"My mom and I went kayaking in Hines Park with a group from the Friends of the Rouge over Mother’s Day weekend and it really worked up an appetite. On my way home, I stopped by Beirock Wraps, a casual Lebanese Mexican spot in Garden City, and was impressed by the shawarma nachos — loaded with chunks of tender steak, nacho cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, and the restaraunt’s signature Beirock sauce. Arabs and Mexicans have been co-existing within relatively close proximity in metro Detroit for decades, and have an even longer shared history dating back to the early days of tacos al pastor, making it only natural that we would be blessed with a spot that celebrates both cultures’ culinary contributions in one place. Owner Adrian Jimenez tells Eater that he started learning about Middle Eastern cuisine around 2008 and quickly picked up on similarities between the food of his Mexican background and that of Lebanese food, including an insistence to keep tradition alive. Beirock does this seamlessly, allowing ingredients typical of each region like turmeric, allspice, cinnamon, paprika, and cumin to combine, resulting in incredibly rich, complementary flavor combinations — such as with that Beirock sauce and the nacho cheese, which are both liberally ladled over warm tortilla chips. The shawarma meat at Beirock is not prepared on a spit, but rather on a charcoal grill, which Jimenez says helps lock in those flavors. I kept trying to decide if the nachos were more Mexican or more Lebanese. The answer is both. And I love that." - Serena Maria Daniels
