Having recently celebrated its 12th year as one of Dickson Street's mainstay dining options, Emelia's Kitchen is still the talk of Fayetteville when it comes to classic Mediterranean cuisine.
"We are just unique in what we do," co-owner Sara Lusher said. "We are Mediterranean, but we have other things, too. And to be open 12 years is something we are proud of and I think it says a lot about our clientele.
The menu and dining room have grown, yet the focus remains on quality and freshness.
"We just adjusted as our clientele adjusted through the years," Lusher added.
Originally opening on June 14, 2004, Emelia's has a casual atmosphere with fine cuisine and a hometown, family ambiance. The style of food is influenced by the Armenian heritage of co-owner and chef, George Ouyoumjian, but it incorporates many flavors of the Mediterranean region.
Growing up on the outskirts of Aleppo in the Syrian desert, Ouyoumijian learned from an early age the commitment that success takes from his mother, Emelia. Now, with Lusher's industry experience and Ouyoumjian's fondness for his mother's home cooking they created a union that made Emelia's Kitchen possible.
"When we first opened, we only served mazza plates and kebabs for dinner, and now we have pastas, seafood, steaks, a little bit of everything," Lusher said with a chuckle. After working with different chefs, George has picked up many ideas and techniques that he's incorporated into his traditional Mediterranean style of flame-grill cooking and using fresh herbs and spices."
The signature rack of lamb, served with rice and sauteed vegetables, once served only on Friday and Saturday nights, is now available every day, and remains the most popular entree at $29.99.
Another popular feature on the dinner menu include the bone-in pork chops, prepared in panko bread crumbs and served with port wine and portabella mushrooms for $17.99.
"Our dishes are such simple flavors, they are so simple, there is no secret to it," Ouyoumijian said, downplaying his kitchen prowess. His favorite is the Mediterranean chicken, sauteed with fresh garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil, served with fresh grilled vegetables and topped with feta cheese for $16.99.
The dinner specialties are the roasted pork loin encrusted with a blend of spices and topped with melted cheese and a cider-rum sauce. Chicken dishes such as the piccata and the Mediterranean Chicken are marinated and grilled, then served with fresh grilled vegetables. The seared sirloin dish is a hand-cut steak drizzled with a brandy cream sauce and topped with mushrooms. Steaks at Emelia's are prepared a little different than one might expect. They go light on the seasoning, presenting the natural flavors of the beef allowing it to stand out.
Mediterranean cuisine does not mean just Greek food. Emelia's offers many pasta dishes, such as the Mediterranean Pasta, lamb meatballs or andouille meatballs served with marinara over pasta. Alfredo and linguini dishes highlight the dinner menu, too. All lunch and dinner dishes are also served with traditional pita bread.
Armenian dishes include gyros, falafel balls, a lamb meatball sub sandwich, grilled fish entrees and house-made desserts, such as baklava.
Emelia's has also carved out a reputation for their brunch, served Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. The omelets are flavorful and unique and range in price from $10.99-$16.99. There are seafood omelets featuring shrimp, sauteed salmon, and lump blue crab meat. More traditional omelets are offered, such as the Denver omelet, California omelet, steak omelets, and ham. Other interesting omelet choices are the Roman omelet with roma tomatoes, capers, mozzarella cheese, and bacon or andouille sausage. A traditional Middle Eastern omelet is featured as well. The Ejjeh omelet has Italian parsley, scallions, spices and feta cooked in extra virgin olive oil with bacon or andouille sausage.
Eggs Benedict is also a favorite on the brunch menu, including the classic traditional choice with ham served on toasted English muffins, with twin poached eggs topped with fresh hollandaise. All of the eggs Benedict choices come with Lyonnaise potatoes, tabouleh and seasonal fruit. The mushroom and sirloin, portabella, Atlantic salmon and Razorback eggs Benedict options are popular choices as well.
"Our Sunday brunch menu had only four omelets, one kind of eggs Benedict, pancakes, and French toast," Lusher said. "Now we have nine types of eggs Benedict and 15 omelets, and serve brunch on Friday and Saturday."
Emelia's is open for lunch on Thursday and Friday, from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. Dinner begins at 5 p.m. and runs to 10 p.m. on the Friday and Saturday, and 9 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday. The kitchen is closed on Monday and Tuesday.
Appetizers, or "starters," at Emelia's include the standards of Mediterranean meals, hummus (Garbanzo beans, garlic, lemon juice, tahini and spices), babakanoosh (eggplant, tahini, lemon juice, garlic and spices) and Sarma (grape leaves stuffed with rice and spices). For those not familiar with Mediterranean cuisine, the Mazza Plate is a sampler that runs the range of traditional foods.
There is also a children's menu during brunch featuring pancakes, French toast and smaller-portioned cheese and ham and cheese omelets. The French toast bread is made in-house and is cinnamon flavored with bits of apples and walnuts baked into it. It is then dipped in a spiced egg wash before cooking.
Emelia's hosts Date Night each Sunday and Wednesday evening, serving a four-course meal for $55 per couple. It includes a shared appetizer, two salads, two entrees and a shared dessert, accompanied by a bottle of wine.
Tuesday is Wine Night, featuring select glasses of wine for $5. Thursday features mini martinis for just $4, and Friday's Happy Hour, from 5-7 p.m., offers half-price bottles of wine ($35-under), $1 off bottled beers and half-price well liquor.
More information is available by calling Emelia's Kitchen at (479) 527-9800 or by visiting their website at emeliasondickson.com, or on Facebook.
NAN Dining Guide Spotlight on 09/16/2016