Mommie’s Mediterranean Lebanese Market

Nestled next to a Shop-Rite, Mommie’s Mediterranean Lebanese Market is a surprising new addition to the newly-built service station space. This counter service establishment has a surprisingly large menu of interesting ethnic dishes: Greek, American, Lebanese and Cajun.

Hard to miss with its large red and yellow sign, the inside area is matched with yellow walls, large painted flowers and polished metal tables. Visitors can view the trademark shawarma, large pieces of meat on skewers slowly roasting. Upon entering the establishment, guests are always promptly greeted by staff behind counters waiting to take your order.

Ordering is exciting; there are many dishes that are all very unique. The traditional deli menu features homemade hamburgers, ham and roast beef sandwiches with french fries. The Cajun portion of the menu is something you could expect to find at a small Cajun market: fried catfish and fried shrimp po-boys.

The Greek and Lebanese side of the offering is headlined by gyros, hummus, falafel, pita chips and chicken shawarma. Alongside the counter is a case filled with fried seafood and appetizers diners can grab in a hurry.

The pies and other finger foods served at Mommie’s are handmade treats with great wholesome flavor. The meat pie ($2.59) at Mommie’s is a small, home-style, fold-over pie wrapped in thick dough. The meat inside is tossed with onions and flavored with mild herbs and mint, the natural flavors of the meat and herbs are a good compliment to the richly flavored pie crust.

Alongside the meat pies are spinach pies, made with the same dough and filled with smothered spinach and onions. The filling of this pie bursts with a strong spinach flavor to balanced with the sweet onion and buttery dough; definitely for the spinach lover.

The gyro ($5) is a sandwich-wrap dish enjoyed around the world in many different variations. Much like burgers and fries in America, the gyro can be found in many places as a good deal for a hot meal. The gyros at Mommie’s are no exception. This large wrap starts with pita bread, a flat and chewy wrap that is grilled instead of toasted. The pita is topped with lettuce, tomato, purple onion and, of course, tzatziki sauce, a tangy dill sauce with herbs. The meat is a combination of beef and lamb, which has been heavily seasoned with herbs and made into a meatloaf that is then grilled.

With so many ingredients, the wrap is hard to keep in one piece, but there are so many different flavors to enjoy. This wrap will be a delight for someone who enjoys lamb and mint, a taste not common to this area but delicious nonetheless.

The salad that accompanied my gyro was an interesting blend of dark greens and had sliced tomato and olive oil. The salad was surprisingly light and flavorful with the subtle taste of mint. If the gyro and salad weren’t enough, my order also came with a small order of hummus.

Hummus is uniquely Greek and has begun to make an entrance into grocery stores as a healthy snack and dip. Made of ground chickpeas and oil, hummus is much like a thin bean dip but tastes lighter and usually has herbs, lemon and olive oil.

The hummus at Mommie’s was light in color and tasted of herbs. The flavor of the dip is subtle and is something that grows on you. Served with thick, homemade pita chips, the hummus was an interesting addition and went great on the salad.

Alongside the gyro’s lamb and beef shawarma, chicken shawarma was also roasting. Wanting to sample this interesting, heavily-spiced chicken, I ordered the chicken shawarma salad (large $8.99). The salad was filled with shaved chicken, feta cheese, tomato, purple onion and a mint and oil dressing on the side.

The chicken on the salad was very lean and heavily spiced with herbs and seasoning.

The combination of ingredients is very filling and the salad is filled with good protein making this dish a surprisingly hearty meal.

Wanting to try a little bit of the Cajun side of Mommie’s I ordered a half-size po-boy ($6.99). The 6-inch po-boy was overstuffed with juicy, medium-sized shrimp.

The shrimp were well-seasoned with Cajun spices and fried with a light flour batter; sitting atop a toasted French po-boy bun dressed with mayonnaise, lettuce and tomato. This po-boy was definitely well made, well portioned and delicious.

The great thing about Mommie’s is the wide assortment of food diners can get prepared fresh to dine-in or on-the-go. There are few places where diners can get hamburgers, gyros, oriental salads and shrimp po-boys. Such an assortment is good for parties with different tastes.

Dining at Mommie’s can offer people a chance try different types of food, all of which are prepared with love for the Lebanese, Cajun and American heritage.

Mommie’s Mediterranean Lebanese Market 398 St. Charles Street, Houma (985) 876-1490 Sunday, Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Friday, Saturday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.