Shwarma is one of the menu item favorites at the Pyramids Grill restaurant in Lebanon. CHERYL LEWIS
Lewis
When I named my column “TN and Beyond,” I didn’t realize just how true that would be for this story about the Pyramids Grill Restaurant in Lebanon — its menu features plenty of Tennessee and especially beyond!
Have you been yet?
I’ve eaten there a couple of times now and lemme tell ya, my first visit took me totally by surprise. I had seen quite a few references on social media about its arrival and how much everyone liked it.
Quite frankly, I have always loved another restaurant called Cava, with its “Chipotle-esque” version of Mediterranean food — you walk down an assembly line and show the employee as you go what to include (“yep, I want that; no, none of that”), but we don’t have one of those in Wilson County.
That has long made me sad.
Call me crazy, but I love anywhere that I can direct someone to heap kalamata olives over brown rice and grilled veggies to my heart’s content.
Anyhoo, I couldn’t see any evidence in Pyramids’ menu that showed signs of olives, so figured I’d pass. What’s Mediterranean about dishes without olives?
Oh, silly me.
One person on social media assured me that, yes, there are olives served at Pyramids, and that, yes, their food is delicious.
I took a chance and pulled up to a strip mall across from Mike’s Foodland off N. Cumberland St. — their exact address is 1123 N. Castle Heights Avenue — and walked into a line of customers eager to dine there. There are scattered tables for four and two smiling owners behind the counter, along with another young man who helps fill orders.
You order at the counter before grabbing a seat. Jacqueline Seais, one of the owners, just smiled as I struggled to name what I wanted. Picking out what to eat is easy only for those familiar with Mediterranean food because there are offerings from Greece, Turkey, Egypt and more.
I recognized falafel, quesadilla and grilled shrimp but had no clue what “shawarma” might be. Because a close friend has told me that’s her favorite, I took a chance … and it may have been the best thing I’ve ever eaten!
“I don’t eat ‘Mary had a little lamb,’ ” another friend told me when I shared my new favorite menu item. I assured him that if he didn’t know it was lamb, it would be his new favorite, too. There are, of course, chicken and beef alternatives.
Finishing my order was entertaining. I sat down, thinking it was in the process of being prepared, but watched as other customers were called up to the grill clear shield to answer questions. Finally, I was gestured to the glass shield separating me from the food. Hany, the other owner (and Jacqueline’s husband), had my plate in his hand and was letting me decide what I wanted to include. A tower of meat was rotating behind him and he carved liberally from it.
He let me choose whether I wanted regular salad or Greek with Tzatziki sauce or ranch dressing. Then I made my ever-so-important olives preference clear. Grinning, he reached for the black olives several times until conceding and heaping kalamata olives atop my other choices.
When my husband complimented him at the end of our meal, Hany cupped his ear and invited Jim to say it louder … then louder … and louder. We all laughed. His wit was refreshing and Jacqueline stood behind the register, grinning.
Their rapport is one of the many things customers enjoy there and fun is a big part of what makes owning a restaurant so worthwhile to the couple.
“These customers are different,” said Hany. “I’d been working in a tobacco store and selling tobacco and alcohol. Yet I don’t smoke or drink and it means nothing. Now customers are here for family and food.
“I like to cook,” he said. “Why? You can ask my God. You love watching American football and I love cooking. Everyone is different. I cook at home and cooked back in Egypt. Here you can see me and I cook in an open kitchen. All new people are coming here and all of them come back.”
When I asked him how to actually pronounce “gyro,” he said that in Chicago and New York it’s “yee-roe” and here he hears “jy-roe” and either is fine. “Call it whatever you like.”
When I asked him how long he and Jacqueline have been married, he said eight years.
“Almost nine,” chimed in Jacqueline, laughing. I asked her if she likes working here.
“Yes, I like it,” she said.
Hany then chimed in, “She likes to work with me.” They both laughed.
“I like the customers,” said Jacqueline. “They are very nice. And I do like working with my husband. I’m boring at home. We have a lot of fun at work.”
Their laughter and mine … and, yes, of course, the delicious food … will keep me coming back. Now I can even say I’ve visited pyramids.
Cheryl Lewis is a writer in Tennessee and can be reached at TNandBeyond@yahoo.com.