Photo Via Pita Palace - Facebook
Pita Palace
Pita Palace (789 W. Layton Ave.) is starting to look truly palatial. The Middle Eastern restaurant that opened in 2018, in association with Oak Creek's Al-Yousef grocery and eatery, originally had the homey ambiance of a counter-service, family-style destination.
That changed last year with renovations that give the dining room a more definably Arabian air, with classier lighting fixtures and cream-hued walls adorned with tent silhouettes and Arabic script. It lends the Palace an haute appearance somewhat at odds with the pretty reasonable prices on its menu, which has expanded some since my last visit within the year of its opening.
That expansion includes luring patrons with resolutely American tastes. Signage touting chicken tenders sits near the entryway, and single and double cheeseburgers also may be had, as can French fries, the latter even as a substitute for rice with the entrees.
Familiar/Unfamiliar
However, the menu remains focused on familiar and less familiar Middle Eastern delights.
For lack of a better description, Pita Palace’s skillets might well be called daily brunch offerings, as they're only served until mid-afternoon. Since I've enjoyed fried green tomatoes in African American soul food context, I chanced an order of Pita Place’s fried red ones.
It was chance worth taking but in no real way similar to the cornmeal-coated Southeastern dish of my previous acquaintance. Pita Palace's fried tomatoes are a in a stew-like form similar to the gayalet bandora found in regional variations throughout the Middle East, with the acidity of its deep red diced produce accentuating olive oil and other herbs and vegetables. Though satisfying as a main course, it's easy to imagine a smaller potion would make a fine side dish.
My friend also ordered from the skillet selection—an item commonly considered a side. But his brunch hummus was enough to suffice for a small group as an appetizer; and large enough for a meal, with a crispy pita crust at its bottom and a swell of almonds atop. With a bottled lassi yogurt beverage, it well filled him.
If his and my initial experiences at the renovated Pita Palace weren't already unique among local Mediterranean places, its namesake bread isn't the usual circular shape, but more oblong. If Cousin’s were to introduce a shawarma sub sandwich, they could get an idea of the sort of bread for it from the Palace.
Animal Protein
On a second visit, this time solo, I went for animal protein.
I recall having enjoyed the lamb chops on a previous visit with its previous decor. This time, however, I opted for chicken tawook. Often served elsewhere on kebab skewers, the Palace places cubes of white meat given an orange ruddiness by the paprika and ginger in its marinade around a plentiful amount of rice made yellow with saffron. The slightly spicy sweet and sour flavoring applied to the bird was apparent as both cold and warm leftovers as it was warm on my plate.
Though not garnished with nuts nor accompanied by crust, the appetizer portion of hummus came with a reservoir of olive oil in the middle of its bowl. Also filling was a heaping helping of an Arabic salad of diced tomato and cucumber dressed with more olive oil and lemon juice. Both went well with the pita, of which I was offered a second helping at no charge.
I refrained from dessert with that second meal, but after my tomato skillet, a serving of walnut baklava made a good impression on my sweet tooth. When I'm up for sending a bit more on a last course at Pita Palace, I may try the pistachio version of the honeyed filo dough pastry.
The fresh, lighter decor at Pitas Palace befits cuisine that ranks among the royalty of Milwaukee Middle Eastern dining.
