Press

03/30/09

The Cleveland Free Times: Aladdin's Magic

The couple seated in the front window, near the mirrored wall was having a bit of trouble with Aladdin's Eatery, at Rockside Corners, on Rockside Road in Independenc. Although the placeis all dressed up with sparkling glass block, potted plant, fesh, light walls and a colorful ceiling of sweeping ribbons reminiscent of a sultan's tent, the woman at the table complained in a faint whisper: "It doesn't even look like a Middle Eastern Restaurant." It's easy to understand her quandry. Diners who visit Aladdin's, which also has locations in Lakewood, Cleveland Heights and Youngstown, won't feel as if they've just walked into the Hollywood set of Arabian Nights. There are no vividly colored pillows and cushions with intricate patterns on the floor, no Middle Eastern opera bellowing from speakers overhead. Rather, it is a simple, inviting place that serves excellent food with a Middle Eastern accent The restaurant motto: "Our intention at Aladdin's is to provide our customer's unique, natural foods of the Middle East, while at the same time, cater to their increased awareness and concern regarding health and nutrition." Aladdin's soups, appetizers, salads and rolled pita sandwiches and pita pockets are all prepared without preservatives, sulfites or additves. Everything, including the labor intensive tabouli, a sald of chopped parsley, amd mint, minced tomatoes and onions dressed with lemon and olive oil, is made from scratch. Aladdin's owner Fady Chamoun spent years hammering out a career with the Little Cesar's Pizza franchise before deciding to make a change to something a little closer to his own lifestyle. The food of the Middle East "was an ideal niche," he says. He took over a Lakewood delicatessen in October 1993, improving the quality of the food but changing little else, at first. Before long, his health conscious philosophy had overtaken the menu and the place had an enirely new look. Roast beef sandwiches were replaced with charbroiled beef tenderloin topped with grilled tomato, green pepper and onions and tahini, a sesame sauce; grilled tuna steak with lettuce, onions, garlic sauce rolled in a pita replaced tuna melt; and fattoush, a Lebanese salad of of lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, parsley, lemon garlic, olive oil and toasted lebanese bread, replaced the tossed green salad. There were more exotic additons to the menu as well. Dawali, stuffed grape leaves with feta cheese and dressing topping; fatayer, a spinach and feta cheese pie; sfiha, a combination of ground beef tomatoes, onions , pine nuts and herbs with cheese; and a mix of broiled beef with lamb, called shawarma are just a few. Chamoun also included dishes with vegetarians in mind, including vegetarian chili and falaffel. "It was overnight," Chamoun says. "People were calling for the corned beef and we told them we don't sell that anymore...But come down and try it (Middle Eastern food) and if you don't like it, we'll replace it," says Sally Chamoun. The hardest part of the new venture, says Chamoun, was educating the consumer. "We could have called the Shistawook 'chickengarlic pita' but they've learned to love the education. at first, even the servers were afraid to say the names of the dishes." Today, those same dishes have become household words and Aladdin's is a very popular spot, says Sally Chamoun. "We have customers in Lakewood that come everyday for lunch." Tiny Middle Eastern desserts including baklava, also are on the menu, but it is the glorious, rich American-stlyed cheesecakes and cakes that are prominently displayed in the front of the restaurant. It seems contrary to the healthful theme, but says Fady, "people really like it." Expansion to the East Side, first on Cedar Road in Cleveland Heights, then to the business district in Independence was a natural progression, Fady says. "The people are educated, health conscious, knowledgeable." Aladdin's had a rough start in the dark and dingy abandoned Cleveland heights deli. Customers complained that it wasn't as nice as the West Side restaurant; a lot of the initial business was takeout. But the Chamouns are risk taker, they say. Fady says he trusted Sally's "sense of the ingredients" and her ability to imagine how the restaurant would look after a facelift. "It doesn't really matter how the place looks," Sally says, "He buys the traffic." Soon, the Cedar Road Aladdin's was supporting the same fresh look and natural wod accents as Detroit. Fresh Juices, which have been a favorite at both locations, took center stage at Rockside. Freshly squeezed juices like carrot, apple, celery, grapefruit and orange are now offered in combos. To complete their goal of providing the freshest food possible, the Chamouns took over the former international Bakery on Lorain, making fresh-baked pita bread under the name of Jasmine's, available in all of their restaurants. Even in an americanized atmosphere, the union of Aladdin's and Jasmine's seems to be a heavenly marriage.