text: Now this is what I am talking about Total hole in the wall on East Wash in a strip mall behind some Mexican buffet with the name Peoples Bakery you would never guess this place would have the best Middle Eastern food in Madison nnStart with the wife of the wife and husband team who greets you warmly as you come in The menu is on the wall but there are hard copies for those who need an explanation of the nicely blended mix of Lebanese Armenian and Syrian dishes No matter your experience with food of the Middle East or Mediterranean you will find dishes you recognize perhaps by different namesnnThis was my first visit I am sitting here eating my takeout order as I type this because it is that good I ordered the lentil soup and several appetizer portions including hummus moohamara sarma and falafel nnQuick reviewn lentil soup Awesome just awesome Beautiful saffron color from the cooked down red lentils just the right mix of cumin and lemon and a back end of heat I am guessing from Aleppo pepper This is some thick soup and filling and for you get a pintnn Moohamara I was not going to get this I like roasted red bell pepper and I have had dips and purees made of them but I have never sought it out Mary one of the owners told me it was her favorite best on the menu And holy COW was she right A smack of roasted red pepper is quickly deepened by a sweet hit of pomegranate and walnuts ubelievably complex and wonderfulnn Falafel Huge portion perfectly deepfried with a really nice light texture Love the falafel but I prefer tahini sauce and these come with a yogurt mint sauce Do not get me wrong this is clearly their regional interpretation I Am all about the authentic experience and this was good sauce But I confess that for my leftovers I am making some tahini saucenn Hummus You know hummus is always a crap shoot for me I make my own from dried chick peas and I have been working on this recipe for years along with my Bloody Mary recipe and about a hundred others This is another of those regional interpretation issues this was my least favorite today I will try it again because my own hummus has on and off days This was just more on the bland side than I expected No one distinct flavor dominated so I felt like it was left with an almost indescribable flavor Not bad totally edible just oddly unflavored I added some lemon and salt which helped some nnSarma if you are expecting dolmathes this will be familiar in flavor but it texture These are served cold with a yogurt dipping sauce I am okay with the temperature but I just like a little lemon on mine These are veg the rice filling is cooked down to a coarse risottoy consistency I dig them but those who prefer the snap of dolmathes will find these softer but just as flavorfulnnAll in all outstanding Next time shish tahouk and baba ganouj