Dearborn's Al Ameer only Michigan restaurant on Eater U.S. list

Susan Selasky | Detroit Free Press

Show Caption Hide Caption Making pita at Al Ameer Saad Ammar makes fresh-baked pita at Al Ameer Restaurant in Dearborn. The Lebanese eatery goes through about 3,000 pitas a day.

Al Ameer, one of Dearborn’s longtime Lebanese restaurants, has been named to Eater’s 2018 list of America’s 38 Essential Restaurants. It’s the only Michigan restaurant on the food and dining website's fifth annual list.

This is Al Ameer's third consecutive year on the list, which was put together by Eater restaurant critic Bill Addison and released Tuesday. The former Torino restaurant in Ferndale is the only other Michigan establishment that has made the list.

According to Eater, the list was crafted after more than eight months of travel by Addison to 36 cities, where he ate nearly 600 meals.

While praising of Al Ameer on his 2017 list, Addison wrote: “Among the wealth of Dearborn’s Lebanese restaurants, Khalil Ammar and Zaki Hashem’s family enterprise excels in its always-fresh mezze and lush stuffed lamb.”

In 2016, he wrote that Al Ameer “ shines as an example of hospitality and superb cooking. They also run a butcher shop, an advantage that shows in the freshness of their peerless stuffed lamb.”

More: Award-winning Al Ameer serves community with side of hummus

More: Try making Al Ameer’s famous hummus at home

In 2016, Al Ameer was the first Michigan restaurant to receive the distinguished James Beard America's Classic Award. Ammar and Hashem opened the restaurant in 1989. It’s open year-round with limited hours on holidays.

Al Ameer is at 12710 W. Warren Ave. in Dearborn. Call 313-582-8185.

Al Ameer is noted for its hummus. Here's a version you can make at home. The recipe is from the Free Press archives.

Al Ameer Beirut Hummus



Makes: About 3 cups / Preparation time: 25 minutes / Total time: 25 minutes

A key to creamy hummus is skinning the chickpeas; see recipe for instructions.

2 cups cooked and skinned (see recipe) chickpeas

2 large cloves garlic, peeled

1 small jalapeño, seeded and minced (plus additional for serving)

Juice of 1 large lemon

½ cup tahini

3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil

Water if needed

¼ teaspoon salt or to taste

FOR SERVING

Olive oil

1 Roma tomato, diced

Minced jalapeño, optional

Chopped fresh parsley

Paprika

Pita bread



Pat the chickpeas dry as much as you can with paper towels. Place the chickpeas in a large skillet and sprinkle with 1½ teaspoons of baking soda and stir to coat. Heat over medium heat just until the chickpeas are warm, while stirring.

Remove from the heat and transfer to a large bowl. Cover with cold water while agitating the chickpeas to remove the skins. The skins will float to the top. Drain off the water through a fine sieve to catch the skins. Repeat in several changes of water to remove as many of the skins as possible. You won’t get every single one, but you'll get a good number of them.

Pat the chickpeas dry again and transfer to a food processor. Add the garlic, jalapeño and lemon juice and pulse to combine. Add the tahini and process until the mixture begins to become smooth. Drizzle in the olive oil and continue processing until the mixture is very smooth and creamy. If mixture is too thick, add water to thin and smooth. Season with salt to taste.

Transfer to a serving bowl. Smooth out the top with a spoon, while making several indentations. To garnish, drizzle with some olive oil so it puddles in the indentations. Place diced tomato and, if using, the jalapeño in the center. Sprinkle the hummus with chopped parsley and paprika.

Serve with pita.

Adapted from Al Ameer Restaurant, Dearborn.

Tested by Susan Selasky for the Free Press Test Kitchen.

