Food Farewell

I’m currently sitting at the airport waiting for my flight back to New York. I want to thank everyone who has made my residency and time in Michigan wonderful. Everyone at the museum was kind, helpful, and fun! It’s not often that you get to make friends with people you work with, and I am forever grateful.

I learned a lot in the past few months; from researching for Árabe, to hearing what participants were thinking about in the songwriting workshops, to just observing, listening, and exploring the area. I plan to record the songs that I’ve written here early next year and start the process to figure out how best to release the work, whether it’s a self release, reaching out to a label, or reaching out to a publisher. We shall see and if you are interested in staying in the know, you can follow me on social media or sign up for my newsletter - all that info is on my website here.

If you couldn’t tell from my “To Give Sneak Peek” newsletter, I like to eat. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed eating during the last few months and have decided to dedicate this last newsletter to my 50 favorites in no particular order. If there are any that I missed, please let me know. It is not goodbye, I’ll be back!

DEARBORN

1. AlTayeb – AlTayeb, AlTayeb, you can have all my money. This has been a true favorite of mine and I’ve gone back 4 times now for their spicy potatoes alone. When I tell you these potatoes are DELICIOUS it’s not just because the first I went they were on the house. They are dream worthy. I also think AlTayeb has the best falafel. Pics 1 - 3 (below)

2. Cedarland –The kousa here is great. It was a little sweet with cinnamon and I’m enjoy fattoush with mint and radishes. Pic 4

3. La shish – A++ holiday decorations. With ghosts and skeletons hanging from every inch of the ceiling, it is a cool atmosphere. Their bread was sweet and fresh, and everything was solid. Pics 5 - 6

4. Al Ameer – I came here with a cousin of a cousin and found out the man who owns it is the childhood best friend of a family friend of ours from El Paso. And we all know what’s it’s like to eat at a family restaurant – glorious! And I’m not biased! This place has my favorite bread fresh from the oven, great kibbe, tabouli, hummus, everything reminds me of my Sito’s cooking. 10 out of 10, 5 stars.

5. Big Moe’s – What a treat! We got take out from here a few days ago and got the spicy chicken bowl and brisket loaded fries. Great the day of and the next day for leftovers. Pics 8-9

6. Lile’s Sandwich Shop – This small shop is down the street from AANM and I went in because I loved the seafoam green tile and 50s diner style aesthetic. There are only three things on the menu and I got the corned beef sandwich, no frills. Pic 1

7. Al Chabab – Be still my heart. This is the first place I ate at in Dearborn and love everything about it. From the cherry kabob and the spicy hummus muhammara, to the owner’s class Instagram reels accompanied by “El Regalo,” this place is amazing. Pic 2 - 3

8. Arbeel Kabab – This was my first time having Iraqi food and I really loved all the soups – lentil and fava bean. Also the way the meat is mixed with spices for the kabab is now a new obsession of mine. Pic 4

9. Iraqi kabob – First of all, I love a beautiful red pleather vinyl booth. There is something about the look of a place that will make me like the food automatically. The bread here is so good and of course the kebabs are delicious. I also like the amount of lemon in the lentil soup. Pic 5 -6

10. Baba’s Grill – Lots of firsts for me these past few months, and here is where I first had dandelions and they didn’t taste like weeds! They were like olive oil funyuns. Would eat again. Pic 7

11. Good burger – What a perfect name. I went all out and got the burger that had onion rings, mozzarella sticks, and special sauce with a side of burger. I didn’t eat the rest of the day. Pic 8

12. Habib’s – I’m a fan of the kibbe and grape leaves here. Nothing special to report, just that they are good. Pic 9

13. Sheeba – I accidentally ordered a platter here, but it made the best leftovers. The highlight for me though was the mango drink. Sooooo tasty, it’s like having dessert throughout the whole meal. Pic 1

14. M Cantina – Mexican food will never taste the same as it does in El Paso to me, but M Cantina has great guacamole, elote, and fajita bites. No pic, because it was too dark and I was in celebration mode! It was our after-concert hang.

15. Cheat Treats – Just loo kat this cookie! Do you see the chocolate chips still melting?? This was the best cookie, and I also had a birthday cake one and a double chocolate. Pic 2

16. Masri Sweets – I made the mistake of going to Masri and getting a tray of baklawa. Not that it wasn’t delicious but everyone at the museum quickly told me to go back for the knafeh. They were of course right, it is yum. It’s warm and they also give extra syrup. Pic 3

17. Lebon Sweets – Another great knafeh spot, they but the warm knafeh into a sweet bagel type sandwich. Pic 4

18. Shatila – This bakery is an institution to me. My grandparents have ordered trays from Shatila for years, so it was special for me to go in person. I also realized that there are some things that just don’t ship that I LOVE. First if the atayef with fresh ashta cream, ugh so good. It comes in a little taco shape. They also make their own ice cream and the pistachio rosewater is perfect.  Pic 5 - 6

19. Hashem’s – I’m bringing a back a pound of the dried apricot paste candies that are individually wrapped from here. Amazing tea too. Pic 7  - 8

20. Qawah House – I am not a regular caffeine drinker but Qawah House could be the one to turn me. Their Adeni Chai, wooooo. I love whatever they put in there and could drink it all day every day, cold or hot outside. (sorry, no pic I drank it too fast)

21. Papaya – I don’t know if olives are a fruit or a vegetable, probably a fruit because of the seed, but if they were a vegetable they would be my favorite vegetable. I love olives of all kinds and Payaya has the olive selection of my dreams and it’s self-serve so I could try a bit of each one. Pic 9

22. Greenland Market – I wish all grocery stores had prepared foods counters this good. They have the best rice pudding! Just chunky enough, lots of rosewater, and nicely topped with pistachios. Pic 1

23. Dearborn Fresh – Another wonderful grocery store that is always good and always fast. My favorites were the heated zaatar bread, the kibbe, and the spinach feta pies (I’ve eaten an embarrassing amount of these). Pic 2-3

24. *Chocolate Dates on Oakman Blvd – The Arab American National Museum did an architecture tour which was very informative and fun. They drove us around Dearborn to talked about how Arabs have contributed to and changed architectural styles in the area. At one stop, we sat on the porch of home on Oakman and the gracious hostess brought out homemade chocolate covered dates. I know you can’t go and try them for yourself, so sorry, but I wish I had taken more in a napkin in my purse. They were so good, filled with different nuts, and were an unexpected goody – the best kind. Pic 4

25. *Fatima’s House – Dear Fatima’s mom, thank you for the home cooked meal! It was delicious, the chicken skin just crispy enough, the labneh *chef kiss* and the chicken soup was the perfect match to a cold night. Pic 5

HAMTRAMCK

1. Remas – Best lentil soup, fight me! Pic 6

2. Yemen Cafe – My eyes are always bigger than my stomach, but it won’t keep me from trying at Yemen Cafe!. Tabbouli, agadah, gallaba, lamb haneeth, fahsah, the bread, everything here is delicious! And they are open until 1am, a gift to the Hamtramck neighborhood. Pic 7-8

3. Balkan House – This was my first doner kebab and the spices are what made it delicious. Also great cold the next day. Pic 9

4. Polish Village – I have not had a lot of Polish food so I tried a few things here. The mushroom soup, perogies (my favorites were potato and spinach + cheese), and stuffed cabbage which reminded me of a bigger kousa but with pork. It was good! Pic 1 - 2

5. Fat Salmon – I would like to preface this by saying I am not an adventurous sushi eater, so sorry if this sounds basic. I got the Michigan roll here which had lemon on the top which was surprising and so good. Is lemon as a sushi topper common? Pic 3

6. Main Street – This diner has everything that you want. Busy mornings, no bs waitresses, and hashbrowns! The northeast seems to thing home fries are better than hashbrowns, so way to pull through Detroit.  Sorry there is no picture, I was hungry and had an omelet staring at me.

7. Bishr Poultry – On the architecture tour, someone mentioned in passing that Bishr had the best fried chicken and they are not joking. It is ahhmazing – not too greasy, salty in the best way, and so good I didn’t have time to take a picture because I finished my 4-pieces immediately out the door.

8. Aladdin Cafe – This was my first time trying Bangladeshi food and I loved the sweet yogurt which of course I ate first and don’t have a picture of. This is a picture of the goat stew that had ginger, lemon, and serrano peppers. Pic 4.

9. Le Detroit Macaron – Lots of fall flavors and none of them made it home as I ate them on the walk back. Caramel apple, apple pie, pumpkin spice oreo, maple pecan, and apple cider donut. Pic 5

10. New Palace Bakery – Traditional polish bakery that has great paczkis. The raspberry, apricot, and plum fillings are my favorite. Pic 6 - 7

DETROIT

1. Buddy’s – I’ve learned I enjoy a crunch in a pizza. I liked the Detroit style (lol I know they are all Detroit style) the best on the menu because there is pepperoni above and below cheese. Pretty good brownies too. Pic 8

2. America’s Coney Island – Tell me if I’m right, a coney island is a chili dog and a coney island restaurant has coney islands but is also just a diner. I like hot dogs, so I tried a few different coneys in the past few months but did like America’s the best. Lafayette’s next door was closed, but I would like to try them eventually too. Pic 9

3. Baobab – OMG! Loved it! Went back for more! I’ve never experienced flavors like this like the cashew greens and fresh hibiscus tea, and the meat was just falling off the fork. Pic 1 - 2

4. Takoi – This was a fusion Thai place, so no traditional Thai dishes and not a lot of spice but I like the heirloom tomato appetizer and mushroom noodles that had several different kinds of mushrooms.  Pic 3- 4

5. Ima – Mexican coke and ramen is so satisfying. I got the spicy miso ramen and the crunchy pork was a nice surprise. Pic 5

6. Warda Pastiserie – They have the best cream filled loaf of bread that will ever grace your lips. The cream is fresh whipped something that is thick and delicious. The mango flavored things – cheesecake and financiers are my second favorite. Pic 6-7

7. Joe Louis Southern Kitchen – Cheesy grits, mmmmm. This place has a cool interior and all the southern breakfast things you could crave – biscuits and gravy, skillets, heart attack pancakes and more. Pic 8

8. Milk & Froth Ice Cream – Need I say more? When you walk in the waffle cone smell envelopes you and the ice cream was memorable in that I know I liked it and had never tried the flavor before but cannot tell you what it was because I devoured it and didn’t take a pic.

9. Bad Luck Bar – Best hot toddy of my life. Pic 9

10. Street Food – I really do feel like I came at the best time of year. In the first weekend alone, I went to the Detroit Jazz Festival and the Hamtramck Labor day Fest which brought out the best street food. Elephant Ears (wish they had a different name), corndogs, lemon pepper fried shrimp, Jamaican shrimp and rice, I’m a fan of the outdoor festival scene here. Pic 1 - 3

AROUND

1. Tim Horton’s – I’m not from here! So, I just learned that Tim Horton’s is great. Great donuts, great sandwiches, great pumpkin spice lattes. Hands down would trade dunkin donuts for a tim hortons on my street. Pic 4

2. Taiz – This is a new Yemeni place in Canton. I got a bubbling bowl of seltah and the potato balls were covered in a mystery tasty sauce . Pic 5

3. Old Town Drive in – This drive in was in Saginaw and had window trays! So cute, I’ve never seen this before. They had coneys (aka chili dogs) but the best was their root beer coolers. They make their own root beer and the cooler was like a milkshake drink that was not thick but oh so good. Would drink again. Pic 6

4. Plymouth Cider Mill – I’m originally from the desert so apple picking and cider mills were also new for me! We went on a tractor ride, looked at cutie piggies and goats, and got hot cider, cider slush, cold cider, and cake donuts. I like the regular cold cider the best. Pic 7 - 8

5. Xiu Li Noddles in Windsor – Did you know there are autumn, winter, and summer rolls in addition to Spring? I got the autumn rolls here which were nutty and a bowl of pho. Pic 9