Rockville's Bountiful Lemon Tree

At the Lemon Tree, what you see is what you get. All of it.

The glass-fronted counter of this Mediterranean cafe and market in Rockville holds sample plates of almost everything on the menu, and not in exaggerated portions. An order of mild lamb and beef kofte might be labeled Turkish meatballs, but each of the three patties is a good three ounces (yes, I weighed one); with bulgar pilaf and a fair amount of salad, it's $9.95. The six- or seven-inch flat-iron ciabatta panini, in seven varieties, are $6.99 to $8.99, and if you choose the french fries over the salad, it's a substantial and hot pile.

There are inexpensive plates of falafel and tabouli and bean or pasta salad, large or small bowls of baba ghanouj and just-garlicky cucumber-yogurt tzatziki, and if you have leftovers, the staff is likely to restock the pita in your doggy bag.

In fact, the only dishes on the menu more than $15 are the four-flavor hummus platter at $15.99 and the $24.99 kebab platter, which has two of those "meatballs," plus lamb, chicken and beef kebabs, bulgur and salad, which is enough for two or lunch tomorrow.

It's an ideal menu for grazing, and the casual seating fits the bill. The dining room has nice stone-topped patio tables in the center, but at either end are sofas and armchairs around coffee tables, and the music, when there is any, is kept low, which seems to naturally keep conversational tones down as well. Even the flat-screen TV is on mute. Israeli or Turkish wines are available, along with a full line of coffee drinks. A stone "chimney" with a gas fire makes it feel even more like a living room, or perhaps the common room of an old-fashioned college house.

The Lemon Tree's recipes are on the simple side, and ingratiatingly so. Imam bayildi, the baked eggplant classic that is often over-oiled and overcooked, here is so light and firm it reminds you that the nightshade family is one of fruits, not vegetables. The rice-stuffed peppers are similarly scented rather than smothered in mint, pine nuts and allspice.

Not only is the cooking on the healthful side, the kitchen makes room for a range of dietary requirements. For meat-eaters, there are lean (and moderately sized) kebabs; for seafood lovers, shrimp and fish kebabs; and for vegetarians and vegans, plenty of grains and salads, stuffed peppers and grape leaves, eggplant and zucchini dishes. The hot dogs are beef; the corn dogs are soy. Even the slight trace of sugar in the imam bayildi is noted. (The kitchen is not kosher, but ingredients are listed on the menu, helpful to those who wish to avoid mixing dairy and meats by custom.)

In fact, the meatless dishes may come as a pleasant surprise to those used to Asian-style counterfeits: The pizza-like lahmacun is stuffed with soy beef, as are the manti (ravioli), although these have eggs in the dough. One of the best of the panini is the Tel Aviv, with grilled eggplant and zucchini, a light layer of mozzarella, and roasted red pepper and pesto. There are eggless and cheese-free borek choices, and although there is a little broth in the lentil soup, the soup of the day is often vegetable.

Then there is the other counter: the pastries. Here are sweets both Middle Eastern and not: white chocolate layer cake, triple chocolate cake, tartlets, baklava, mud pie, etc. (Even several of these are vegan.) That the Lemon Tree shares the sidewalk with Maria's, famous for its Chinese desserts, could be the one diet-busting factor in the mix.

The Lemon Tree 1701 Rockville Pike, No. B-1, on Halpine Drive, Rockville (Metro: Twinbrook) Phone:301-984-0880 Kitchen hours: Open Monday-Thursday 8-9, Fridays and Saturdays 8-10, Sundays 10-8. Prices: Salads and sandwiches $6.99-$9.99; mezze $4.99-$9.99; kebabs $8.99-$14.99. Wheelchair access: Good The Lemon Tree 1701 Rockville Pike, No. B-1, on Halpine Drive, Rockville (Metro: Twinbrook) Phone:301-984-0880 Kitchen hours: Open Monday-Thursday 8-9, Fridays and Saturdays 8-10, Sundays 10-8. Prices: Salads and sandwiches $6.99-$9.99; mezze $4.99-$9.99; kebabs $8.99-$14.99. Wheelchair access: Good