I grew up in REO Town, in a house that’s a century old. When my husband and I bought our first house, we stayed close to my roots, but we soon figured we would outgrow the historic but smallish house on Sparrow and headed to Groesbeck. Once settled, we learned that many Grosebeck homeowners turn their house over to a younger family member when they choose to downsize, and that many families have several branches within blocks of each other. (Talking to you, Lum clan!) After a few years, we understood why. The neighborhood is quiet and peaceful but close to highway access, grocery stores and entertainment. The neighborhood school is, in my opinion, the best in the district. There are kids everywhere you look, so telling your 7-year-old boy on just about every summer weekend to be “free-range Eddie” and “go find a friend” is not a pipe dream but a reality.
When we decided two years ago that the layout of our two-story ranch wasn’t working for us, it was an easy choice to renovate instead of move since we’ve developed close friendships with so many neighbors, which I know is rare and a blessing. We’re months into the major overhaul of our entire first floor, and there’s drywall dust everywhere. We’re subsisting on prepared foods from Costco and air fryer chicken nuggets. Considering that this month’s subject of review, Middle Eats, is a four-minute drive from my house and has easy online ordering — and that Mr. She Ate and I both love Mediterranean food — I put my back into this assignment and, in the meantime, found a new standby favorite.
I started, as I always do, with the chicken shawarma bowl ($12.99). It was seriously large: I ate a big portion of it for dinner and still had a completely satisfying lunch portion left over for the next day. The yellow rice base wasn’t the kind of rice I’m used to in Middle Eastern food, but the chicken was plentiful and well spiced, and the freshly chopped toppings of lettuce, tomato, onions and pickles were plentiful and crisp. I also enjoyed the dillio sauce, which added just a little more flavor to the already flavorful bowl…