I like Greek restaurants, there have been many good ones that I’ve found over the years.
I like Middle Eastern restaurants- most that I’ve been to only describe themselves as “Middle Eastern” with no clearer indication of the cultural background of the proprietors/cusine, but there was a good Lebanese restaurant that I used to go to and I just recently found a great Druze restaurant.
As a vegetarian, I’m always ordering the same things: Hummus, Babaghanoush, Stuffed Grape Leaves, Falafel, Tabbouleh, Tzatziki, Goat Cheese, Olives, Pita. Sometimes the names are different. Sometimes there’s a slight variation in how each is prepared- but there’s no indication that the variations are due to cultural differences, it could just be personal differences according to the head chef’s style (i.e. I’ve noticed no more variation between a Greek restaurant and a Middle Eastern restaurant than I’ve noticed between one Greek and a different Greek restaurant). The only significant difference I’ve seen was that the pita bread at the Druze restaurant was very different- very thin and spongy, almost like a cross between typical pita and Ethiopian injera (and it was yummy!).
So, my question is: If I were not a vegetarian, would I notice more significant differences between Greek restaurants and Middle Eastern restaurants (and between different Middle Eastern Restaurants with different cultural backgrounds)?
It looks to me like you’re not ordering from the spicy end of the spectrum, because those vegetarian dishes tend to be fairly mild–tangy, but not hot. Even in a Greek restaurant, the meat dishes tend towards the tangy/savory rather than hot, whereas in a Middle Eastern restaurant, they’re going to be using a lot more chili powder, paprica, curry powder & pepper on their meat dishes (but they wouldn’t necessarily use these in the dishes you listed above, possibly so that people who are not into hot things can find something on the menu to eat).
The Druze restaurant had something I had never had before on their vegetarian plate- it was nicely spicy (not overwhelmingly so). On their menu they just gave it the unhelpful moniker of “Turkish Salad”. There’s no Wiki entry for Turkish Salad, but looking at Wiki’s list of Middle Easter Mezes it seems it might have been Muhamara/Acuka. From the description, I don’t remember walnuts but if they were ground and mixed in I might not have noticed. It was really good! Not especially spicy, but it had a bit of a kick.
I grew up eating Greek food and then moved to a place with more Lebanese and Turkish. The only thing that changed was the name of the food. Shawarma vs Gyro vs Kabob, for instance. Shaved vs chunks. Raita vs Tzatziki. But essentially the same flavor profiles. Comparable to what you’re expressing.
I’m sure someone will tell me how provincial I’m being.