The 2009 Tastes of Detroit Food Tour - Anita's Kitchen

THURSDAY, JUNE 25th, 2009:
Anita's Kitchen

When I was much, much younger I was introduced to Lebanese food by a client of mine; he took me to his home, where his grandmother lived. His grandmother treated me like royalty and prepared a homemade feast. I instantly fell in love with the cuisine and have ever been on the quest to find that level of service and quality.

The Metro Detroit area is home to the largest Arab-speaking diaspora outside of the middle east. Much like Mexican cuisine has permeated the southern California area to the point it has become part of the culture, so it is the same with Lebanese food in this area. Therefore we have a rich heritage of Lebanese-style restaurants and a wide selection to choose from.

In my years of searching, a few restaurants stand out as the pinnacle of taste, freshness, pride, and that "secret family recipe" appeal that is so hard to put a finger on. Anita's Kitchen is on the short list.

One of the first tests I conduct at any new Lebanese restaurant is sampling their Labne. Each family has their own recipe handed down through the years, with a distinct strain of yogurt culture that may be dozens (in some cases, hundreds!) of years old.

When I first tasted the labne at Anita's, I was shocked. It was stunningly good. I ordered lamb ghallaba (sort of a lamb stew) and it was incredible. I could tell immediately that the chef took pride in what he was doing.

The standard Lebanese/American dishes consist of Shwarma, Tawook, and of course the old stand-bys Hummous, Tabbouleh, and Baba Ghanouj. You will delight in discovering these and more in joining us at Anita's