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MEDITERRANEAN AL OUMARA Our favorite shwarma mainly because this place has some of the best Mediterranean chicken around. It must be a secret in the marinade, but it is always moist and flavorful—so moist that you’ll hardly be tempted to dip into your companion’s yummy hummus when they aren’t looking. The grilled chicken salad is the health fave—actually all the salads are really good. They go well with the fresh juices; Al Oumara has body-boosting veggies and fun fruit and honey drinks as well. It’s a pretty darn extensive menu, and if it weren’t for how good the chicken is, we would have tried most of it by now. They do beef and lamb as well—including a whole lamb, but we think that’s more for the catering and carry-out rather than the table. Al Oumara is so popular they had to open a second location a couple miles away. ANITA’S KITCHEN This old favorite has a new spot in Ferndale, which has more Lebanese dishes. Troy has more American, yet its heritage seeps into the menu, especially around breakfast; try lamb and eggs instead of ham and eggs, and all sorts of stuff spiced with sumac and other flavors not generally consumed before noon. Ferndale has contemporary décor and traditional tastes, and best of all, an outdoor patio. CEDARLAND RESTAURANT 1615 S. Opdyke, Bloomfield Township Like Middle Eastern food, but hate to get up off your butt? Boy, do we have the place for you. Cedarland’s the best (and only) Dearborn Middle Eastern restaurant with a drive-through and now, true to a one-world West-meets-East philosophy, Cedarland 2 is a reality, bringing the same style, pluck and shish-kabobery to blueblooded Bloomfield Township. JERUSALEM GARDEN This Ann Arbor gem nestled in the heart of downtown dishes out the best lentil soup in the area, hands down. They’re also known for a killer falafel, with toasted pine nuts included in the recipe. Dine in their cozy dining room, the patio on warm days or sit at the counter and talk politics or finance with Chef/Owner Ali. Our personal Pet Plus—thick mango juice to wash down the kibbeh. KABOBGY You won’t get the same old, same old at Kabobgy. Although they have the same spread as your corner Middle Eastern carry-out, it’s lots tastier and in a much more opulent setting. There is enough natural stone in here to build a monument—which is more or less what they have done; this is a very classy white-linen restaurant. The really unusual thing is the sushi. You don’t expect to see a sushi bar in a Middle Eastern restaurant, but here it is: a holdover from the old days when this was an Asian restaurant and Kabobgy was just down the street. So while the raw fish in the bar side of the restaurant may seem odd, it’s good odd. You have to admit both cuisines are much more healthy than the typical American meal. LA PITA A little fancier than the skillions of Mid-East restaurants on Warren and Michigan, La Pita serves up everything you would expect. A lower rent carry-away version is also on the Wayne State campus. THE MAJESTIC CAFÉ Despite the American bistro menu, the art on the walls and the hipsters at the bar, this used to be the legendary Gnome and the remnants of Mediterranea can still be found on the menu. MEZZA MEDITERRANEAN GRILLE 4189 Orchard Lake Rd., Orchard Lake
Twp. A fine dine that exceeds the typical Mid-Eastern experience. They have taken much of the best from the Mediterranean region, raised the bar and annexed a few more countries. There is a pallet of flavors from the geographic diversity that surrounds the Mediterranean Sea. So along with perfect pitas and find a variety of surprise offerings like duck a l’orange, chicken Marsala, pastas and even matzo ball soup. It is the heart friendly Middle Eastern cuisine that dominates the menu, and you’ll find it at its best; from casual sandwiches to the incredible, as fresh-as-it-gets kibbee (both baked and classic tartare style). The lamb is a cut above, especially the outstanding Australian chops, cut by hand every day and grilled to perfection. Finally, a place even “that fussy person” in the group can agree on. PHOENICIA What’s one predictable constant among Middle Eastern restaurants? The menu. One shining exception to break the rule? Phoenicia. Relaxed but classy, this Birmingham jewel has been serving extravagant fare for more than thirty years. Ostensibly it’s Lebanese, but the menu offers such genre-busters as salmon napped in lime and coriander and, wonder of wonders, frog legs, which haven’t been seen in the Middle East since the second plague of Moses. Still, purists shouldn’t fret; succulent shish kabob and first-rate taboulleh appear as called for, and true to form, they’re the stuff of Sultan dreams. The charming Sameer has been the consummate host for 35 years; his son, Samy, now joins him on the floor. PITA CAFE Detroit is unique in that we have more storefront Lebanese restaurants than anywhere except Lebanon. The downside is that they’re mostly all the same. Generally, they can be ranked by quality, and as such Pita Cafe ranks high. Starting from rustic storefront roots, Pita has made an upwardly mobile trek into fancy digs in B’ham and Novi. This is not by accident, but with great word of mouth, created by years of consistently great food. While the original may be more humble than the newer hummus emporiums, it has a definite family vibe that brings us back. STEVE’S BACK ROOM 24317 Jefferson Ave., St. Clair Shores The original Steve’s Back Room was indeed Steve’s back room, crouching behind Steve Kalil’s marvelous Middle Eastern grocery store on Kelly. It’s still there (lunch only), eight tables strong, serving lots of streamlined lentil stuff, exemplary baba ghanoush and mean doses of 40-weight Turkish coffee. The Jefferson outlet is bigger and spiffier, but not necessarily better. The combo of Greek-Lebanese cuisine includes an under-ten-dollar roasted leg of lamb, amazingly flavorful rice-stuffed grape leaves, and classic koussa—yellow squash stuffed with ground lamb. And lest you starve, don’t leave without sampling one of the most entrancing desserts ever: individually baked apricots filled with pistachio paste. TALAL’S MEDITERRANEAN EATERY Talal is some kind of super-genius. He’s an electronic engineering wizard whose designs are used in engine research all around the world. But Talal’s greatest design is La Shish, the upscale Middle Eastern restaurant he plans to take around the world. His eponymous spot is virtually identical to a La Shish. YOSSI The area’s only Israeli restaurant. Anyone versed in Mid-Eastern cuisine will find familiar foods (hummus, falafel, shwarma). But like great jazz, recipes here are a variation on a theme. Flavors are familiar, yet distinct and original, from the spice rack to the open grill where Chef Yossi himself is the virtuoso. Shish kebab becomes shishlick, gently seared, and is served with the signature thick, soft pitas, still steaming from the oven warmth. The babaganush (sic) is smooth, creamy and mild, a gentle dish that is one of the best things we have ever tasted. With influences from North Africa to Europe, you will find couscous sharing menu space with schnitzel and the Dutch pancake desserts can be eaten for lunch or dinner, much to the delight of the yeladim (kids) who eat the crispy fruit filled wonders with abandon. Yossi’s is off the beaten path but worth the search. Hint: it’s near the base of a giant faux redwood. © 2008 Guide to Detroit, LLC |