If you drive down Transit Road and blink, you might miss one of the best Middle Eastern restaurants in Western New York. Buried in a small strip plaza at the corner of Transit Road and Casey Road is a tiny Lebanese Restaurant, Teta's, which prides itself on its homemade cooking.
The word teta is Lebanese for "grandma," and Teta's is rightly named after "Gandma Jaoude," the cook and matriarch of the Jaoude family who owns and runs Teta's. This business seems to be kept all in the family with the waiters, bussers, cooks and dishwashers all related.
If you're looking for a restaurant with an expensive interior, menu and wine list, don't go to Teta's. But if you're in the mood for some fantastic food served by one of the warmest and most friendly staffs in Buffalo at prices that would bring a smile to most students' faces, Teta's is for you.
Whether you're a vegetarian or a meat lover, Teta's has several tempting choices all priced to fit the student's budget.
For starters, my guests and I chose several fresh appetizers including Tabouleh, a cracked wheat, parsley, tomato and onion salad; Hommos, crushed chick peas; tahini sauce - sesame paste, with a touch of garlic, olive oil and lemon; Baba-Ghanou, fresh eggplant with tahini sauce; Potatoes Harra, a spicy hot potato salad; and Mekanek, a sausage stuffed with lamb.
All of these appetizers were under $5. A combination plate of mostly vegetarian appetizers for $8.25 is also available. Be prepared to order several appetizers and share, because even with the fresh pita bread included, the portions are small. Several salads are also available with a choice of feta cheese, chicken or tabouleh.
Dinner came quickly after we ordered it, and although there are a limited number of tables, the staff does not try to rush you out the door.
Again, my guests and I ordered several dishes to share, including Kafta Kebob Beef , beef mixed with fresh parsley and onions over Teta's homemade hommos topped with lettuce and tomatoes; Lamb Kebob, a very tender leg of lamb which was charbroiled to perfection, again served with Teta's hommos, lettuce and tomatoes; and Sheish Tawouk Chicken, marinated chicken over hommos.
Once or twice a week, Teta's serves their special roasted whole chicken, nicely spiced and roasted on a slow rotisserie. All of these entr?(c)es are available for around $10 each.
Teta's also offers specials every night. Last Wednesday, for example, the vegetarian special was Loubee, Italian green beans in tomato sauce with garlic and rice. And if you want to create your own combination plate, Teta's staff will smile and rush your order to Teta, as all now refer to the cook.
Teta's also serves several sandwiches on pita bread, including the Mid-Eastern staple of Falafel, mixed dried vegetables such as fava beans, chick peas, cilantro moistened with water and dipped in vegetable oil; Labneh, homemade fresh yogurt garnished with fresh vegetables; and Shawarma, sliced beef, marinated with spices and topped with tahini sauce, all for around $4 each.
If, after all the sharing, you're still hungry, be sure and try the Jallab - dates and caramel, the Mini Roses - finely chopped pine nuts in layers of filo, a kind of dough, and bathed in butter, Ballourie - lightly baked, shredded filo with chopped pistachios and rosewater and of course, the traditional Lebanese dessert of Baklava - sheets of filo with pistachios or walnuts and sweetened with syrup. While the portions are small, this allows you to sample them all without too much guilt and most are priced from $1.50 to $2 each.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
