Restaurant Review: Al-Ameer in Dearborn, Michigan

Al-Ameer Dearborn
12710 W. Warren Avenue
Dearborn, MI 48126

313-582-8185

www.alameerrestaurant.com

The Al-Ameer Restaurant, featuring Middle Eastern cuisine, is located in Dearborn, just a few blocks away from Detroit's west side. If you like Middle Eastern food or if you're a novice, the Al-Ameer offers great food at reasonable prices. This restaurant has been in operation since 1989 and has a loyal client base.

Unlike some of the showier Middle Eastern restaurants in the area, the Al-Ameer is a workingman's diner. The place is clean but simple. Often, you will see members of the Dearborn police force enjoying a meal, as well as many from Dearborn's Arab community. It had been several years since we had dined there, but we decided to stop in one frigid night last week.

We were quickly shown to a table, and our waitress was friendly and attentive. While waiting for the rest of our party to arrive, we ordered an order of hommous and a fattoush salad. These heaping dishes arrived within minutes, along with a plate of pickles and peppers, and plenty of delicious piping hot pita bread, fresh from the oven. The hommous is fresh and the fattoush salad contained many crisp vegetables and wasn't drowning in dressing.

After our guests arrived, we ordered lamb shish kabobs ($13.95), which are accompanied with a salad and by a choice of rice, hommous or fries. My suggestion if ordering the lamb or beef kabobs is to ask that they be cooked medium, otherwise they will be prepared very well done. Since it was cold that night, we also decided to have a cup of the chicken noodle soup. It was wonderful, and I believe homemade. Our guests had not tried Middle Eastern food before, so they decided to share the Al-Ameer platter, which includes shish kabob, grape leaves, shawarma, chicken shawarma, fried kebbie, tawook, kafta and falafel, and accompanied with more hommous - a little taste of everything. Our guests loved the grape leaves and the chicken shawarma. This platter ($19.95) was more than enough for two to share, and they ended up with a huge container of food for the next day.

The Al-Ameer also offers other typical Middle Eastern cuisine, such as tabbouli, baba ghanoush, moujadara, stuffed lamb and raw kebbie. If you have a diner in your party who refuses to try this cuisine, Al-Ameer also serves some typical American fare, including baked chicken, fried shrimp, fish, and hamburgers. There are also many wraps and salads to choose from.

Our waitress was incredibly helpful with our guests, explaining the dishes and how they were made. She kept our water and soft drink glasses full. If there is any complaint I would have, it's that I was seated next to a window, and I felt the full force of a Michigan winter coming through the glass. I alleviated this by placing my husband's coat along the outside wall.

Of course, the Al-Ameer does not serve alcohol, but along with coffee, tea and soft drinks, they have a wonderful juice bar, and can concoct any smoothie or raw juice imaginable. They are open daily from 10 a.m. to 12 midnight.

All items are available for carry out, and the Al-Ameer can be contracted to cater large parties. Al-Ameer also has another restaurant on Dearborn's west side, at 27346 Ford Road, 48127.