CINCINNATI — A popular, decades-old store at Over-the-Rhine's Findlay Market has expanded into a new neighborhood — this time with sit-down dining.
Dean's Mediterranean Imports, located at 108 W Elder St. in OTR, recently held the grand opening for Dean's Mediterranean Table, located at 4024 Hamilton Avenue in Northside.
Dean's is owned and operated by Kate Zaidan, who took over the Findlay Market store from her father, Dean, in 2014. Dean Zaidan first opened Dean's Imports at Findlay Market in the 1970s after emigrating from Beirut, Lebanon.
Katie Zaidan told WCPO 9 that getting to build upon the store her father built and expand it into a new concept has been one of the most gratifying parts of the process.
"It's a huge deal," Zaidan said. " ... I grew up in the store. I have memories of, like, sleeping in the back on big bags of lentils, and you know, drawing pictures for the windows and stuff. So it's very much home for me, but it was also, you know, I wanted to put my own spin on things."
Those who love and frequent Dean's Imports know the grocery store is packed to the brim with Mediterranean and Middle Eastern goods and foods, and Zaidan said the space at Table allows her to modernize and do more. She also said Table allows her to hold cooking classes and host educational sessions.
"(The) number one comment I would get from our customers and people in the store is like, 'Oh my gosh, all of these ingredients are so cool, but I just have no idea how to use them,'" Zaidan said. "And so I had to start doing cooking classes for that reason ... because we do carry, I think, some of the best ingredients in the world. But if you don't know how to use them, they're just items on a shelf."
Inside Table, guests can expect several seating options, including a large round booth that anchors the front of the restaurant. Zaidan said there are 25 seats indoors as well as 25 outdoor seats that will be added in the future. The restaurant also includes its own grocery area, with items such as chutneys and curry pastes, tinned fish, olive oils, freshly prepared hummus and much more.
Zaidan said Table's menu also builds off of the menu offered from the kitchen at the back of Dean's Imports.
"It's similar to our menu at Dean's, but definitely elevated," Zaidan said.
Zaidan said a lot of the recipes are derived from her family's recipes that she learned from her father and grandmother while growing up. On top of that, she said Table's chef, Alex Boland, has crafted beautiful plates that showcase Lebanese food's bright colors and accoutrements.
She said a standout on the menu is the mezze options, which are small plates that work best when they're served together, and a nice way to eat around the menu. She also said in the few weeks of business they've already had fan favorites that have become staples of the menu, such as their grilled dates.
For those wanting something lighter, Zaidan said she's thrilled to be able to bring Turkish and Yemeni coffee to the Cincinnati area.
She said their Turkish coffee is not overly sweet but a strong demitasse coffee that's perfect with sweets. Yemeni coffee dates back millennia, and Zaidan said it separates itself with its beans, roast and spices, with notes of ginger, cinnamon, cardamom and others.
Zaidan said she had a customer come in, order a coffee and pastry and sit with a book in the cafe, and that's the epitome of what she was trying to do with Dean's Mediterranean Table. She said Table has become sort of a one-stop shop for all things, whether that be coming in for a meal, a cup of coffee and a pastry or stopping in for some groceries.
At the end of the day, Zaidan said she wanted to create a space that was accessible to the community and welcoming to all.
"You know, that was kind of the genius of my dad's store that I really love is that we have spices that we sell for 50 cents, and we have a balsamic vinegar that's $235," Zaidan said. "So I sort of wanted to ... just make a place that anybody can feel at home in."
Dean's Mediterranean Table is open Tuesdays through Sundays from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. You can also check out Dean's Mediterranean Imports at Findlay Market from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays.
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