However, the place was clean and appearance takes second place to food anyway, so we sat down and picked up menus. I was pleased with the prices; two people could easily get out for under $20, and Ali Baba gives RPI students a 10 percent discount if they present their ID cards.

There were lots of appetizers, but the main courses were more limited. There were a few specialty dishes, a few unusual types of pizza, and kabobs—lots of kabobs, enough that they took up a full third of the menu. They nicely fleshed out the available selection.

My companion and I placed our orders and admired the pictures of Troy, which include an aerial view of RPI from before the CII, DCC, Robison Pool, or Nugent, Davison, or Sharp halls were built. (The Union building was there, though.)

The first thing to arrive at our table was our bread, a Mediterranean flatbread called lavash. It was huge—it literally covered half the table, and certainly didn’t fit on the plate. It was served with a tasty yogurt-based dip, and though we didn’t finish it, it was really quite good.

Our drinks came along with the bread. There is something on the menu simply called "yogurt drink." Those familiar with Indian food (such as myself) might (foolishly) assume that such a beverage would be similar to a lassi, a sweetened beverage. These poor fools would be sadly mistaken and, ideally, would learn to ask about unfamiliar items on the menu. Unfortunately, I hold little hope that this will actually happen.

The appetizer was served at the same time as our entrees, a minor glitch that we were willing to overlook because it was quite good—marinated mushrooms stuffed with cheese and baked in a casserole. Our entrees were also enjoyable. My companion ordered one of the specialty dishes, something akin to a white pizza, but made with feta and other cheeses. It was tasty, and the leftovers kept very well; we ate them cold and they were still good.

I ordered one of the hot-and-spicy kabobs. It turns out that a kabob does not, as I had thought, involve a skewer in this case. What I got was something akin to a pair of long, thin sausages, without the casing. These were served along with some veggies, including pickled red cabbage that did a nice job of taking the edge off the spiciness—which was at a good level without being daunting for the person (unlike myself) that prefers their taste buds intact. I ate this with some of the remaining bread and was quite satisfied.

We opted for dessert, and since it was a Mediterranean restaurant we tried the baklava. We got quite a bit—enough that we were glad to be splitting it—and it was excellent; the amount of honey used was right on target, and it did not drown out the walnuts. Overall, we were very pleased.

Especially given its proximity to the Institute, I encourage folks to take the walk down the street and give Ali Baba a try. And, if you’re too lazy to walk, they also deliver every day but Sunday, when the restaurant is closed.

For the curious, the restaurant’s proprietor is a very friendly RPI alumnus—Hakki Cakal graduated with a master’s in mathematics in 1986, and then remained in the Capital District working for General Electric for a while before opting to open his own business. He says the establishment is named after his brother, the head chef.