DK S.
Yelp
My first card out of the Diner's Deck ($10 off $30 at a ton of restaurants) was for Tripoli in Brooklyn Heights/Downtown Brooklyn. A friend was in the neighborhood so I took my girlfriend and we headed over there. Do note it is NOT near Atlantic Ave station (my friend was confused). There isn't much around and this restaurant is in the basement below a coffeehouse.
When we walked in, it was dead. Literally a 2-top and 4 people on a 6-top round. That's it. The guy who was the host/server/busser/kitchen help/cashier met us and brought us to a table. He was very quiet and showed no excitement to be there on a Wednesday night.
After scouring the menu, we found the "Lebanese Traditional Meza $42.95" which is described as:
"An array of twenty different mouth watering dishes appetizingly served in the best specialty restaurants of Lebanon. Recommended for parties of 2."
When we got the waiter back, we asked what was in it and he gave us a run down, primarily small plates of dips and salads with a ton of vegetarian options (which we were all fine with). Since we didn't like olives, he said he could switch it out, but we didn't learn what we got instead.
It was very quiet and a bit of an odd environment. It is a huge restaurant, very nice decor, but with no one there, we had the place to ourselves pretty much. My two co-diners got the special tea, which was like $3.5 or so with no refills. It was tasty, but a small 8-oz tea was overpriced.
Eventually there was food...a lot of it too. We had about 20 different dishes to share: Hummus, babaganouj, cheese, lebni, falafel, vegetarian and lamb kibbeh, lamb kebab, chicken kebab, pita, and so much more. It was a great feast, even with enough for 3 people (more affordable too!). If you've been to a Greek/Middle Eastern/Mediterranean restaurant with mezze appetizers, this is pretty much on par with those. All pretty good, some just needed more seasoning or spice.
I would be open to going back and trying an entree or two, but I would want better service. It felt awkward asking for water or trying to have him explain to us what the dishes were (we couldn't decipher it all on our own!). The guy just didn't seem to want to be there so it wasn't the best experience, but would go back for the food.