WDL-2019-03

DINING FEATURE

THREE DISHES TO TRY

1 APPETIZER: Hummus ($6.95) The dip consists of a chickpea puree, lemon juice and tahini, blended into a paste and served with pita bread. 2 ENTREE: Mixed grill ($29.95) Chicken and beef skewers are served with onions and peppers. 3 DESSERT: Creambaklava ($3.95) Vanilla and rose water cream are stuffed in a pastry to form this dessert.

Mary’z Mediterannean Cuisine offers a variety of dips such as baba ghannouj and hummus.

Mary’z Mediterranean Cuisine Lebanese restaurant offers menu steeped in tradition

BY ANDREWCHRISTMAN

hooked because we know what we have,” he said. “Whatever we serve people, we eat. Everything is fresh. … We have quality along with fair prices for our portions.” According to Richdan, every item on the menu sells well, though some of his personal favorites include the hummus and fried cauli- flower, tabuli salad, shish tawook—marinated chicken skewers—and both the cream and wal- nut baklava. Baklava is a dessert made from thin layers of pastry around a sweet filling. “We believe in presenting our background as is. We’re trying to present it to everyone here,” Richdan said. While offering a Mediterranean menu often elicits thoughts of Greek flavors, owners Mary and Samir Fakhoury opted to bring tastes they grew up with in North Lebanon before they chose to move to Houston in 2001, he said. KEEPING IT IN THE FAMILY Mary’z Mediterranean Cuisine is a fami- ly-owned and -operated institution, with the Fakhoury siblings Jimy, Mira and Nano now running the two Houston locations and The Woodlands-area location. Richdan, a son-in- law, ensures things run smoothly with The Woodlands branch of the restaurant. Richdan said he welcomes both positive and negative feedback from customers to offer a better experience. “We try to work on people’s feedback,” he said. “If we made a mistake, we try to fix it and learn from our mistakes. We’re humans, we make mistakes sometimes … but we try to move on and work on it.”

W hen entering Mary’z Mediterranean Cuisine in Shenandoah, it is nearly impossible to avoid seeing the two shawarma skewers—one chicken and one beef—slowly rotating in the kitchen, while the rest of the staff works to craft fresh Lebanese meals throughout the day. Since opening the Shenandoah location in August, Manager Nizar Richdan said the com- munity has treated the restaurant well. “Everyone who tried or knew us from Hous- ton and came here [was excited],” Richdan said. “We are always trying to raise the bar in everything we introduce, from the interior to the bar. In Houston, we’re one of the rarest Mediterranean [restaurants] with a full bar, hookah and great food.” While The Woodlands-area location offers only wine and beer, Richdan said the idea is to please the vast majority of guests. ‘WHATWE SERVE, WE EAT’ Mary’z Mediterranean Cuisine focuses its menu on traditional Lebanese offerings, ranging from dips such as hummus and babba ghannouj, or mashed eggplant, to chicken skewers and shawarma, which is cooked on a rotisserie and sliced thin. Richdan said the menu has been successful with customers because the dishes use fresh ingredients, and every item is made fresh in-house. According to Richdan, Mary’z staff members often run to the store several times each week to ensure the quality of the ingredi- ents used. “If you try us for the first time, you get

Nizar Richdan, manager of Mary’z Mediterranean Cuisine in The Woodlands, prepares to serve babba ghannouj.

Mary’z Mediterranean Cuisine 1500 Research Forest Drive, Ste. 100, Shenandoah 832-777-7757 www.maryzcuisine.com Hours: Sun.-Thu. 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m.-10:30 p.m.

The Woodlands edition • March 2019