Some say that love has phases: attraction, infatuation, the honeymoon interval and dedication.
Attraction is comparatively simple. There are numerous methods through which one thing will be enticing. And Lebanese meals has all of them.
It might look good and odor good. It might sound good when somebody describes it: oil-drizzled, grill-sizzled, tahini-laden, studded with toasted nuts.
The attraction was immediate once I beheld the fateh platter from Beirut Grill & Deli in Oviedo ($12.99 on the breakfast menu, which they serve all day). I couldn’t see to the underside of the plate, however earlier than it was served, the fateh acquired a shower in shimmering-hot ghee, which, poured excessive, produced a profoundly attractive sizzle.
“Folks like to see it and listen to it,” Riad Elkhatib tells me.
However even should you order this from Door Sprint, assuming it’s dealt with with care, it is going to be a marvel: orange oil towards a creamy base of garlicky tahini-yogurt sauce, richly topped with toasted nuts — slivers of almonds, complete, hefty cashews.
Beneath lies the heartiest of bean dips, hummus and complete chickpeas and on the base, crisp, deep-fried items of pita. There’s crunch and cream and lavishness that appears misplaced for such humble elements. And but, there it’s.
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I’m infatuated with this dish, which was the finale of “favourite” issues I ate right here. Every little thing, it appeared, was one of the best I’d ever had.
So, once I lastly met Elkhatib, and he informed me — unaware of whether or not I’d tried something — that his restaurant makes “one of the best hummus you’ll ever style, it’s out of this world,” I spoke again instantly, a name and response, virtually as if he had been preaching.
“Out of this world,” I echoed.
It’s true. They make 20-30 kilos a day, he says, and but, primarily based on the parts they serve, I’m nonetheless a little bit stunned it’s no more.
Each little bit of it, just like the overwhelming majority of things right here, from the bread to the falafel to the thick garlic paste that accompanies the shawarma (flip the little ramekin the wrong way up, I dare you, it gained’t even budge), is created from scratch.
They soak the garbanzos in chilly water for a day, then boil them, then cool them, then come the standard suspects, together with what Elkhatib says is the easiest tahini. I imagine him. There’s plenty of good hummus on the market, and but this? It’s particular.
Elkhatib, 62, is a relative newcomer to the meals recreation. He and one other companion opened the Beirut Bakery & Deli on South Orange Blossom Path in 2022. That was his first foray.
Earlier than that, the Beirut native, who emigrated at 18 to earn {an electrical} engineering diploma in Texas, had spent a long time within the Fort Lauderdale space, doing all the pieces from promoting T-shirts on the Swap Store to operating comfort shops to retail. In 2000, he and a few companions opened a magnificence provide retailer in Orlando. Quickly, that they had 10.
In 2022, a Lebanese pal pitched the bakery concept, and Elkhatib, an adventurer who enjoys new challenges, was recreation.
“I used to be shocked on the quantity of labor I put in,” he tells me. Earlier than lengthy, his working companion bowed out of the “working” half, so Elkhatib, his spouse, Vanda, and one other good friend began to grind.
“He’s very educated about meals, so we labored collectively, and I realized from him.”
A self-described perfectionist, Elkhatib likes his meals a sure manner and was specific about what they might serve. At Beirut Bakery & Deli, there isn’t a fusion, no diversifications.
“It needed to be genuine; in any other case, it might have been unacceptable.”
The Lebanese group, who got here for the breads and the spreads — hummus, babaganoush, muhammara, extra — the manakeesh and the finger meals, two-bite pies in cheese, meat, spinach, validated him.
Then got here the Brazilians.
Brazil has the biggest Lebanese diaspora on the planet. And those who aren’t Lebanese nonetheless know the meals effectively.
“Venezuelans, too,” he tells me. “They’re very, very educated about Mediterranean meals. There’s a massive Center Jap group there, too, largely Syrian, however after that, Lebanese.”
Enterprise on OBT was good. And although at first he balked on the concept when a good friend advised one other location, finally, Elkhatib acquired on board. It could be an categorical restaurant, they determined. Principally takeout close to UCF.
“Now, individuals inform me I want extra seating,” he laughs.
The Oviedo store — Beirut Grill & Deli — has one thing the bakery doesn’t. (See: GRILL).
This opened an entire new world for them: shawarma, kebab, kafta (his private favourite) and extra. Grocery gadgets, too — olive oils from Lebanon and Palestine, halvah for late-night candy cravings, blended nuts. Prospects love the added comfort that comes with what a Lebanese YouTuber just lately proclaimed a “High 10 hummus outdoors of Lebanon.”
I haven’t been to Beirut, however I’m inclined to imagine him.
Kebabs are juicy, with a fats ration that hits that candy spot between an excessive amount of (it burns) and too little (it dries out). Lamb is tender atop rice that my daughter cherished, however I may barely hassle with, as I wanted carb house for the breads, all of them baked proper right here.
Foul, a well-liked breakfast in Lebanon, is one other wealthy delight, spiced to be scooped and savored — one half creamy, one half beany-chunky. Need one thing a little bit extra within the center? Get eggs, however as a substitute of the hyperlinks or patties you’ll discover on the City Home a number of miles up the highway, the sausage right here is Turkish sujuk, which you’ll additionally discover atop flatbreads and pizza.
Shawarma pizza, a brand new factor right here, has taken off, Elkhatib tells me, however for my visits, I went old style. Tender kibbeh, far too typically dry, is handmade, simply sturdy sufficient to carry collectively however fall-apart tender with a little bit strain.
“The Brazilians get them organized 20 or 30 at a time, typically,” he tells me, and I hear Vanda snort. She’s Brazilian herself, although third-generation Italian.
It’s their presence within the store, her husband believes, that makes a distinction after they greet individuals from world wide. A German man the day earlier than, he tells me. Teams of Center Jap professors from UCF assist them. A brand new worker from close by Siemens, Egyptian.
“The opposite day, two women got here in, a mother and daughter from Iran,” he tells me. “They got here as a result of a good friend really helpful us, then they took photos of the meals and confirmed me, they had been sending them to a different good friend.”
Phrase of mouth has been good, and I imagine it, particularly texts since most individuals are most likely too busy chewing.
“I like what I’m doing right here,” Elkhatib tells me. “When individuals are available, and so they eat my meals, and they’re joyful, it feels good. It makes me proud.”
I’ve been consuming that fateh for a few days now (parts listed below are beneficiant), and even now, carved into, shrinking within the bowl, this layered Lebanese bean dip appears to be like attractive to me. I’m nonetheless within the infatuation stage, I reckon, nevertheless it appears like I’ve stepped over the honeymoon.
I’m prepared for a dedication.
Wish to attain out? Discover me on Fb, Twitter or Instagram @amydroo or on the OSFoodie Instagram account @orlando.foodie. E-mail: amthompson@orlandosentinel.com. For extra enjoyable, be part of the Let’s Eat, Orlando Fb group or comply with @enjoyable.issues.orlando on Instagram, Fb and Twitter.
When you go
Beirut Grill & Deli: 3100 Alafaya Path in Oviedo, 321-765-4139; beirutgrilldeli.com