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WEDNESDAY, JULY 5, 2006
Escape to the Mediterranean
Metropolis Diner offers great food and ambience
By CHARLOTTE PERKINS
HHJ Lifestyle Editor
If you need an escape from
the ordinary, make plans
now to have dinner at the
Metropolis Diner in Warner
Robins.
I visited this restaurant
last week, and felt like I had
stepped into another culture.
For those who want regular
seating, there are booths
and tables, but there’s also a
cozy room in the back where
diners can sit on cushions
placed all around the floor,
eat from cut-down tables,
and smoke a hookah.
The background music
could have from
“Kismet,” and I learned
that there are also belly
dancers from 7 to 10 p.m.
on Thursday, Friday and
Saturday nights.
Nader Marouf, who was
born in Syria and grew
up in Kuwait, started the
Metropolis just two months
ago after a number of years
in the restaurant business,
doing every kind of cooking
imaginable.
Joseph Kiefer, manager
and waiter, is one of the
restaurant’s biggest fans
because he grew up eating
Lebanese foods prepared by
his grandmother, Barbara
Shaheen.
He says, “It’s the healthi
est food in town.”
The Metropolis is doing a
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Natalie Petro, one of the regular belly dancers at the
Metropolis teaches two little girls some Mediterranean
moves.
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good business with military
personnel who are already
familiar with the cuisine,
and also offers a good selec
tion of American foods, like
steaks and fries - for those
who aren’t feeling adventur
ous.
My recommendation would
be to go for the Greek and
Mediterranean food. It’s one
of the great world cuisines,
and for good reason.
I had the mixed grill, with
skewers of marinated chick
en, beef and kafta - a spicy
ground beef mixture that
is Nader Marouf s personal
favorite.
This comes with Basmati
rice, a great Greek salad
with olives, a stuffed grape
leaf, soft pita bread and real
ly delectable hummus. The
cost: $11.95 for more food
than you can eat.
I mention the hummus
specifically, because even
though I like garbanzos, I
haven’t been a big hummus
fan in the past. This hum
mus was another
matter entirely - seasoned
with lemon, cumin and gar
lic. It was delicious.
Also the pita bread was
softer and probably much
fresher than what I’ve been
used to.
The grilled meats were ten
der, and everything had the
fresh taste that comes from
simple cooking with olive oil,
Experience warm Southern
hospitality while dining with family
andfriends.
Open Tuesday - Saturday
10:00 am-5:00 pm
for lunch, specialty desserts
and afternoon tea
lemon juice, and fresh herbs.
This is, as Marouf points
out, food that’s good, but
also good for you.
I had a side order of
tabouli, which is something
I’ve always liked, and even
tried to make at home. The
Metropolis tabouli was a
wonderful lightly-seasoned
concoction of crushed
wheat, , finely diced toma
toes and lots of parsley. (It
also taught me that my own
missing ingredient has been
lemon juice)
The menu offers a wide
range of Mediterranean and
Greek dishes, You can get
falafel, hummus, baba gha
nouj, moussaka, spinach pie
made with fillo pastry, dol
mades, and a wide variety of
kebabs.
If you like feta cheese and
kalamata olives, you can add
them to anything and every
thing.
There are gyros of all sorts,
and, of course, baklava to
round things out.
My dessert, however, was
a cup of remarkable sweet
hot tea spiced with carda
mom.
Now about the hookah
smoking, it’saMediterranean
social custom, and guests
have a choice from a wide
range of flavors - even apple
and strawberry.
The nicotine content is
minimal, but it still can’t be
smoked in the public part of
the restaurant.
This only takes place in
the hideaway room with the
floor pillows, so if you want
to make a party of it, call
322-3737 in advance.
The Metropolis Diner is
open 7 days a week from 11
a.m. to 10 p.m. The most
expensive entree
on the menu is $11.95.
Go. You’ll love it.
Making the USD A guidelines work for you
(AßA) - One year after the
release of the 2005 USDA
Dietary Guidelines, consum
ers are still being bombarded
with puzzling health advice.
Whether it’s “vary” this or
“reduce intake” of that, one
thing is certain: when it
comes to dietary recommen
dations, making the right
choices is more confusing
than ever.
Family nutrition expert
Dr. Lisa Hark, author of
the new book “The Whole
Grain Diet Miracle” (DK
Publishing, 2006) and
Director of the Nutrition
Education Program at the
University of Pennsylvania
School of Medicine offers
ideas for tangible, realistic
food choices that put the
guidelines into action.
“It may seem daunting,
but following the USDA
FOOD
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Nader Marouf with his staff at the Metropolis Diner.
Dietary Guidelines doesn’t
have to be complicated,”
said Dr. Hark.
Hark recommends stock
ing up on favorite foods from
each food group that are easy
to eat at home or on the go.
* Grains: A bowl of instant
oatmeal is an easy way to eat
whole grains.
Oats have more protein
than most other grains and
are a source of soluble fiber,
which may help reduce cho
lesterol.
* Fruits: Starting your
day with an 8-ounce serving
of 100 percent orange juice
is one way to meet half of
the USDA’s daily fruit rec
ommendations, based on a
2,000 calorie diet.
Orange juice, which con
tains vitamin C, folate and
potassium, is one of the
most nutrient-rich bever
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912 CARROLL ST. • DOWNTOWN PERRY • (478) 987-2255
Monday - Friday 9:3oam - s:3opm * Sat. 10:00am - s:oopm
ages around.
* Vegetables: Spinach is
an excellent source of vita
min A and provides a signifi
cant amount of iron. Keep a
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FOR GREAT PEOPLE
Please apply at the
Holiday Inn Perry
200 ’Valley Drive
Exit 136 at 1-75
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THE HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
bag of frozen spinach in the
freezer; it can be steamed or
microwaved in minutes as a
side dish or addition to your
favorite recipe.
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