Mighty Mean Mediterranean - 405 Magazine

Mighty Mean Mediterranean

Capers serves up flavor, freshness and selection perfection – with a buffet like this, who needs a menu?

If you lean traditional – entering buffet-right – Executive Chef Nordeen Bennai has arrayed a mecca for health-conscious eaters at Capers’ buffet: couscous with grilled eggplant; curried potato salad; beet salad with feta, oranges and pistachios; spinach salad dappled with pecans and raisins; salads Greek, Caesar and Persian; velvety fresh hummus, sliced fruits, tabbouleh and baba ghanoush.

For club-Med foodies, the salad plenitude alone could fulfill all sorts of guilt-free fantasies. But that would leave so much buffet food unjudged and yet to be indulged.

Chef Nordeen, a 30-year fixture in metro dining (including Café 501), has created a Mediterranean buffet that pays attention not to serving chutes of the shamelessly hungry (c’mon, you know you’ve done it), but ensuring that each dish could stand on its own in a traditional restaurant setting.

He paid attention to décor (not every buffet must be strip-mall compliant) and there’s service. A friendly, well-informed wait staff will answer your questions, refill drinks and deliver fresh, warm pita bread. Even behind the buffet, the large kitchen staff knows their stuff, or will find it out.

For entrees, you’ll find foundations of saffron, basmati or dill rice. Bring someone unfamiliar with Mediterranean, like your kids, and you’ll find the gamut: moussaka, dolmas, kofta kabobs, shawarma, gyros and harissa-infused capers. If their growing culinary horizons fade to “blech,” pizzas and chicken fingers await to save the day.

Chef Nordeen has engineered a welcome blend of restaurant-quality food and service with a well-executed buffet that honors the flavor demands of Mediterranean cuisine.


Capers Mediterranean Buffet and Bistro
6317 N. Meridian, OKC, 720.2600, capersdiner.com
Lunch buffet 11am – 5pm: $8.99
Dinner buffet 5 – 9pm: $11.99
To-go, special event and catering options. Open daily.