Aladdin's Natural Eatery

I can't imagine why I haven't posted a review of Aladdin's Natural Eatery yet. It's one of our favorite restaurants, but for whatever reason, we haven't been lately. I'm a huge fan of all Greek food, but the Boy isn't, so Aladdin's is our perfect compromise -- it has pitas, falafel, spanakopita, moussaka, hummus, gyros, etc. for me, and plenty of pasta alternatives for the Boy.

He's partial to the tortellini alla vodka pictured here. He gets it with chicken (which I don't love there since they use dark meat) and even sweetly asks for broccoli to be added, which they always agree to. They have many other variations (choose your own type of pasta, your preferred meat (or not) and your preferred sauce. I've found that some of the funkier pastas are not prepared as well, but I've never been disappointed with the usual flour ones.

I tend to stick with the vegetarian sampler, which is in the appetizer section and allows you to choose 4 of the appetizers to create your own meal. You'd be surprised at how filling it can be, plus it's only $8 ($6 if you get 3 choices and $5.75 if you only want 2). I go for the falafel (which is perfect), the spanakopita, the hummus, and the tabouli. I sometimes get the baba ganouj, but honestly, I don't like it as much as most.

They also have a variety of soups (though I warn you not to get the tzatziki -- which is a lot of the very creamy, cucumber sauce) and salads. The salads are huge! Their lentil soup is great. Their vegetarian chili is also great. And they have a combo of both -- Lenchili -- which is (following the transitive property) also great. You can even have it topped with chicken or cheese. It's a wonderful way to survive the winter months.

They have a dessert case on the first and a half floor (at the one on Monroe) which holds some pretty to-die-for treats. I have wiled away the time there just waiting for the opportunity to order one. And it was well worth it.

Aladdin's has two locations: one on Monroe Ave. and the other down by the canal in Pittsford. They're open everyday from 11am until 10pm. They have outdoor seating both locations (at Monroe it's overlooking the Avenue). I'm not really sure how "natural" they are compared to other restaurants, but there aren't a lot of obviously packaged types of items. Since there are no real rules for evaluating "natural-ness" I think it's just nice that they embrace the concept.