The Pita Cafe: Like Going Home for Dinner
Sometimes you need that comfortable assurance that things will never change.
It’s fun to try new places, but sometimes you just want to be wrapped in the loving arms of the familiar. That’s how Ricky, my husband and fellow Tourist, and I felt after our last two outings that ranged from mediocre to just plain bad. And that’s why we sought refuge at an old Hoover haunt, The Pita Cafe on Hwy. 150.
For a hot minute we wrestled with our mission for the Hometown Tourists, which is to try new things in our own hometown as if we were visitors. The Pita Cafe definitely ain’t new to us, BUT it may be new to YOU, we reasoned in desperation. We needed a restaurant we could count on that would be not only tolerable, but actually good. Plus, we were on that side of town to buy Christmas garland. We just had to stop in, because since we moved from Hoover, we don’t get there as much as we’d like to. When we did live there, it was a once-a-week (at least) dinner choice.
The Pita Cafe is a no-frills kind of place in a largely unremarkable strip mall across from a Walmart. There are green vinyl booths with green Formica-topped tables. Pine wainscotting creeps halfway up the wall to meet white-ish walls. Neon signs glow through the front window curtains. Some poinsettias and a small tree mark the coming of Christmas, and the dulcet sounds of WZZK play softly in the background.
As soon as we walked in the door, Mike motioned for us to sit anywhere we liked. He handles the “front of the house” while Desi is Queen of the Kitchen. We chose one of the 8 booths, really 7…Mike uses one as his “office” and regularly invites guests waiting on takeout orders to wait in his office. There are also a couple of tables for groups larger than four.
As we looked over the menu (as if we don’t have it practically memorized) I listened to Mike greeting other patrons coming in to pick up to-go orders.
“Hey, buddy!”
“How are you, my friend?”
“How’s the(wife/family/kids/etc.)?”
“You just came from work?”
“Thank you, madam, you take care!”
And Mike and Desi’s customers treat them like family too, often leaning on the counter to chit chat or joining Mike in his “office.” It just feels homey. Like going to a favorite uncle and aunt’s house. Don’t let the down home charm fool you though. These folks formally trained at culinary school in Lebanon specializing in Lebanese cuisine and French pastry, and they’ve been sharing their talents with the Hoover community for nearly 25 years. That history is illustrated in the dozens of photos on cork boards by the cash register.
We decided to start out with the grape leaves appetizer. I’ll never turn down a grape leaf. Ricky likes the falafel and the kafta and usually chooses one or the other. This night it was the Kafta Kabob Plate with salad, which is in the Entrees section of the menu and comes with hummus dip, pita bread, wild rice, fresh fruit and a choice of salad or tabouli. There is also a Specials section, and really the only difference we can determine between an entree and a special is that entrees come with fruit.
And, in the spirit of branching out, I chose the Lamb Kabob, which I’d never had, with the tabouli. When I ordered, Mike looked at me over the top of his glasses and asked me how I wanted the lamb cooked. I said “medium” because I really don’t like the look of rare meat. It’s a personal struggle.
Mike’s glasses seemed to slide a bit further down his nose as he looked at me. He said one word, “Rare?” I stared back. He went on to explain in a very fatherly way that because lamb is leaner than beef, it’s better to eat it medium rare to rare. He said the lamb was his favorite thing on the menu and that he likes it rare rare. I must have looked a bit dismayed, because he smiled and said, “For you, medium.”
The Pita Cafe also has a variety of salads, sandwiches, and burgers all under $12. The most expensive entree, the ribeye, is under $30. There’s no bar, but you can get a beer. You can also get homemade baklava (walnut, pistachio, or cashew). Remember, the Karams are formally trained in the pastry arts. Get the baklava.
It wasn’t too long before our grape leaves came out. They’re served warm with cold, tangy yogurt on the side. The filling is a mixture of meat and rice with seasonings and possibly a bit of tomato paste. Each bite has a lemony twang that rounds out the flavors. Six come in an order.
As soon as we gobbled the grape leaves up, here came our salads. The tabouli is parsley, tomatoes, cracked wheat and maybe a little onion in a lemony dressing, served in a cold, cold bowl. The regular salad is a mix of iceberg lettuce, cucumber, tomato, and red onion with a few cubes of salty feta served in a chilled bowl. Their house oil and vinegar dressing is served on the side. There are no other dressing options, and that’s a good thing. Save your Ranch obsession for another day and another place.
I’m here to tell you, what makes a good salad great is a cold dish. Feel your salad plate the next time you go out to lunch or dinner and see what a difference it makes.
We barely had time to take in the NFL football game playing on a tv in one corner or the episode of HGTV’s “My Lottery Dream Home” in the other before Mike brought out our entrees. Ricky’s kafta was piping hot and served over rice with the hummus and some orange, cantaloupe, and pineapple on the side. Covered in melted Swiss cheese, it was juicy and delicious. Since Ricky can’t eat the pita bread because of a gluten allergy, he dunks his kafta in the hummus which he says makes it even better. I can’t say that I disagree. The rice was as good as it ever was, and the fruit was ripe and perfect as fruit on the side should be.
When Mike sat my plate down he said that Desi had cooked it to barely medium because they didn’t want it to be tough. I cut into it and it was perfect. A little pink on the inside, it was fork tender and juicy. Not dry or tough at all. Not even a little bit. Mike checked on me repeatedly and offered to take it back to the kitchen and cook it more if I didn’t like it. But I declined his kind offer because the kabob was delicious just as it was.
I did see that the lamb was coated in some sort of herb mixture, so I asked Mike what the seasoning was.
“Seasoning?” he said.
“Yes, what is the seasoning?”
“Seasoning,” he replied with a wink. Some things you don’t even share with “family” I guess!
The Pita Cafe’s hummus deserves a special mention because it is velvety smooth and creamy. It will come with a dab of olive oil on the top and a dusting of paprika. Once you can’t get any more out of the little plastic cup with your pita bread, you’ll want to run your finger around the inside to get the last little bit. It’s that good.
I think Ricky paid The Pita Cafe the highest compliment when after dinner he said, “The food is always the same – GOOD!” And he’s right. The Pita Cafe is a place you can always count on to be just as good as it was the last time you were there whether it was five days ago, five months ago, or five years ago. It’s a place where you always feel at home.
Here’s how we rated The Pita Cafe on a scale of 1 to 5 pita sandwiches, 1 being the worst and 5 being the best:
Atmosphere: 🥙🥙🥙🥙🥙
Food: 🥙🥙🥙🥙🥙
Service: 🥙🥙🥙🥙🥙
Bathrooms: 🥙🥙🥙🥙
p.s. I believe that they will only be closed on Christmas Day, so while you’re out doing your last minute shopping this weekend, give them a try!
p.p.s. Ricky and I hope you have the kind of holiday your want to have, that you are satified and content, and that the new year brings you nothing but good things.
p.p.p.s. Did you know Ricky and I produce a monthly zine about music and cocktails? It’s called The Popskull Penumbra.We pair one album with one drink then share facts and trivia about both. You can see them and other interesting things at our website PopskullStudios.com and in our store.