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Lemon Mediterranean chef wants customers to be happy
As you enter Lemon Mediterranean Restaurant, you feel as if you are walking into an oasis right off Route 9 in Freeho...
Lemon Mediterranean chef wants customers to be happy As you enter Lemon Mediterranean Restaurant, you feel as if you are walking into an oasis right off Route 9 in Freeho... Check out this story on app.com: http://on.app.com/PPuzry
Susan Weiner, @foodsusanapp Published 12:00 a.m. ET April 9, 2014 | Updated 12:12 a.m. ET April 9, 2014
Owner/executive chef Ash Elmenshawy plates a slow-roasted brisket at Lemon Mediterranean Restaurant in Freehold Township.(Photo: Robert Ward/staff photographer)Buy Photo
As you enter Lemon Mediterranean Restaurant, you feel as if you are walking into an oasis right off Route 9 in Freehold Township.
What a surprise awaits as you leave the busy parking lot of the strip mall and head into the restaurant. The soothing tan walls are decorated with replicas of violins, copper pots and mirrors, with the tables beautifully set with mint green and white cloths. You truly feel as if you have left your busy life behind.
And then chef and owner Ash Elmenshawy greets you — like a long-lost friend.
"Chef Ash" walks around his restaurant greeting old and new customers alike. Everyone is made to feel welcome.
But the best welcome is the food.
"I make what I like," Elmenshawy said. "I decided to serve food from France, Italy, Greece, Spain and
Morocco."
Elmenshawy was a lawyer in his native Egypt when he decided to leave and come to the United States. He no longer wanted to be a lawyer.
"I have a talent for making people happy," he said. "With a lawyer, no one is happy."
So on Dec. 31, 1988, he said, he found himself in New York City's Time Square, celebrating New Year's Eve.
After that, the self-taught chef worked a variety of restaurants, starting at the bottom and working his way up.
Before opening his own restaurant, he worked in La Cipollina in Freehold and many other restaurants, learning his craft. In addition to Lemon, Elmenshawy owns Ginger Indian Buffet and Hummus Mediterranean Restaurant in Freehold.
Elmenshawy said he was given a lemon tree as a gift by a customer and when he opened his own restaurant, he decided to call the restaurant Lemon.
"This (lemon tree) is a part of me," he said. "I felt a connection."
Lemon, he said, is "famous for its seafood and lamb dishes."
As you look over the menu, nibble on the complimentary creamy house-made hummus and warm pita — a specialty.
Don't fill up too much though, you need to save room for all to come.
To start, try the Sicilian rice balls stuffed with mozzarella and green peas with a roasted garlic tomato sauce ($7), or the fried feta cheese zucchini cales with onion, fresh herbs and dill with Greek yogurt ($8).
Then have a salad, fresh and light. The farro salad has sundried tomatoes, capers, olives, sweet peppers and feta cheese in a sherry wine vinaigrette ($8). The pistachio goat cheese saladis made with mixed greens, red onions, mushrooms and balsamic dressing ($8).
Entrees include rack of lamb in a port wine reduction with cranberry polenta ($29); Branzino, a Mediterranean sea bass roasted with grape tomatoes, garlic, fresh thyme and grilled lemon ($27), and hanger steak au poivre with a peppercorn brandy Dijon sauce and grilled lemon-roasted potatoes ($23).
Desserts — if you have room — include warm caramel covered dates with vanilla ice cream, cranberry white chocolate bread pudding and Mediterranean baklava; $8 each.
Elmenshawy said he believes in quality, freshness and cleanliness for his restaurants.
He said he makes his dishes "My way — completely different."
Though Elmenshawy is very hands on, he said he decided that when he had his own restaurant he would be in front, talking to the people.
And in the front he is, going from table to table, talking to his customers.
"I like seeing people happy when they eat my food," he said.
Lemon Mediterranean Restaurant is at 3475 Route 9 N. in A&M Plaza in Freehold Township. Call 732-761-0900 or visit http://lemonfreehold.com.
Chef Ash holds monthly cooking classes in the restaurant. Visit the website for details.
Susan Weiner, food editor, 732-643-4275 or email sweiner@app.com
Read or Share this story: http://on.app.com/PPuzry
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DoorDash Establishes $1,000,000 Restaurant Disaster Relief Fund
To start, the latest Main Street Strong initiative will provide $10,000 cash grants to 100 eligible local restaurants
SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- DoorDash (NYSE: DASH), the nation's leading last-mile logistics platform, today announced at the second annual Main Street Strong Restaurant Conference a $1,000,000 Restaurant Disaster Relief Fund to provide relief grants to local restaurants across the United States affected by state- or federally-declared natural disasters throughout the next year in partnership with Hello Alice.
Small businesses are the center of local economies, yet nearly 40% of small businesses are unable to reopen following a disaster according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Disaster can occur at a moment's notice and access to financial assistance is crucial to helping a restaurant rebuild their business following a disaster.
"Restaurants are at the heart of Main Street and they have exhibited immense resiliency when disaster strikes, providing for their communities even when their resources on hand are limited," said Tasia Hawkins, Social Impact Program Lead at DoorDash. "The Restaurant Disaster Relief Fund is one way we are aiming to reduce the financial burden imposed on restaurants following a natural disaster, helping keep restaurant doors open for years to come."
DoorDash is proud to launch this initiative as part of its ongoing five-year, $200 million Main Street Strong pledge to empower local communities. Applications for the Restaurant Disaster Relief Fund open on Monday, November 1 at doordash.helloalice.com. The fund will be open for eligible restaurant owners and operators including those affected by Hurricane Ida and the ongoing California Wildfires. Additional information about the program can be found below:
Eligibility: Applicants must be experiencing hardship due to a state- or federally-declared natural disaster, be a restaurant located in the United States, operate a brick and mortar location, own three stores or less, employ fewer than 50 employees per location, be open for at least six months, and maintain revenues of $3M or less per location in the last 12 months. A partnership with DoorDash or Caviar is not required or considered.
Grant Information: Grants will each be $10,000. Restaurants can utilize the funds for rent, utilities, maintenance, supplies, payroll, and other essential expenses.
Timeline: Restaurateurs can apply for the Restaurant Disaster Relief Fund here beginning November 1. Applications will be processed every three months, with funding distributed for grant awardees shortly thereafter.
Hello Alice, a leading national organization focused on ensuring every entrepreneur has what they need to launch and grow their small business, has been an instrumental part of developing the program's breadth, application criteria, and selection process and will be administering the awarded disaster relief grants. The National Restaurant Association, the leading business association for the restaurant industry, will amplify the program's availability in a time of need.
"These grants will help small business restaurants recover while the operators focus on what they do best, offering essential nourishment and comfort to their neighbors," said Mike Whatley, vice president for State Affairs and Grassroots Advocacy at the National Restaurant Association. "Restaurants are the cornerstones of their communities, and we appreciate the commitment DoorDash and Hello Alice are making to the recovery of our operators and employees following a disaster."
In addition to financial support for local restaurants through the Restaurant Disaster Relief Fund, DoorDash is committed to supporting affected communities at large. Through programs including Community Credits and Project DASH, DoorDash partners with nonprofit and emergency response organizations to help provide access to food and other essential items during crisis situations.
For more information about the Restaurant Disaster Relief Fund, full eligibility criteria, and terms and conditions, please visit doordash.helloalice.com. Eligible restaurateurs are encouraged to apply for grants starting November 1, 2021 and to join the DoorDash community on Hello Alice to receive email updates, preparedness education, and community support.
DoorDash is a technology company that connects consumers with their favorite local and national businesses in more than 7,000 cities across the United States, Canada, Australia and Japan. Founded in 2013, DoorDash enables local businesses to address consumers' expectations of ease and immediacy and thrive in today's convenience economy. By building the last-mile logistics infrastructure for local commerce, DoorDash is bringing communities closer, one doorstep at a time.
About Hello Alice
Hello Alice is a free, multichannel platform that helps businesses launch and grow. With a community of nearly 500,000 business owners in all 50 states and across the globe, Hello Alice is building the largest network of owners in the country while tracking data and trends to increase the success rate for entrepreneurs. Our partners include enterprise business services, government agencies, and institutions looking to serve small- and medium-business owners to ensure increased revenues and promote scale. A Latina owned company, founded by Carolyn Rodz and Elizabeth Gore, we believe in business for all by providing access to all owners including women, people of color, veterans, and everyone with an entrepreneurial spirit. To learn more, visit www.helloalice.com, as well as Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook.
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