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  • The lamb shanks are transcendent at Saj Alreef in Sterling Heights

    The lamb shanks are transcendent at Saj Alreef in Sterling Heights

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    Tom Perkins

    At Saj Areef, the lamb’s tender meat practically falls off a huge bone.

    Among my best experiences dining in Michigan was my initial trip to Sullaf, the venerable carryout Iraqi spot on Seven Mile Road just east of Woodward in Detroit’s old Chaldeantown neighborhood.

    I entered, looked a bit confused because there was no menu, and a gruff chef curtly asked me what I wanted.” “Is there a menu?” I responded.

    “I got lamb and I got chicken,” the chef said, offering no other hint as to preparations as flames leapt off the sizzling grill behind him. I ordered both, and the massive lamb shank he handed me is etched in my memory one of the most transcendent plates I’ve ever had.

    The lamb quzi at Saj Areef, a new Iraqi restaurant in Sterling Heights, generated flashbacks to that visit and plate. The lamb’s tender meat practically falls off a huge bone, and the dish hit like few can. Quzi is a traditional Middle Eastern plate though it may slightly vary by region, and for some reason Iraqi folks seem to do it best.

    Though there are subtle hints of what I’m guessing is cardamom or clove, the preparation and high quality meat did the heavy lifting. Owner Steven Arbo touted Areef’s meats, which come from Barry and Sons and other reputable halal butchers. The quzi bites are further enhanced with the addition of jasmine rice prepared three different ways, the best of which came coated with super fragrant curry and studded with raisins. Add the pickled cabbage rendered electric yellow from turmeric to each forkful and feel your brain unleash endorphins.

    click to enlarge Saj Alreef translates roughly to “country bread.” - Tom Perkins

    Tom Perkins

    Saj Alreef translates roughly to “country bread.”

    Saj Alreef, which translates roughly into “country bread,” opened in October in Sterling Heights, a center for metro Detroit’s huge Chaldean population. Metro Detroiters are more used to Lebanese food but the recipes and palates aren’t that far apart.

    Perhaps even better than the quzi are the kebabs, which are cooked over a charcoal grill that leaves the edges with perfect char and imparts a lovely smokiness. One Iraqi kebab came with minced lamb and beef, and another with ground chicken. Both burst with flavor from what tastes like some combination of parsley, garlic, onion, sumac, cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, coriander, and more. The hunks of piquant chicken and lamb tikka kebabs stood out, the former with a nearly candied texture from the smoke.

    Saj is a type of Iraqi bread that could somewhat be likened to a tortilla in form and function, and Saj Alreef offers a list of standard Middle Eastern sandwiches wrapped with them. The chicken shawarma comes with pickles, but the beef, fragrant from perhaps cardamom or cinnamon, was the better of the two.

    We also got a platter with salads and Saj Alreef’s excellent creamy, rich hummus. Nearly everything on it is some combination of bright, fresh, lemony, acidic, punchy, slightly sweet, and balanced. A salad of charred bits of eggplant that imparted a slightly smoky element with bell peppers and red onion stood out, as did the tangy tabbouleh. It also comes with a creamy cucumber salad and a beet salad. The meals arrive with soups, and though I’m not usually a fan of lentil, this nutty version is the best I’ve ever had.

    The vibe, like the food, is bright and upbeat, and the walls are adorned with Middle Eastern infinity patterns. Saj Alreef packs it in on weekends.

    This is owner Steven Arbo’s first restaurant, though his family owns several in Iraq, and he says the kitchen is full of experienced cooks. So far, they seem to be picking up where Sullaf left off. Praise for that.

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    Saj Alreef Restaurant

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  • Detroit-style sushi? Midtown’s Hammer & Nail has it.

    Detroit-style sushi? Midtown’s Hammer & Nail has it.

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    Tom Perkins

    Chef Shinya Hirakawa appeals to local palates with his Detroit Sushi.

    Did you know there’s Detroit-style sushi? Neither did I, but it’s a thing, as Detroit Sushi chef Shinya Hirakawa explained to me in a recent history lesson on our region’s rolls. Many of the first sushi chefs to immigrate to the Detroit area around 50 years ago were from Kyoto in western Japan, Hirakawa says. Fish have to be brought to the landlocked Kyoto from the coast about 30 miles away, so in the age before refrigeration and rapid transportation, the product wasn’t quite as fresh.

    To account for this, Kyoto’s sushi chefs slightly sweetened their rolls, using a sweeter vinegar and soy sauce than what can be found in saltier counterparts in cities like Tokyo. The upper Midwest palate approves of this subtle-but-important difference, Hirakawa says, and he upholds that tradition at Detroit Sushi. And with a few notable exceptions, the rolls on the menu are fairly straightforward, and sushi to which local tastes are accustomed.

    The restaurant is located inside Midtown’s Hammer & Nail, which is focused on craft cocktails, but the Roxbury Group ownership felt it needed a food component that didn’t require an exhaust system. Sushi is about the best one can do for ventless cooking, and it fills as a bit of a gap as there is a dearth of worthwhile sushi in the area.

    Hirakawa is a strong pick to helm the operation as a veteran of Royal Oak’s Ronin and Noble Fish in Clawson. In his new position, he is a one-man show — chef, prepper, and dishwasher.

    Hirakawa notes his use of higher-quality ingredients, like rice imported from Japan that he cooks in alkaline water to keep it moist. In his excellent Crab California roll, he uses real snow crab instead of the artificial crab meat most shops employ. His soy sauce is higher-end and gluten free, ditto for his sushi vinegar.

    click to enlarge Among the most popular items at Detroit Sushi is the Roma Roll. - Tom Perkins

    Tom Perkins

    Among the most popular items at Detroit Sushi is the Roma Roll.

    Among the best of Detroit Sushi’s roster is the Mexico City Roll with shrimp, pickled jalapeño, cilantro, and avocado, which Hirakawa says is a play on a more common version of the roll made with tuna. It works, with the acidic-salty-sweet components reminiscent of shrimp ceviche in sushi form.

    The nigiri is also solid with luscious, full-flavored salmon, and bluefin tuna that is fatty and rich. Detroit Sushi sources fish from True World, which ships its seafood direct to Michigan instead of via Chicago, as is common with many other distributors.

    Hirakawa likens his Rainbow Roll’s heft to a Detroit-style pizza one would get at Loui’s in Hazel Park, or a sandwich at Zingerman’s. It’s a big boy at a higher price point ($25) with four kinds of fish rolled with the package. Michiganders appreciate that kind of “fat stack” approach, Hirakawa says, and there’s bang for the buck.

    Similarly, among the most popular items is the Roma Roll, which Hirakawa surmises owes to its inclusion of two sauces — mayo and teriyaki. Its hint of smokiness comes from seared tuna across the top, and the roll holds shrimp, avocado, and cucumber that provides some needed crunch. The roll, he notes, was invented at Troy’s Cafe Sushi, sold under a different name at Ronin, and he sees himself upholding a local tradition by including it at Detroit Sushi.

    The most pleasant surprise is the Asparagus Truffle Roll, for which Hirakawa uses a truffle soy sauce and truffle powder, which packs a heavy umami punch. The Inside Out Tekka Roll is solid, and the Sunomono salad sings with bouncy wood ear mushrooms, cucumber, and ginger in a sweet sushi vinegar.

    Hammer & Nail’s cocktails deserve their own full review, but each is excellent, and the restaurant is about to introduce a happy hour with $5 rolls and Valentine’s Day specials.

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