Oracle Online

As a freshman now familiar with the cuisine of the Black Sea restaurant, I was suspicious of the quality by comparison.

"Surely nothing can be as good as Black Sea," I said to myself. But I was wrong. Shish offers a wide array of dishes from hummus platters and falafel to gyro sandwiches with beef and lamb cut to order.

The restaurant also offers a variety of vegetarian dishes that will satisfy diets of any scrutiny. The hummus is made fresh in an adjoining kitchen and aside from serving all bottled soda, Shish sells Nantucket Nectar juice.

The ordering process is quick and efficient while the booths and tables inside give an aura of a modern fine eatery but casual dining atmosphere.

As appealing as all these other factors are, the best part of Shish in my opinion, is the hookah.

Hookahs are available for a small charge. Shish features over a dozen flavors for consumption. After my hummus and falafel platter I shared a mint-flavored hookah. A hookah is comprised of water pipes originally found in the East that heat up shisha, a tobacco coated in molasses and natural flavors, which produces a light smoke. From there, general smoking biology takes over.

A downside is that all hookah smoking must be done on the patio, in accordance with the Twin Cities indoor smoking ban. If the weather is nice, patrons can relax with a smoke and watch the comings and goings of passerbys on Grand Avenue.

Overall, I had a positive experience at Shish. Despite the prices being a tad higher than Black Sea, the food was excellent and the service impeccable. For a fun evening close to campus, Shish is an excellent spot.