Good recipes, nice atmosphere, and an interesting menu are frequently ruined by inattentiveness in the kitchen.  Meats are often dry, tough, and overcooked, though the vegetarian options are still delicious.  Ali Baba is a place with a lot of potential, but it needs more skilled professionals behind the curtain.\n\n(Also, the water glasses are unusually small, requiring many refills and usually causing periods without water during a meal--you can ask for a bigger one, though, something I didn't learn until my third visit.)