| by Courtney Dabney |After celebrating their first year in business, Saffron Sky is growing in popularity mostly by word of mouth. Tucked into a strip mall near the Ridglea Theatre, some may have hesitated to give it a try, but it has the goods.
The Mezza Sampler ($10.99 for one, and $14.99 for two) gives you a taste of the best and most authentic dips served alongside tender pita bread. The hummus is not overpowering with garlic. You can actually taste the chickpeas. The Lebneh, a tangy and creamy yogurt dip that is eaten with nearly every meal in the Middle East, is made fresh daily.
Baba Ganoush is a blend of roasted eggplant, lemon, tahini (ground sesame seeds) and extra virgin olive oil. This one is seriously smoky and the smoothest consistency. Cubes of fresh feta cheese and kalamata olives add a salty note, and the falafel is the most delicate texture, served mildly spiced and golden brown.
We also sampled the Stuffed Lamb Grape Leaves (Dolmas $5.99 for five). They were perfect, wrapped tightly, made fresh in house, and each flavor was easily detected. There are common Gyro sandwiches and hard-to-find Shwarma made from spit-roasted chicken as well.
Right now they serve the best baklava available ($1.79 in logs, nests or traditional pistachio and walnut varieties) from Shatila Bakery in Detroit, but Shaban hopes to expand Saffron Sky with an authentic bakery of its own in the near future.
by Courtney Dabney
