She Ate

By GABRIELLE  LAWRENCE

Have you ever wondered what dish or cuisine is synonymous with our geographical area? I know people love olive burgers and Quality Dairy donuts, but one thing that screams Greater Lansing to me is that everyone has their favorite Middle Eastern restaurant. I’ve tried virtually all of them and have my own short list of favorites, ranked by their proximity to my office and the level of garlic in their garlic sauce. (Spoiler: I like a lot of garlic.)

I live in Groesbeck, so Bread Bites Mediterranean, deep in the heart of Meridian Township, isn’t in my normal radius. However, since we decided to focus on it this month, I’ve been scheming up ways to work a couple of swings through Haslett into my routine. As we all undoubtedly know, you don’t swing through Haslett. You’re there because you live there, or you’re annoyed because it takes so long to get there.

The first thing you need to know is that the people working at Bread Bites are incredibly friendly. Never before have I encountered someone who’s looked at me and said, “You’re fancy in so many ways,” and to be honest, I didn’t know what I’d been missing. On one visit, the same man gave my 6-year-old a bite-sized dessert while we waited for our order, and while the child was intimidated by the flaky layers of phyllo, luckily, his mother was not.

The chicken shawarma pie ($9.99) is a Bread Bites special and something I was eager to try. Think of a personal pan pizza. The dough, which I assume is the same dough used for the restaurant’s delicious pita, was piled with a layer of shawarma and melted cheese and topped with chopped tomatoes, lettuce, pickles and pickled turnips. It was conveniently sliced like a pizza, making it easy to eat. I’d never had anything like it before, and it lasted me through several meals with a salad on the side. I’d rate it 10 out of 10 and would definitely order it again.

On another visit, I tried the fried cauliflower ($13.99), served atop rice with two sides. I chose fries and fattoush salad for my sides and loved that the crispy toppings on the fattoush weren’t big pieces of pita chips, which always painfully poke the corners of my mouth when I cram them in there. They were much closer to pita breadcrumbs. They still gave me that crunch that I love, but much more manageably. The fries, which were hot, salty and lightly spiced with paprika, were also better than average.

Mr. She Ate loved his beef shawarma ($14.75), but unfortunately, he left it unguarded when he took our daughter upstairs to get her pajamas on. The dog loved it, too. I offered to share my fried cauliflower with him and was secretly thrilled that he declined because it was a perfect lunch the next day — hearty and filling but not heavy.

I picked up a slice of baklava cheesecake ($7.99) for us to share, then shoved it to the back of the fridge so Mr. She Ate would forget it was there. Bread Bites has an entire case of different desserts, all of which look like little jewels and are probably delicious, but the cheesecake has got to be the best one. It was thick, lusciously smooth and topped with the traditional pistachio-packed baklava filling, with pistachios also incorporated into the crust. It was divine.

Mr. She Ate tried the gyro ($9.99) and liked the spices on the meat. He surprised us both by enjoying the half order of baleela ($7.25) I picked up for us to share. This was a new dish to me: a cold salad with chickpeas, romaine, cucumbers and onions. I stuffed it into the fluffy pita, drizzled it with vinaigrette and garlic sauce and found it to be both nourishing and delicious.

The Lansing area is rich in delicious Mediterranean cuisine. No matter where I am, I know where I can get a satisfying mushroom-and-halloumi wrap, kafta sandwich or scoop of mujadara. I’m thrilled that I now have a reliable favorite place to dine the next time I find myself in our northeast quadrant.