Pita Garden

I think I’m part Lebanese. There’s no earthly accounting
for this feeling, of course. On paper, my father’s family
came from Ireland in the 1800s and my mother’s family
sailed from southern Italy around the same time. I have no real
genetic link to Lebanon, yet I experience a strange spiritual tug each time I eat
at the Pita Garden in Cocoa Beach.

I’m also convinced that the owners, Sue and Eddy Raouda, are a distant aunt
and uncle. Why else would they greet me so warmly and so effusively each time
I walk in? Then again, they treat every one of their enthusiastic patrons the same.
Either half the town is related to them, or they’re simply the most genuine,
welcoming restaurateurs on the beach.

Blood tests might reveal different facts, but good food and friendship are strong
bonds which defy constructs like nationality and borders, and on that count, all
lovers of fresh, delicious cooking enjoy some connection with the Raoudas. By their
own admission, Sue and Eddy love to cook and entertain, and their passion and
affability comes out in every dish.

They’d been vacationing frequently in Cocoa Beach for 8 years and decided to
move to the area permanently to open the Garden this past September with
their daughter Ambra. Originally from Lebanon, Sue and Eddy share years
of restaurant experience and owned a small diner in Ottawa where Middle
Eastern eateries are as popular as pizzerias. But to characterize the Raouda’s
food as simply “Middle Eastern” is a little misleading.

Lebanon, situated above Israel in an area collectively known
as the Levant, produces a cuisine that can best be described
as “Mediterranean,” a style of cooking which is vaunted by
health advocates for its emphasis on heart-friendly ingredients
and preparation. Though enthusiasts usually cite southern
European examples as the best exponents of Mediterranean
cuisine, the Lebanese were instrumental in creating the form
long before those cultures arose, and their influence on Italian
, Spanish, and French dishes still resounds today.

The closest a casual eater might come to describing Lebanese
food is that it’s like Greek, or at best, like Israeli dishes, with
unleavened pita bread and felafel making strong appearances.
Put simply, Lebanese food is Lebanese, featuring a healthy use
of garlic, lemon, fresh vegetables, and olive oil. I was pretty familiar
with this kind of food before I first ate at the Garden, having had
shawarma, kebobs, and felafel many times before, but was introduced
to a myriad of undiscovered facets during my last visit.

We began with a sampler platter, which consisted of hommus (a smooth mixture of chick peas, lemon, garlic, olive oil, and tahini, a sesame dip), baba ghanouj (deliciously blended roasted eggplant dip), felafel (a lightly-fried fava and chick pea patty), tabouli (fresh parsley, bulgur wheat, and diced tomatoes), and grape leaves stuffed with savory rice, tomatoes, and chick peas. I’d heard from a friend about their kibbi, a sort of cylindrical meatball made of ground sirloin, onions, and crushed pine nuts, and happily took one of those alongside the platter. Each of these items can be ordered separately from their appetizer menu, but this platter, served with a basket of unleavened pita bread (wholly unlike the store-bought variety), is the best way to introduce yourself to the Raouda’s cooking.
Everything here is made on site and from scratch according to Sue’s home cooking recipes. She’s hasn’t changed her method for the restaurant, thankfully, and Ambra can attest to its authenticity. As Sue told me, “I can’t serve anything to my customers that I wouldn’t give to my children.” Freshness is key to the Garden’s success, where each item is painstakingly prepared from highly perishable ingredients, and consequently, nothing is reheated or turned over for the next day. The grape leaves themselves take 4 hours to prepare and the aioli-like garlic sauce, which can be ordered as a side, puts all jarred pretenders to shame.

A wide range of salads are available, but their pita sandwiches are what really draws hungry beachgoers. More akin to lavash, a type of flatbread, the Garden’s pitas, when rolled up like burritos, nestle an array of delicious ingredients. Called shawarma, they’re garnished with crisp lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles, chopped turnips, and creamy garlic sauce and can be ordered with top sirloin beef, moist chicken, lamb, or vegetables. They’re great for quick to-go meals if you so desire, but served platter-style with rice, orzo, hommus, pita, and garlic potatoes, they can be enjoyed patiently in the Garden’s brightly airy interior.

Marinated overnight, the Raouda’s meats are given hints of Lebanese spices and are never overpowering. Prepared on rotisseries or grilled on skewers with vegetables, the chicken and beef are the tastiest I’ve had. We took barbecue chicken kabobs marinated in garlic and skewered with grilled onions and peppers, and the kafta kabob, ground sirloin mixed with onions, parsley, and special Lebanese seasoning. The choice of platters ranges from a large family sampler, shrimp and salmon, and lamb as well, and each portion is perfectly-sized, yet reproducing their entire menu here wouldn’t do it justice - it has to be experienced firsthand.

It should be said that after all this food we were pleasantly full, but not uncomfortably stuffed enough to refuse a few desserts and cardamom-infused Lebanese espresso. Apart from excellent baklava, we tried namoura, a sort of honey cake with a consistency close to halva, and mahmoul, shortbread cookies filled with either dates, walnuts, or pistachios. Though each is sweet, they’re not cloying or overly rich. In fact, I was still able to try an order of Sue’s famous ijee at Ambra’s insistence, and I couldn’t be more thankful. Though really part of the appetizer selection, these zucchini and egg patties are a favorite among the Raouda children and often enjoyed in their home for breakfast. After all this, we felt invigorated and not the slightest bit sluggish, which would be expected after such a large meal at a lesser establishment.

People like the Raoudas couldn’t prepare a bad meal if they tried, and each creation is outstandingly simple and fresh, and as if reflecting the natural personalities of the cooks, sunny, youthful, and fulfilling. The Pita Garden is one of the best restaurants on the beach. Try it once, and you’ll be hooked. Who knows, you may even discover your long-forgotten Lebanese heritage.

The Pita Garden is located at 269 W. Cocoa Beach Cswy. (SR 520) in the White Rose Shopping Center nd is open Monday through Saturday from 11 to 9 p.m. and Sundays from 11 to 8p.m. Call 799-9933 to have your order ready when you arrive or for take out orders. The Raoudas also offer catering services with advance notice and can create large platters for groups, celebrations, and other events. Their healthy, authentic Lebanese food is a great alternative to other catered meals.