a quality restaurant near my little town, but I found one. “Near” being the figurative word here, since it is less than an hour, and for us, small-town folk who live in rural America, an hour is about the normal distance to get anywhere. We found Mediterranean in Newburgh, Indiana.
I chose Marida Mediterranean Restaurant because I was looking for something relatively healthy and romantic. It serves grilled meats and is a waterfront restaurant. I figured it was worth checking out. It was date night after all. It’s located in downtown Newburgh, Indiana, facing the Ohio River.
We went for an early dinner and were seated outside, and had a direct view of the Ohio River. The space is quaint, under cover, offering shade, and that day, a soft breeze was coming in from the river. The restaurant states: “We bring the authentic flavors of the Eastern Mediterranean, Turkish, and Kurdish cuisine to your table.” I, for one, have never had this specific cuisine, so I was excited. I am all about trying new food and experiencing different cultures.
We ordered Gozleme (Anatolian Flat Bread) and Shrimp Saganaki for appetizers. Both are hot appetizers. The Anatolian flat bread is a homemade flatbread stuffed with spinach and cheese. The flatbread was soft, and the cheese (I think it was goat cheese) and spinach filling offered a savory taste to the palate. I had to stop myself from fighting for the last piece with my husband.
The shrimp saganaki is sautéed shrimp with garlic, onion, cherry tomatoes, and feta cheese served with crispy bread. This dish took me back to when I was a little girl. It tasted like my mom was back there cooking. The flavors were all too familiar and nostalgic. If you like shrimp and sautéed tomatoes, I would definitely recommend it.
I’m a big chicken girl. I will mostly always choose a chicken plate. On this day, I went with the chicken chops. They were two large, juicy chicken “chops”, which are chicken thighs, if you didn’t know. They were flavorful and tender, served with a side of yellow rice and a small coleslaw, as well as some tzatziki sauce. The simplicity of grilled meats, to me, is top tier. If you can marinate them well and grill them, you win, and Marida Mediterranean Restaurant did it right.
Hubs absolutely loves grilled meats. The man is a carnivore, as most men are. He would rather eat meat/poultry than carbs (I’m not one of those people). He ordered the mixed grill kebab that came with a combo of chargrilled lamb shish, chicken adana kabab, and lamb chop. I may have stolen his lamb chop, haha, but I did trade him a chicken chop. We both could not believe how tasty our plates were. We were impressed, to say the least.
The true star of the show was dessert. Their dessert menu was new to me, as I had no idea what anything was. I actually had no idea what to choose, but I went with my gut, and the little descriptions sure helped. Caffee Affogato, a scoop of vanilla ice cream topped with Turkish coffee, pistachio crème, and crunchy pistachios. When I tell you that this dessert had me falling off my chair, I am not kidding. The warm, rich, bold coffee melts the sweet, cold ice cream in your mouth, with hints of the decadent pistachio creme and crunchy pistachios swirling on your tongue. Heaven. My go-to dessert that day forward.
My husband had the tiramisu cake. I do not have a good picture of it, but it has to be one of the best tiramisu cakes I’ve had. Overall, our experience was an incredible one. The service was top tier. The staff was attentive, friendly, and respectful. The ambiance was lively, but casual. If you’re curious about Mediterranean food, I would definitely give this restaurant a try. If you go, tell them Denisse, The Modern Dama, sent you.
I love you, bye.
