Chef Alisah's meaty delights

The cool thing about Chef Alisah's menu is that we were hard-pressed to find anything, well, usual. The varied menu of all things Bosnia includes a page of specials and nods to Greece and Turkey.

Even a hamburger - Bosnian-style - is stuffed with a white fetalike sheep cheese called Travnik.

Chef and owner Ahmet Alisah, 53, hails from Bosnia. He and his family moved to Tucson a dozen years ago. Their restaurant, a clean, well-lit room with purple walls and tablecloths, is one of only about 25 in the United States focused on Bosnian cuisine, he says.

He also figures that he has worked almost 600 days without a day off since its opening on Nov. 1, 2008. Alisah says he wants to be the one to oversee his family recipes.

"The kitchen and food are my life," he said. "I am an artist."

His wife of 30 years, Halida, serves as the pastry and sous chef.

The accommodating servers and cozy interior make Chef Alisah's feel a bit like home.

The menu's solid vegetarian section lists five entrees, but these Bosnians like their meat. Sausages, steak, hamburger, chicken and lamb dominate the menu.

Alisah says people drive from Phoenix for his housemade cevapi beef sausages. He sells 100 for $30.90.

The cuisine we tried was rib-sticking food spiced in moderation. Fluffy, oven-baked white rice or housemade white and fluffy lepina bread accompanied many of the entrees.

On the first visit, we started with a Slovenian drink called Cockta ($2), derived from the word "cocktail." This nonalcoholic, noncaffeinated drink arrived in an 8.45-ounce bottle and looked and tasted a bit like Coke. The manufacturer describes it as having a rosehip base mixed with 11 herbs, along with lemon and orange aromas.

Alisah special orders other items, such as Vegeta, a Croatian vegetable seasoning he adds to select dishes, and the Travnik cheese (shipping in more than 100 pounds at a time).

We decided to get an overall view of Bosnian food by ordering the Mjesano Meso, or mixed grill ($25.90 for two).

When the platter arrived, it looked like the kitchen had been out hunting all day - for us.

A bounty of two rib-eye steaks, two hamburgers, 10 sausages and three chicken breasts were just the beginning.

Scoops of white buttered rice, onion, mushroom sauce and sides of tzatziki and red ajvar sauce filled out the ends of the platter.

We liked the tzatziki, a mild yet flavorful yogurt cucumber sauce, and we really liked the ajvar, a slightly sweet red bell pepper relish with eggplant and garlic to spread on the thick, chewy slices of bread that topped the meat.

In what can only be described as overkill, Alisah's served two salads of tomato, cucumber and onion tossed with olive oil and vinegar alongside the meat mecca.

The leftovers took another three days to finish.

We planned our second visit for one of the lamb dinners ($15.50) Alisah throws every other Wednesday.

He started them last year after customers kept asking for them, and now brings in extra tables and chairs to boost dining-room capacity to 85 from 60. Diners can also opt for a few outdoor tables. But the fun is in the main dining area, where large families and groups make for a convivial vibe.

Alisah buys 10 butchered lambs from a Willcox farmer and roasts them for three hours, using a blend of European herbs he declined to disclose. About 400 pounds of sliced baking potatoes accompany all that meat.

Our lamb plate - or perhaps we should say platter - arrived at our table overflowing with fork-tender meat that fell off the bones.

We took our server's recommendation to try the Gulas, or Bosnian-style goulash ($9.90).

It didn't disappoint, with cubes of juicy beef swimming in a thick, rich sauce made with flour, paprika and garlic. It came with a shredded cabbage salad in a savory vinaigrette on the side and tasted lighter and was more savory than cole slaw.

Despite our stack of leftovers, we tried a tall piece of Bosnian baklava ($2), with its flaky thin layers of buttery, sugary pastry and a filling of walnuts. Bosnian-style baklava is more moist than Greek and Turkish versions.

We also ordered the Palacinke ($4.50), another Bosnian dessert staple. Two paper-thin crepes were filled with a creamy nutella and drizzled with more of the chocolaty hazelnut spread. Other filling options are strawberry jam or walnuts.

The desserts provided the sugary kick to move after our hearty, protein-packed meals.

Review

• What: Chef Alisah's Restaurant - European and Bosnian Cuisine 5931 N. Oracle Road, 887-5305.

• Hours: 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. daily for lunch; 5:30-9:30 p.m. daily for dinner.

• Family call: A kid's menu of sausage, Bosnian meat balls and cubed beef with beans ($3.50-$4.90) isn't standard chicken finger food, but adventurous kids will love it.

• Noise level: Muted.

• Vegetarian choices: Several.

• Dress: Casual.

• Reservations: Accepted.

• Price range: Entrees range from $7.90 to $13.90.

• Wine list: None. Diners can bring in beer and wine and pay no corking fee.

• The next lamb dinner will take place June 9, and reservations are strongly recommended.