DaytonDailyNews.com

MIAMISBURG — You could call it Extreme Makeover: Restaurant Edition.

The newly expanded and refurbished Taste of the Mediterranean certainly bears little resemblance to its predecessor.

The restaurant's owner, Akram Fadel, has taken over a neighboring space in the little ethnic-food enclave on the southwest corner of Ohio 725 and Ohio 741 and gutted the existing restaurant to create a white-tablecloth dining destination, with an expanded menu of Middle Eastern specialties and a new license to sell beer and wine.

For starters — literally, since it's served at every meal — the hummus here is simply the best around: silky-smooth in texture and balanced in flavor, with no one component (garlic, olive oil, chickpeas) standing out. You'll find yourself scraping the bottom of the bowl with a pita slice to get the last remnants.

Familiar Middle Eastern specialties such as meat and chicken kabobs ($13.95-$15.95), falafel ($8.95), and tabbouleh ($4.50) set a standard here, with robust — but not overpowering — seasoning. Try also the M'jadara ($3.95), whole lentils and cracked bulgar wheat cooked with onion and olive oil and served warm.

The fish specialties positively sparkle. Whole fish ($24.95) can be ordered sauteed or fried: usually striped sea bass, flavored subtly with olive oil, lemon, cilantro and a touch of garlic. It's one of the best seafood entrees in the region. Eating fish served whole requires care in avoiding small bones, but the fish makes the extra effort worthwhile in its added moistness and flavor. If requested, the head and tail can be removed before the dish is brought to the table, and a Boneless Filet of Fish ($17.95) also is offered as an option.

Fadel has brought in some Lebanese beers and wines to add authenticity to the experience, and the red wines are fine accompaniments for the lamb and beef dishes, and are relative bargains.

At lunch, a Chicken Shawarma sandwich ($4.25) blends generous sliced and seasoned chicken with pickles and tomatoes and a garlicky mayonnaise wrapped tightly in pita-style bread and heated. Or try a similar sandwich with Maqaneq, a spicy lamb sausage ($4.50).

CONTACT this reporter at (937) 225-2258 or mfisher@DaytonDailyNews.com.

how to go

WHAT: Taste of the Mediterranean.

WHERE: 47 S. Springboro Pike, Miamisburg (on the southwest corner of the Ohio 725-Ohio 741 intersection).

HOURS: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, noon to 8 p.m. Sundays.

COST: Lunch, $3.95 to $5.95; dinner, $7.95 to $24.95.

MORE INFO: (937) 434-9140.

DISHES TO TRY: Hummus ($3.95 — also served as complimentary starter at both lunch and dinner), Chicken Shawarma sandwich ($4.25), M'jadara ($7.95), Falafel Delight ($8.95), Kabob Combination ($15.95), Sauteed Whole Fish ($24.95), Combination Entree for Two ($24.95).