Palm Palace offers upscale Middle Eastern experience
Palm Palace lends a special-occasion atmosphere to Middle Eastern cuisine.
The restaurant has undergone several transformations. It began serving this type of food as La Shish, the outgrowth of a Dearborn establishment, but then the ownership and name changed to Charlie’s. A year ago, the management changed yet again, taking on the Palm Palace moniker. Ann Arbor is one of three Michigan locations; the other two are in Clinton Township and Auburn Hills.
Through all these transformations, it’s continued to serve classic Middle Eastern dishes. Palm Palace also has some Moroccan choices on the menu.
The interior of Palm Palace.
Angela Cesere | AnnArbor.com
Along with that lavish atmosphere comes somewhat upscale prices. This is definitely one of the pricier places in the area for Middle Eastern food, with entrees in the $15 range, and as high as $26 for a large serving of lamb chops. However, the restaurant offers a value plan. For $7.99, you can choose among three different dishes that are slightly smaller in size than the main entrees, but still substantial. Among my favorites was the hummus, so creamy it resembled a custard consistency. That and the warmed pita proved a great way to start our meal. Portions are gigantic here, so I’d advise not filling up on the appetizers, though they were a highlight of our meal. I really enjoyed the slightly sweet Moroccan harirra soup, a wonderful mix of saffron and white pepper, as well as other spices. The fried kibbee was a delight, not too greasy, with a nicely packaged lamb interior. Main courses arrive on giant platters, and we could have easily shared them. The chef kabob featured lamb cooked to my son’s liking, medium rare, with a fantastic melding of spices that made the lamb delicate and not overcooked. I was interested in sampling one of the Moroccan dishes and really enjoyed the Moroccan tajen, lamb adorned with an interesting mix of vegetables: carrots, onions, turnips, sweet potatoes, eggplant and pumpkin, as well as couscous — which the server brought instead of the rice that my dining companion requested. A few of the entrees didn’t live up to their high price tag. The bland tenderloin seared sajee and the chicken shish tawook both featured overcooked meat. Each could have used far more sauce to add necessary moisture and seasonings. The same goes for the falafel, which tasted extremely dry. The restaurant did a nice job with some American standards. The French fries were thick, piping hot and well seasoned, while the desserts, a rich chocolate cake spread with creamy frosting and the cheesecake, were absolute standouts. Where ambience and price are fancy, I expected better service. Our server seemed distracted and was nowhere to be found several times when we were desperate for water to wash down the somewhat spicy food. Main courses also took quite a while to arrive. Still, with generous portions and some very good dishes, Palm Palace is a fun place to go this time of year, provided you’re prepared for the prices.
Palm Palace 2370 Carpenter Road Ann Arbor 734-222-5959 Palm Palace in AnnArbor.com restaurant guide Hours: Sunday through Thursday, 10 a.m.-10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m.-11 p.m. Plastic: Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express Liquor: No. Prices: Moderate to expensive. Entrees range from $11 to $26. Value: Excellent. Portions are quite large. Noise level: Quiet. Wheelchair access: Yes. Smoking Section: No.
Comments
treetowncartel
Mon, Jan 4, 2010 : 12:54 p.m.
Try Pit Pita out on Washtenaw, between Golfside and Hewitt. Phenomenal food and really nice people.
shepard145
Sat, Jan 2, 2010 : 11:14 a.m.
We were happy to see this quality restaurant open in Ann Arbor years ago. We stop by the Palm Palace when we have the chance and did so yesterday (Friday) afternoon. This is one of our 3 favorite restaurants in Ann Arbor, our two young children love the bread and we all enjoy the excellent and healthy dishes. In our opinion this is easily the best Middle Eastern food in the area. The service in the last few months has improved significantly and is now excellent. If PP were to close, it would be a bummer and we would drive to Canton to the newly renamed La Sharm.
bedrog
Sat, Jan 2, 2010 : 10:20 a.m.
haifa felafel's felafels are definitely a cut above anywhere else's in town...
Angela Smith
Fri, Jan 1, 2010 : 11:30 p.m.
We also avoid peanut oil, and the kitchen was happy to custom prepare sme chicken and rice for my daughter. The ambiance was great, but we noticed the place was not exactly clean on our visit. Our new fave for arabic carry out food -- Haifa Falafel.
Sofia Toti
Fri, Jan 1, 2010 : 8:19 p.m.
When it was La Shish & Charlie's my problem w/ the place was the level of air conditioning; I don't want to wear down to dinner in June. Has that been addressed?
greenstriper
Fri, Jan 1, 2010 : 10:18 a.m.
I've got to give Palm Palace points for calling out in their menu that they use peanut oil in the dishes. A lot of places don't, which is a problem for my wife and I when dining out (my wife is highly allergic to peanuts). Bagger Dave's is on our "good guy" list for this, too, since they put the warning on the door.
KeepingItReal
Thu, Dec 31, 2009 : 3:55 p.m.
Great Place! One of my favorite restaurants.
Spencer Thomas
Thu, Dec 31, 2009 : 2:55 p.m.
Last time my wife & I went, we shared one plate, took more than half of it home, and got a couple of lunches off the leftovers. That's great value, but if you want some variety it's a problem. More seriously, the quality of the pita took a huge nose dive from the La Shish/Charlie's days. Our first basket of pita was dry and crunchy. We complained and got some fresher, hotter pitas, but they still didn't measure up. The fresh-from-the-oven pita that La Shish featured seems to be gone.
David Briegel
Thu, Dec 31, 2009 : 1:02 p.m.
You took down all our posts praising and now you tell us it is owned by new owners. Why did nobody cover the sale when it happened? I thought Charlie was still the owner? I agree with Colleen and operabethie! No News Here?
Colleen
Thu, Dec 31, 2009 : 12:42 p.m.
I am surprised about the comment of pricing and service I have dined at Palm Palace of Ann Arbor and was very pleased with my experience. I found the pricing to be rather reasonable and they even offer a value menu that has a vast selection of dishes. I ordered off the value menu( my meal was under $8.00) and still had a carry-out box to take home. I have been to this location numerous times and the service is always outstanding. I am addicted. Thanks for the great article.
treetowncartel
Thu, Dec 31, 2009 : 12:15 p.m.
I do miss the old William Sleep's that used to be at that loation. Those tast marinated chicken breasts and augratin potatoes, mmmmm.
operabethie
Thu, Dec 31, 2009 : 10:06 a.m.
I don't think the author is taking the prices in the right context. The portions are so large at this place, that one could eat off the entree for 3 to 4 meals. I think they are quite reasonable considering this fact.
Anonymous Commentor
Thu, Dec 31, 2009 : 9:52 a.m.
Carrie: No, it is not.
Carrie
Thu, Dec 31, 2009 : 7:05 a.m.
Who owns the Palm Palace. Is it owned by the same family that owned La Shish
bedrog
Thu, Dec 31, 2009 : 6:46 a.m.
i was pleased to see some moroccan dishes on the post Lashish menu, but the tagine i ordered still needs some work on the distinctive "moroccany " spicing..hopefully that's been fixed since my visit. on the whole tho a nice place, good service...and that garlic spead/bread they give everyone is addictive.