“Please, sit anywhere you’d like.”

I look at the six empty booths lining the wall, then at the hopeful faces of the three people working — well, eager to work — at Chef H Restaurant & Grill.

“Uh, I was just driving by and noticed your ‘Just Opened’ sign and wanted to pick up a to-go menu,” I try to explain. “I’m not really hungry right now.”

Disappointed silence.

“But I guess as long as I’m here …”

Slumping into the nearest booth, I scan the menu — mostly Mediterranean cuisine, no favorite of mine — for something simple that will get me out the door quickly.

But before I can order, a large plate of food is placed before me.

“These are our side dishes,” a man excitedly explains in heavily accented English. “It will help you decide what you want.”

I pick up a pita chip and dip it in the hummus, surprised by the subtlety of the flavor. Encouraged, I try the baba ghanoush, enjoying the smokiness of the roasted eggplant.

I work my way around the plate, marveling at one item after another — black beans and pineapple, tabouli, Israeli salad, carrot salad with chickpeas — until the plate is nearly clean.

By the time my Moroccan chicken wrap ($5.99) arrives — filled with well-seasoned poultry and saffron-infused couscous — I know this is no ordinary strip-mall eatery.

Chef H, it turns out, is Hesham Khalik (pictured above), born in Egypt and raised in Germany, where he started his culinary career. Locally, his resume includes stints at The Phoenician, Hyatt Regency-Scottsdale and Arizona Biltmore resorts.

In early December, he finally opened his own small restaurant on the northeast corner of Lindsay and Pecos roads in Gilbert.

Delicious kebabs (pictured above), gyros (shown at left) and wraps are the backbone of the menu, but Chef H also offers entrees like grilled salmon and New York strip steak (the latter with a sweet red-wine-and-honey sauce) as good as any I’ve had in the East Valley.

Because cooler space is so limited, Khalik says he makes almost everything from scratch each day (except desserts, which are brought in). Cooking is a passion the friendly chef shares by chatting with most customers.

“If you don’t see something on the menu, just ask,” he tells me. “If I have it, I will make it for you.”

So far, Chef H’s biggest challenge seems to be his location. Lindsay Road has only a fraction of the drive-by traffic that nearby Gilbert or Val Vista roads get.

Still, after just a few weeks, Khalik has cultivated a small but dedicated group of regulars who are intent on spreading the gospel of the chef’s tasty and healthy Mediterranean fare.

Count me among the converted.

>> Chef H Restaurant & Grill, 3107 S. Lindsay Road, Gilbert, is open 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. (480) 786-9835.