Hey-

I was just there last night! Unfortunately, I was the only one in the place the whole time...There were only a few things on the menu, chicken, kofta kebab, etc. and written just that way. After I asked the gentleman what came with the kofta, he said that he would make me a special plate...I ordered an ice tea which was real tea, and was it quite good.

The cook/waiter quickly assembled and delivered a nice plate of 4 char-grilled kofta with a spicy yogurt sauce, and what was almost like a Greek skordalia (potato/garlic sauce), but with cilantro and other herbs, a little pile of hand-cut, non-frozen fried potatoes, a little shredded iceberg/tomato salad, and a brick-sized, par-sliced, grill-toasted piece of baguette. The meat was nicely charred but still juicy, the sauces were solid, and fresh fries are much more the exception than the rule...I kind of like iceberg lettuce (a mix of iceberg and green leaf is aces) in this setting - super crunchy and juicy...The bread could have been better, but it wasn't crap.

As I ate, a couple of teen/20 something kids and another gentleman, all "with" the restaurant in some way, came in; one of the kids cleared the table.

When the check arrived it said "special dinner" $11.50 which I thought was more than fair, but I suspect might have been a "welcome", first-time thing. By the way, the kofta was priced on the price sheet at $7 - but as I said above, it didn't say anything other than "kofta $7"...

All in all, pretty good - the owners were very friendly, the service was good, and the food was the best middle-eastern grub I've had in the heights (though that ain't saying much), and it wouldn't be completely embarassed by the best I've had... The place is brand spanking new, so they deserve at least a few months to get up to speed, but my one worry is is that it doesn't have the feel of an organization that already knows how to run a busy restaurant should that event occur...

That said, it was a good first impression, and I'm expecting improvement. If you're in the heights, or just wanna be, give them a try, and your comments too...one thing the cook/waiter said was "tell me what you don't like and I'll change it". They're definitely open to suggestions - which reminds me, they're thinking of doing "Spanish food" too which I have already told them that IMHO was not a good idea - there are already at least 4 or 5 good "Spanish" places in the heights, made by people who grew up with the food...Anyway, that's my sketch of EYES...looking forward to reading other reviews.

Tom Ciocco

Eyes Cafe recently opened up in the heights, where Ceviche used to be. Their menu includes shish kebabs, kofta, gyros, vegetarian items upon request and hookahs. My fiance and I went there on a Friday evening and it was packed! After 8pm, they turned down the lights, played arabic music and everyone inside was dancing.

We had a really nice time and would definitely go back. The cafe is located on Central, off of Congress. They don't seem to have a website yet.