• Anita’s Kitchen

  Filed under Eatable, Restaurant Reviews
  Jun 7

  Lately, dining out has become a rare event. Most often I spend anywhere from fifteen to thirty minutes to prepare a fresh simple meal.  Once or twice a week, a more extravagant dinner will be presented with maybe five or six dishes.  This usually coincides with company coming, a recent trip to the farmers market or a taking the opportunity to express a moment of inspiration.  Even those meals rarely take more than an hour to prepare.  Thus, looking at drive time, cost and quality of food, going out for dinner is rarely justified.  Even the lovely thought of someone serving us has become jaded by the fact that good service is a rare occasion in restaurants anymore.  

  Marci and Allen invited us to dine with them last week.  Allen worked at Inn Season Cafe for years as my trusted dining room manager and has spent the last decade as dining room manager at the Zodiac Cafe in Neiman Marcus.  Marci, Allen’s long time friend, is a talented graphic artist and designer who saved the day many times when we needed help at Inn Season Cafe.  She has worked with me many times since, designing recipe greeting cards and providing “Vanna White” style assistance at my cooking classes. (Of course I am kidding J She’s a fantastic assistant!).  At Whole Foods:

   

  We have remained good friends, enjoying the old stories, keeping up with the new and having great laughs over the human ironies in the restaurant business.  

  Anita’s Kitchen has been in Troy, Michigan for decades.  Anita opened one of the first Lebanese restaurants in the northern suburbs of Detroit as well as spawning a number of others over the years with her own ventures and extended family.  My father and my son, Spyros used to regularly eat at Anita’s—to the point of everyone knowing them on a first name basis.  The food was consistent and inexpensive, but there were better quality Lebanese places around.  Allen wanted to try out the latest venture in Ferndale recently opened by Anita’s daughter and son-in-law and we all agreed without high expectations.  We met there on a rainy Friday evening and found a nicely designed and well laid out restaurant with covered outdoor seating and crowds of people—a good sign.  We started by sharing the vegetarian platter for 2 to 4 , a mezzes style appetizer one finds almost every Lebanese restaurant.  It is a large platter with hummus, tabouli, babaghanouj, felafels, stuffed grape leaves, laban and fresh pickles.  This version was excellent.  Noticeable, were the nicely seasoned grape leaves.  Everything tasted fresh and balanced and did not contain the exorbitant amounts of garlic often found in other restaurants.  While the menu had many normal Lebanese offerings, Anita’s of Ferndale has a number of different dishes that caught my interest such as pita bread pizzas, a variety of salads and a good list of specials.  We all opted for an artichoke pie from the specials list.  Made with a layered phyllo pastry like the Greek spinach pie, it was excellent.  I had the dinner version and my only complaint that the pie was served with rice and tabouli. Tabouli is often served as an appetizer and we had just finished the platter where it complimented the hummus and babaghanouj. The third of my plate that contained tabouli thus remained untouched and wasted.  Service was surprisingly attentive and we did not have to “take charge” of our meal as so often occurs in today’s dining scene.  The evening was spent regaling each other with stories, laughing, and enjoying the company of good friends.  A great evening and a wonderful dining experience.  

  
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