Al Sultan
“Hello, hello, welcome, welcome,” friendly words that come with a handshake from the owner as you enter. Dave, him and I are on first names basis, comes up and will always give a kind smile and a puny handshake. Al Sultan in Garden City on Inkster Road just north of Cherry Hill Rd. and on the east side of the street offers excellent Middle Eastern cuisine with affordable price tagging along with it. As soon as you are greeted and take a look around this small restaurant you noticed the several murals. These murals consists of vast deserts with aboriginal women dressed proper seen sometimes with buckets or walking next a camel. Middle Eastern culture is even more accentuated by the music playing while eating. The constant beat with the occasional syncopated noted that keeps you on your heels of the darabukas, Middle Eastern drums, in the music combined with a calming chant in a native tongue will enhance your mood and immediately you will feel welcomed.
Now let’s get to the good stuff, the meal! Once seated your waitress, there are no waiters, will present a basket of pita bread along with a plate of pepperonicini and sliced beets. Thus following, a question about your drink leaves you puzzled once you realize the fresh juice that is offered there along with Middle Eastern coffee and Pepsi products. The freshly ground orange, apple, carrot, peach, and Al Sultan special are just a few of their delicacies that are in their fresh juice array. When returned with your drinks, you are asked courteously, “You ready to order?” Whenever attending the first thing that you must order is the hummus. The ground chick peas with tahini sauce and other ingredients giving the taste of garlic and a little hint of lemon and many other tastes impossible to describe combined with its smooth, creamy peanut butter like consistency makes it a favorite by almost all. This will be brought to your table in about two to five minutes once your waitress leaves your table. The dish brought back has the hummus along with four slices of beats, each spaced equally apart, and a touch of parsley in the center. A big scoop is a necessity and should be followed with pita bread taking a massive dip into the hummus. If there is any left over take it home! I’m one for breaking food borders and believe me tortilla chips and hummus is delicious. If you weren’t ready to order earlier the waitress will ask if you are ready aft
er about five minutes you have dug into the dish of hummus. For those that have never eaten Arabic on the menu they go into vast description of their meals. They divide the menu into appetizers, salads, main entrees, and sandwiches. Many things their consist of many meats such as chicken, lamb, and beef but, for those vegetarians you can make everything into just veggies of have even seafood put in there. At this time I ordered the Shish Tawook dinner. It arrived much faster than it should be and made myself felt bombarded with the food set forth in front of me. Even though my mental clock was discombobulated the food set forth on the table straightened it out. Then perfect sized cubes of chicken, grilled to the point of perfection with it being completely cooked and was almost as juicy as a fruit. The chicken, accompanied by vegetable such as onions and tomatoes, can be meshed perfectly together in the pita bread given earlier and if re
quested and should be requested garlic sauce. Along with the dish comes a large heaping of white rice that also can be put into your sandwich but is still delicious eaten alone. The heaping given forth was given in the right amount of filling a person up but not overstuffing yourself at the table. The total cost of this meal, with tip, was a measly $20! This restaurant is a perfect family style restaurant just based on the price alone but, it also gives delicious food and if you are on the go it doesn’t occupy all of your day. The swiftness was highlighted by no reservation was needed and it isn’t recommended because you are always seated immediately and is easily handicap accessible. All in all, I have referred this restaurant to many friends that were ignorant to Middle Eastern cuisine and have left the restaurant wanting another Chicken Shawarma the following week. Now excuse me, I’m off to eat my hummus and tortilla chips while watching college football.
Picture 1-4 Taken by or Scan by MKay
