Raad's Mediterranean Grill, 962 Cherry St SE ~ 8/11/15

We've been hearing about this place and finally made it there today for lunch. It's been in business for two years and when we walked in today, it was empty. That can't be good.

There are about nine tables set in a pleasant atmosphere and six chairs lined up against a street-facing window.

We walked in and were greeted with "to go or here?" Not the most welcoming greeting by our server. We seated ourselves and perused the 6-page menu. Appetizers & salads, two pages of entrees, beverages-smoothies-desserts, an ala carte and kids page, and a lunch menu. We had to start with a few appetizers ~ Samosas and Falafel. Our server, "is that all?"

The samosas were served with delicious tzatziki sauce and the falafel arrived draped in tahini and parsley. This was all made to order and we waited for it, but it was worth the wait. We next ordered from the entree menu, Gyro and Kafta. Each entree comes promised with salad, rice, hummus, fresh pita bread, and optionally served as a wrap or plated. We took plated. And we need to talk about the salad first.

We'd like to eat this everyday, seriously. There's a lemony dressing (house recipe) that tops off radishes, parsley, tomatoes, onions, lentils, pita chips made on the premises, and pomegranate seeds. The salad is alive with flavor and texture and is altogether amazing. The Gyro then arrived.

Hummus, rice and gyro were beautifully presented. As we are waiting for the Kafta, the owner and/or chef stepped out to ask whether I'd like tzatziki or garlic sauce (he whispers 'garlic'). How could we not take the garlic :-). He then notices our notes and camera. "Are you food critics?" Well, we do have a blog. "Why didn't you tell me? I would have taken good care of you." No. That's not how we like to review restaurants. And when the Kafta finally came out he accompanied it, chatting up the food, and due to his hovering we neglected to get a food photo, until the leftovers arrived at home :-)

There are 16 spices in the rice, according to our chef, and the garlic sauce and the rest of the food was well prepared and fresh. The garlic sauce was a great recommendation so don't miss it. We asked about the lack of customers and our guy said it's always like this because no one knows about them, which is sad because the food is wonderful. It's made as it is ordered, table for table. Pita bread is brought in from Detroit and was promised with the Kafta entree but never arrived so we can't comment on that other than we didn't get it.

Ideas for improvement? Train your servers to be more welcoming and customer savvy. Add building signage and update the tacky sandwich board sign. Clean the one bathroom customers use. Avoid loud conversations between the server and chef while customers are waiting for food, and don't make customers listen to your phones ring as well as to your subsequent conversations. And maybe change the soundtrack to a consistent mideastern vibe rather than a random jazz/pop thing.

Online reviews complain about the prices but there is a lunch menu available with reduced costs. We hope he stays in business and maybe he does well enough with take-outs and catering to stay alive.

The smoothies were recommended to us by the chef as being all natural with no added sugars, etc., so we took two to go. Delicious! Check out this place, at least for the falafel, hummus, garlic sauce, and the salad! They have local delivery service and you can find them on facebook and at www.raadsgr.com
Sad Update 2/18/16 ~ we drove by earlier this week and the restaurant is closed and the building vacant.

Sheshco Mediterranean Grill, 2121 Celebration Dr NE - 2/12/13

Conveniently located near Celebration Cinema North movie theater, we recently made our third visit before heading for the movie. This is a large restaurant divided into two rooms, both of which are heavily decorated with things that include a stuffed bird and framed daggers. Light fixtures are also diverse and somewhat interesting but it seems to be a bit much overall.

There’s a large counter that services take-out orders, and behind that is an open kitchen with a brick, gas-fired oven. Cool oven with flames visible but the counter gives the room a strange vibe, making it seem more like a counter-order restaurant.

Each visit found us seated in booths right next to other diners when plenty of other seating was available. We would have seated ourselves otherwise but the sign clearly asked us to wait to be seated (so we dealt with the loud-talkers oblivious of their surroundings).

We always experienced friendly and efficient service but the highlight of this restaurant will always be the puffy pita bread automatically brought out with a fantastic garlic spread (garlic, jalapenos, lemon juice, and olive oil). This alone warrants a visit.

Both the Falafel and Fried Kibbeh were slightly over fried but otherwise alright. The lamb vegetable soup was delicious, and the house salad was fresh with a nicely seasoned dressing.

Hommous topped with lamb is highly recommended but the Shawarma had a really heavy all-spice flavor that was too strong for us. The Beef Shish Kabob with the crisp vegetables was nicely spiced and spot-on.

Take-out seems to be a big part of their business as we watched many people walk in for their orders. The restaurant does not have a liquor license but instead offers raw and freshly squeezed juices. The owner also owns the two Le Kabob locations in Grand Rapids. Find them all on Facebook.

We later inquired about the origination of the name of the restaurant and heard back from the owners that it was derived from "Shish Lick or Shish Cabab" and "Co" from "A Cook."  Inventive enough.

This is a fine addition to Grand Rapids’ Middle Eastern restaurants and a nice alternative to Ming Ten for Celebration Cinema North attendees.

www.sheshcogrill.com

Osta’s Lebanese Cuisine, 2228 Wealthy St SE, East Grand Rapids - 8/23/12

This is a sweet, little setting in which to enjoy mid-eastern fare. It’s casual space and holds about 11 tables. The take-out window was busier than the dining room when we visited.

Our server promptly brought us menus but didn’t take beverage orders and didn’t bring us water until we requested it when she returned a while later. Other than that initial bump, the service was perfect, attentive without being over-whelming, and well-timed dishes.

Beginning with the falafel appetizer, we enjoyed the three deep-fried fava bean patties served with lettuce, tomato, onion, and tahini.

Fast upon this were our salads, fatoush and lebanese. Both were delicious, fresh, and lovely creations, and although there was too much of it, we ended up preferring the lemon vinaigrette dressing on the lebanese salad. The ingredients for the “zestier” fatoush dressing would not be revealed (but you can find their hummus recipe on their website).

We both chose pita sandwiches for our entrees: grilled lamb (marinated lightly in red wine with hommous - spelled differently in various places on their website so pick your spelling :), tomato and onion; and shawarma (thin slices of beef marinated in lebanese spices) with tahini, tomato, and onion. Visually identical, both sandwiches took a few bites to reach the onion and tomato but were excellent combinations of flavors. And don't miss the home-made, pickled turnip served on the side!

A woman who appeared to be an owner was very familiar and friendly with customers and spent a bit of time in the dining room. She greeted the two middle-schoolers seated next to us by name, and later we had the pleasure of helping them figure out what to tip the server, after they had an awkward moment with her. This friendly place is welcoming, offers freshly-prepared food, and is worthy of your business. 

Find more information about the background of the restaurant and view the menu at: http://www.ostaslebanese.com

The Pita House, Monroe Center - 12/11/09

8/17/12: New occupant identified, now really sad...

6/18/12: Nothing left but reflections... 

5/23/12 Update: Sami's lost their lease on Monroe Center and will close this weekend. Sad news for the downtown lunch crowd. Sami's owners are looking for a new downtown space.

Everyone who lives in Grand Rapids has been in a Sami’s Restaurant (now four locations), and it is the best gyro in town. The rest of the food is good as well, particularly the hummous, babaghanooj, shish kabob, and falafel. If your dining companions are not fond of Mediterranean cuisine, they can order a burger, corn dog, turkey sandwich, or a few other things (frankly, we’d rather find new dining companions :).

We recently tried the downtown location and it’s in a great spot on Monroe Center. So what’s left to say? Only that the atmosphere is not pleasant (we have not been to the Kentwood location so that may be different but it’s unlikely). Each restaurant has a walk-up-to-order counter and sit-down areas with hard booths and chairs. There’s nothing warm, comfortable, or inviting about the seating areas or decor. (The East Town location also serves as a grocery store.) Our preference is to get our food to go and eat at home. The 28th street location does have an outdoor deck so it’s a little nicer in summer - yes, except that it’s on 28th Street. Traffic noise and fumes don’t generate a pleasurable dining experience. So, if you’re in the mood for a great gyro, go get Sami’s, but get it to go.

www.thepitahouse.net