by Albertro F.
Times are tough when I have to schlep to Anderhole for culinarily interesting mill, er, meal. Unfortunately, in Muncie, Popeye's is considered ethnic fare.The Nile has been open for at least 15 years and the Egyptian owners serve up quality pan-Mediterranean grub. The place is on the small side, but is classilly done up in papyrurs and sarcophagi. The Nile has what I assume to be the best beer menu in county with Chimay, Lindeman's, Pyramid, Schneider, etc. But oh, the food... The mazza plate is a good place to start, with a bit of tabouli, hummus, baba ganoush, and two tiny, excellent falafel. It's not the Ziad Bros falafel I grew up eating, nor the Israeli stuff I grew to love in NYC, but it's fantastic anyway. The dolmades dinner serves up four succulent beef and rice stuffed grapeleaves, accompanied by kibbe (almost a Middle Eastern meatloaf?), rice, and delicious tomatoed green beans. The gyro plate was, well, a gyro plate. And the meat was cold. That was quickly remedied, and was the only detriment to the meal. All the sauces (tzatziki and tahini) were copious and definitely made on premises. I assume the deserts are trucked in from Chicago, but where else can I get a burma - the shredded wheat, pistachio, and honey confection whose name I tend to forget.Our bill came to $44 for two, including tip but no beers. We drove the 20 some miles exclusively for this meal, and it was worth it. If I had a legit reason to go to Anderson, be sure I'd do the Nile up more often.
