Sitti Brings Lebanon to Downtown Raleigh
It is refreshing to see American palates expanding beyond the usual international fare. It wasn’t long ago that Mexican was hard to find, Italian meant pizza, and Greece and Lebanon were represented only by Hector’s in Crabtree (which is still outstanding).
One of Raleigh’s best-kept secrets has been the Neomonde bakery. Located behind the Waffle House across from Meredith, Neomonde is part middle-eastern grocery, part bakery, and part deli. The food is excellent, but it is perfect for lunch and doesn’t quite satisfy people’s idea of a good supper. Thankfully the Saleh family has teamed up with Downtown Raleigh revivalist Greg Hatem to bring us Sitti .
While there is quite a buzz about Sitti, don’t be fooled into thinking the restaurant is trying to explore new realms of chic or our wallet. Translated as “grandmother”, Sitti merely wants to bring the best of Lebanon at a reasonable price, and does this well.
The restaurant is in space that for decades held a furniture store. The understated renovation preserved much of that feel, keeping the elevated window showcase areas, wood flooring, and tin ceiling all intact. The decor is a bit on the plain side. Walls are white with small, old portraits from the middle east. The wall containing the kitchen’s service window has tile mosaic coverage, but doesn’t make a huge statement. Music? I never even noticed if they play music because the hard walls, ceiling, and flooring make for a fairly loud environment.
I decided to keep things simple at lunch (.pdf) by ordering an appetizer of hummos, which was good, but (like my long-held complaint with Neomonde’s food) was overly garlicky. The chicken kabob was excellent, and swam in a marinade extremely similar to that found in The Grecian Plate cookbook. What was really interesting and lovable was the Sitti rice; tan with a nutty, aromatic flavor. Finally, the onion and tomato on the kabob were good, however I’d prefer the onion to be cooked a little more; a familiar problem with kabobs.
Sitti’s Dinner menu (.pdf) is largely the same as the lunch menu, but the portions and prices are a little bigger. We started with Baba Ghanouj which, admittedly, has never been one of my favorites. Sitti’s was no exception as one inedible bite was all I could stand. I moved on to my Sitti salad which was a bit bland. Personally I think the Greek version of this salad, which adds feta cheese and olives, is more interesting. Far more interesting is the Goat Cheese and Orange Salad. In this salad, the understated dressing has something to support; the oranges and goat cheese. I moved on to the Mixed Grill which is a sampler of chicken, lamb, and kafta. The chicken was overcooked and the lamb was tough, however the kafta was fantastic. For this I highly recommend the $11 Kafta Kabob as a full entree instead of the mixed grill. One weakness of the menu is the presence of only one seafood entree. We had the Samkeh Harra (baked salmon) which did not disappoint. The only other food I have heard about is the shrimp appetizer, which got glowing reviews from a trusted friend.
Sitti is a fantastic addition to downtown. It is nice to see the chain of more and more expensive restaurants being broken. Also, the decision to not overpower the food with spices will suit the restaurant well. However, the restaurant is low on wow-factor that we frequently experience at Durham’s Taverna Nikos and once got at Sadak’s (on Hillsborough St.). While the Nikos is a slightly different fare, the two are similar enough for comparison. The Saleh family has always worked really hard and I’ll continue to root for them. Hopefully some kitchen refinements will elevate Sitti to being a no-brainer for out-of-town guests.
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February 14th, 2009 at 11:37 pm
The place is beautiful, no doubt about that. Shared appetizers with a friend there once and got ill from it. So did she. Not sure what’s going on in the kitchen but it’s not keeping up with what’s going on out front. I really hope they get it together soon because Sitti could be such a great place if the kitchen got their act together.
February 15th, 2009 at 9:06 pm
I would recommend trying it again. I’ve eaten there 8-10 times and not only have I never gotten ill, I’ve always left incredibly satisfied from a tasty meal that’s different than I’m accustomed to.
February 16th, 2009 at 7:37 am
If their dinners are just larger portions of their lunch, no need to ever go there for dinner. Go to Neomond’s ever once in a while, but will be fading to zero visits, their lunch prices are very high and the parking is a nightmare.
February 16th, 2009 at 9:18 am
Neo Monde’s baba ghanouj is some of the best I’ve ever had, and is the main reason I eat there regularly. If Sitti’s is anything like it, that can only be a good thing
February 16th, 2009 at 9:33 am
I have been there once for lunch and was happy with the food – and service. Every time I walk by I see that place packed (during lunch time)!!! Not that I am inpatient, but I try to support restaurants that aren’t as busy, as long as they deserve to do better. I would definitely go back to Sitty.
One comment regarding the Greek Salad, since I have found out that most people don’t quite know the ingredients… In fact, this is what we – yes, I am Greek – call the Village Salad: tomatoes, cucumbers, black olives, red onions and feta (it can be served on the side). Some people may add green peppers, but as far as the Greek Salad goes, nothing else should be added. As for spices, salt and oregano are a must, and make sure there is enough olive oil for you to swim into :LOL:
February 16th, 2009 at 1:12 pm
I’ve had dinner at Sitti and loved everything I tried. Totally delicious. The Foule Moudammas was extremely tasty.
February 16th, 2009 at 5:45 pm
Sitti is a winner. I have been there a few times and have always been pleased with the food and service. It doesn’t hurt to have a great old renovated building either.
February 18th, 2009 at 10:32 am
I would highly recommend trying this restaurant. The owners of Neo Monde are great at customer service and at delivering a very tasty dish at a good price. I have eaten there 3 times. The first time I thought the kitchen may just be getting up to speed. And I think that was the case, my second and third visits were great.
Interesting that the most critical responses on here to the restaurant are from what I am realizing are those who ALWAYS have something negative to write. So hopefully those who wander across this blog are not mislead by their critique.
February 18th, 2009 at 10:40 am
Is it really fair to call something that you know you don’t like to begin with “inedible” in a public review? For what it’s worth, I love this place and think it’s really reasonably priced.
February 18th, 2009 at 1:08 pm
Yes, it is. I’m normally not a fan of baba ghanouj, but can certainly eat it. The bg served at Sitti was one of the worst things I’ve put in my mouth in years.
February 18th, 2009 at 2:59 pm
Wow! Dana I usually have similar taste as you, but in this case I have to say I really enjoyed their baba ghanouj. Maybe it is the fact that it has more of a smokey flavor than you like?
February 19th, 2009 at 8:12 pm
Wow is right!