The Casual Restaurant Critic and Better Half recently attended a small, family and friends wedding reception which was held at the Byblos restaurant in the Club Libanés, or Lebanese Club, where all the paisanos hang out on Sundays and where the debutantes’ photos line the walls. The club in itself is not much to speak of – as a venue for social events it is popular but not particularly appealing – but the restaurant has long been a Merida staple for solid Lebanese fare, home-cooked and delicious. On this occasion, the reception took advantage of the buffet, with many classic dishes represented.

From ftoyer to labne to garbanzo to gallina to kippeh to tabouleh, everything was delicious and far too filling to enable the Critic to try more than each dish twice. The service was gracious and the air conditioning cool. Prices are reasonable and if you want to be a Merida resident, you must have visited here at least once.

Kippeh crudo – raw meat, onion, mint

Kafta, or ground meat skewers, without the skewers

Ftoyer, filled with spinach or some such leafy vegetable

Kibbeh, Kipeh, kibi… many varieties of names. These are good but the ones from MIR are better.

Arrolladitos de parra, or wine leaf wraps (there’s meat and rice inside)

Arrollados de repollo aka cabbage rolls. Again rice and meat inside

Gallina rellena. This means stuffed hen. I don’t see the stuffed part, but this dish was the best of the buffet.