To Beirut
Every year, on birthdays, we eat out at the birthday person’s choice of restaurant. On my 13 year old’s birthday this year, we asked him where he wanted to go. Being a Libra, he always has a hard time making decisions. So he pondered upon the place for one whole week.
To Beirut
Meanwhile, during an Indian grocery shopping trip to Norwood that week, my eyes fell on a board that said ‘To Beirut’.
It screamed Lebanese with a big L. As a family, we adore Lebanese food. Their food has the right mix of spices and herbs to win over the spice loving Indian taste buds. Hubby and me trooped in and ordered a couple of things.
Lamb Kabob
Lamb Kabob sandwich: $5.99
It didn’t disappoint. ‘To Beirut’ is everything it signifies. Middle Eastern, mainly Lebanese, food cooked to perfection. The food was delicious. We brought some home for the kids.
To Beirut
Falafel plate: $6.49
My son took one bite, and declared: That’s the place he wanted to go for his birthday.
Felafel
So we went.
Located in picturesque town of Norwood, MA, ‘To Beirut’ sits adjacent to Cedar Markets, that Elias Habr and his wife, Nada opened in Jan 2000. Elias and Nada moved from Lebanon to Montreal with their three children and then moved to Massachusetts.
Humus with Ground Lamb and spices: $7.99
In 2003 Jan, they opened a take out. The oldest son, Aziz Elias Habr, joined his parents in running the take-out only joint. ” We only made Shawarma those days. I have made upto 400 sandwiches a day!’ says Chef Aziz.
The business increased like crazy, and Chef Aziz decided to branch out to a full-fledged eat-in restaurant. But before he did that, he went on a break for three years. “I wanted to know my calling, to be sure of what I wanted to do with my life,’ he reminisces. He worked with cars, his other passion. But then, food called him back.
Chicken Liver
Chicken Liver: $9.49
‘To Beirut’ was the result. This self-serve little bistro opened its doors to the public in June this year. It is small but efficient little place, sits at the prime location of Norwood Center, overlooking a beautiful park. Chef Aziz and his wife Irene work very hard to run this place in a smooth fashion, preparing traditional Lebanese food beautifully.
Cauliflower and Eggplant: $3.99
The range is pretty wide. You can find the staple falafel, humus or Tabouleh on one side, while a few signature dishes, like Lamb Tartare or ‘To Beirut’ chicken, on the other.
“We hand-pick the meat that we serve”, Chef Aniz informs us. Turns out his father, Elias Habr, worked as a meat supplier for 40 years, many of them in Montreal. “My father can tell the quality of meat just by looking at the color,” he tells us with pride.
Lamb Kabob Dinner Plate: $8.49
We can attest to the fact by how moist and flavorful their meat dishes are. Each bite bursts with flavors. Personally, I am not fond of lamb, and this possibly is the only place ever, where I ordered a lamb dish and loved it so much that it has become a must order dish on the menu.
I also spy some Greek influences on the menu, like the Greek Lamb burgers. “Irene is Greek,’ Chef Aziz looks up at his wife with a smile.
Side plate salad with Balsamic dressing served with Dinner plate
I wonder about the Balsamic dressing that comes with the salad. It is very different from any balsamic vinaigrette that I have ever tasted.
“I developed the recipe from scratch,’ says the Chef as he expertly rolls out one sandwich after another. “Irene developed the ratio for the larger quantity we needed for the restaurant,’ the pride in his voice is evident.
Grilled Chicken Sandwich: $5.99
My younger son orders a Grilled Chicken sandwich, which is actually a burger. The meat is outrageously tender, moist and flavorful. ‘It’s the best chicken burger ever!,’ my son declares enthusiastically, while our birthday boy polishes off a plate of Chicken liver that has been seasoned with mouth-watering spices and accompanied by garlic sauce, pickles, humus and pilaf.
Carbonated Orange juice
Another interesting thing I notice is the dollars stuck to the wall. “It’s good luck charm. We had our customers sign dollars bills and put up on the day of our opening,” Irene points to the signatures.
Baklava: $1.49
The desserts are all made from scratch and Nada, Chef Aziz’s Mom, makes them all.
Pastries: $1.25
Snood al set: $1.25
Knefe: $4.49
Chef Aziz Elias Habr and his wife Irene Marmanides Habr
My Ratings:
Food Quality: 10/10
Prices: 10/10
Ambiance: 6/10
Will go back: Yes, frequently.
To Beirut
15 Cottage Street East,
Norwood, MA
Food: 781-769-FOOD (3663)
Catering: 781-76908855
the place looks amazing minnie. and i only know abt lebanese naan or khaboos as they call it i think. where i was yrs ago we used to get that packet of lebanese bread andloved it
baklava i have heard of bt never tasted it
meena recently posted..Cucumber raita..
The spices are used are very similar to that of Indian, and their food is healthy. Their vegetarian options are fantastic too.
Minnie recently posted..To Beirut – A Lebanese Gem in Boston suburbs
What a lovely couple and I wish them well with their business. The food looks very impressive and I too, am very keen on Lebanese cuisine. That’s a lovely idea that you let your son choose where he’d like to eat on his birthday – he chose well! xx
Hotly Spiced recently posted..Salad Season
Thanks Charlie! I will pass on the wishes for sure!
Minnie recently posted..To Beirut – A Lebanese Gem in Boston suburbs
I adore Lebanese food too! It’s so tasty and yet mostly quite healthy too!
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella recently posted..Rainbow Salad
Agree Lorraine :p
Minnie recently posted..To Beirut – A Lebanese Gem in Boston suburbs
I have never tried Lebanese food before so it was fun to read and see your pictures. How funny your son claim he wants his birthday party there. He’s a foodie! Thanks for sharing!
Nami | Just One Cookbook recently posted..Grilled Sanma 秋刀魚の塩焼き
Yes he is. ANd he LOVES Japanese food. His other choice was actually a Japanese restaurant called Minado that serves out of the world seafood buffet. He took whole week to decide, lol!
Minnie,
I love that your 13-year-old chose this as his restaurant to go to! It looks delicious. What a nice tradition you have in your family.
I have a 13-year-old, also. She’s quite the foodie! Our teenagers must have good moms
Sara Tetreault recently posted..Personalizing a Wedding, Part Two
hehehehe, thanks Sara! You are right. They are now spoiled for taste.
I LOVE Lebanese food. This place looks great…wish I lived closer. We have a couple here in Denver that are decent but I miss the ones in Houston. Excellent restaurants.
Nazneen
Coffee and Crumpets recently posted..Raspberry Custard Tartlets
Can’t agree with you more. We tried a couple more places earlier, but they were meh. This one is really good.
Oh yes, LOOK at that huge plate of hummus with the lamb and spices. I’d be all over that. There’s a Lebanese restaurant not too far from me but it was really bad the one time we went there. Maybe we just ordered a bad dish but it wasn’t tasty at all. We had a passable felafel, the main course we barely touched it and then just paid and got the hell out of Dodge.
I quite like Orangina – is it not easily available in the US? It’s super popular here (actually I think it’s a French invention!)… a few years ago they sold a version made with blood oranges… that was SO good!
Charles recently posted..Low Carb Shepherdless Pie
We ate at one restaurant in Boston that had terrible felafels and kabobs. Greasy, and so full of garlic that we smelled like garlic even next day. I never saw Orangina before. At least they are not very common. This one was quite nice though I am not sure what kind of oranges were used. Blood oranges sound very good.
Loved the review!The part I enjoyed the most was how the chef decided to take 3 years off to find his calling. I like the mentality and the dedication he came back with
Sawsan (Chef in disguise) recently posted..Homemade Pumpkin Puree
Thank you so much Sawsan! You are right Sawsan, I was impressed with that too. Their dedication shows.