In 2010 I ... ate Lebanese food

At a place called Emily's Lebanese Deli, nonetheless. This divey little hole in Northeast has been featured on The Food Network, where I first learned about it and was not surprisingly drawn in because 1) it's called Emily's and 2) it's not every day you see a Minneapolis feature on national TV and 3) I'll watch almost anything on television.

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives at Emily's

Food Club had slowed a bit with the business of summer activities in full effect, but since Carmelo's we've visited Sea Salt Eatery, Haute Dish and now Emily's. Unlike the others, this one is quite a sight. Considering the complete lack of any sort of ambiance, this place is rolling out seriously good food. Which is critical, because you wouldn't venture there for the service either. But really, the food is that good.

Most of the group started off with tabouli ...

... while I devoured mistah bread.

Of course we also couldn't resist a plate full of hummus, and after all this it was difficult to fathom still being hungry for main courses. Our table was eventually covered with kabobs, cabbage rolls, rice with almonds (sooo good!) and various preparations of lamb and chicken. Yum.

We all left completely stuffed, and if you've never had Lebanese (like me before this week) I'd highly recommend Emily's. But take a minute to consider the take-out option. I now know why it was the more popular option throughout our dinner stay ...

Next up: Tavola Fresca, this crazy-amazing sounding private backyard dinner series.