Aroma's Café was aptly named. Once I opened the door, the stench of Five Guys' greasy fries, Casella's marinara sauce, and Hair Cuttery's shampoo dissipated, and my senses snapped to attention. A friendly wave and smile from the cook behind the glass window by the door ushered me in, far preferable to any welcome mat.
Located near chain restaurants like Panera and Ruby Tuesday, Aroma's offers a privately owned retreat from the hectic world outside. Once tucked away in the Fontaine Research Park, chef-owner Hassan Kaisoum has extended his Mediterranean reach into the hustle-and-bustle center of Route 29, Barracks Road Shopping Center.
It is not a complete escape to a faraway paradise, however; lunch appeared to be quite a busy time for Aroma's. The relatively tiny restaurant was filled with business people on their lunch hour, and a zesty individual seated behind me dropped enough Juicy Campus-worthy comments to make my flavorful meal seem mild.
At a table across the room, a pair of slouchy, gray-haired men and large, loud-mouthed, bushy-haired women reenacted a scene from Dancing Zorbas' in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding." These regulars apparently knew Kaisoum personally -- they yelled back and forth from the kitchen and received hugs and kisses upon leaving.
Another group of customers was seemingly not as content with the experience and carried on a boisterous argument with Kaisoum about the "lack of true Moroccan dining." Kaisoum shrugged and explained that the small size of the kitchen prevented him from achieving perfection. But as a blonde-haired, blue-eyed, first-time Aroma's diner, I found no such flaws.
I did, however, find the speed of their service both impressive and intimidating. During lunch, diners place their order with the cashier and are handed a metal stand with a number place on their table.
Dinner is meant to be a more formal dining experience. Those bussing tables walked around asking politely to clear a table, yet some customers at the table still seemed to be eating. Luckily, I devoured mine quickly enough to not run into such an interruption.
My sandwich arrived on its paper plate within 10 minutes, and I quickly de-toothpicked the French baguette and munched a heaping first bite. The chicken's marinade was compiled of garlic and exotic spices. After a week of sinus infection and allergy congestion, my nose turned on like a faucet, thanks to the spicy red sauce on the sandwich and side of couscous.
At only $6.95, my sandwich, the Mediterranean, was a sensory explosion. Looking through the window from my snug bubble, Panera looked so drab and bland on this dreary day. I could not help but snicker to myself, "Panera ain't got nothin' on this French baguette."
Unfortunately, my bar stool did not have a back, and I nearly ate it (pun intended) several times, as if fading in and out of a food-induced coma. I suggest Kaisoum put some backs on those chairs if he insists on serving such fantastic food. At least the silverware was plastic -- I may have stabbed myself or someone sitting nearby out of delirious aromatic arousal.
Stuffed to the bottom of my esophagus and my nose still recovering from its geyser reaction, I peeked at the menu once more. Traditional Greek salad, 6.95 -- check. Mystery soup du jour, 4.95 -- check. Chicken salad on pita variation -- check. Mixed grill platter served on couscous, 9.95 -- check. It was 30 minutes since my last bite, and my mouth was still in food heaven.
For those picky eaters out there whose eyes water, throats scorch and stomachs churn at the mere thought of partaking in spicy foods, take a stroll to eat a bucket of grease from Five Guys or an insipid bowl of soup from Panera. Leave Aroma's to those who commit to the unknown, those whose spring fever drives them into a hot-red-sauce kind of food frenzy.
Although a few tables are offered outside, eating outside even on a gorgeous spring day would merely distract an adamant eater from the multi-sensory experience of Kaisoum's delicious food and the experience inside. It truly was a Mediterranean-disco-club-in-a-grotto-style party in my mouth.
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