Halim and Mimi's: Cruisin' the Mediterranean
Emily Lampert, Asst. Bus. Manager
Halim and Mimi’s redefines "hole in the wall." From the outside, Halim and Mimi’s looks like nothing more than a run-down and dirty old restaurant. The sign is small, and to say it is unpretentious is an understatement. It is very hard to imagine that I would have ever noticed this small ethnic restaurant had it not been strongly recommended to me by native Tulsans. It is a "mom and pop" type of establishment owned and run solely by Halim and Mimi themselves, providing authentic ethnic foods at very reasonable prices.
When I walked in, the first thing I noticed was the delicious smell and the line of customers waiting to place their orders. Once inside, I noticed that the restaurant was extremely small with seating for about 40 patrons. Toward the back, there was a small visible kitchen that took away all uncertainties about the cleanliness of the establishment because one can watch Mimi as she personally prepares every order with precision and sterility. On the front of their take-out menu, there is a mission statement that reads, "our promise to our customers has always been good food, served promptly and courteously at reasonable prices." They more than held up to these standards.
The only uncomfortable part of my trip to this restaurant was due to my blatant ignorance for Lebanese cuisine. The words on the menu were completely unfamiliar to me, so I just picked, at random, a dish including chicken, rice and a garlic sauce called Chicken Tawook. It turns out that those who frequent the deli also consider this a favorite menu item. My friend arbitrarily chose to order the Jaj B Tahini: chicken with sesame sauce. As we waited for our lunch, we began to observe the other patrons of the restaurant. The small dining room was filled with upper-middle class people apparently on their lunch breaks. The walls were adorned with past newspaper articles complimenting Halim and Mimi’s service and cuisine. I suddenly realized that this was a Tulsa classic.
Those who frequent this restaurant do so despite the small and extremely unpretentious location and they return because of the outstanding food and service they receive time after time. Soon after we sat down, our orders were ready. Our plates were both filled with rice and topped with chicken. The only difference between the Jaj B. Tahini and the Chicken Tawook Platter was the sauce poured over the chicken. The food was delicious! It was an elegant world-class meal served on a paper plate, which was quite unpredictable. The chicken was charbroiled and placed on rice pilaf and served with homos and a triangle of pita bread.
Besides the chicken dishes that we ordered, there was a wide variety of foods on the menu. As I looked around the room it was not difficult to notice that many people enjoyed everything that they had ordered; everyone’s food looked very appetizing. They have a long list of sandwiches and wraps along with healthy appetizers and small snacks. Their locally famous exotic desserts, Baklawa, Morning Star and Borma, looked delicious. My favorite aspect of this experience was probably the price. The Platters ranged from $5 to about $7 and the sandwiches started at $4.10. This makes for an elegant meal at an extremely reasonable price.
Halim and Mimi’s is located at 2615 E. 11th Street, and is open for lunch Monday through Friday from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. and for dinner on Monday, Thursday and Friday from 5-7 p.m.
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