There is a new Lebanese restaurant at the corner of Hargett and Wilmington streets whose name is often mispronounced.

Sitti's Web Site 
Information About Lebanese Cuisine

"The name of the restaurant is, Sitti, and what it means is grandmother," said Sitti partner Greg Hatem.  According to Hatem, Sitti is a place that would make his sitti proud.  

As soon as you walk in this Lebanese restaurant, there is a feeling of warmth.  One step in the door, and between the decor and fresh smells of baking breads, you get a sense of tradition.

"The point of this is to really be authentic to what our grandparents used to make and what they brought over from the old country at the turn of the century," said Hatem.

The authenticity begins with the food.  Many of the dishes are centuries in the making, with recipes being handed down generation to generation, ranging from baba ghanouj and shish kabobs to hummus and lamb chops.  But Sitti also makes dishes that are unique to the restaurant

"Our grandmother used to make Sitti burgers, which were hamburgers the way she would want to make them with a little bit of Lebanese flair, so we have that on the menu too," said Hatem.

Many of the dishes prepared at the restaurant are known as mezze.

"Mezze is to nibble, to eat just a little bit of everything, usually mezze starts with just about 10 dishes up to 40 dishes," said Chef Ghassan Jarrouj

For almost nine years, Chef Ghassan Jarrouj served as chef to the Ambassador of the U.S. Embassy in Lebanon before bringing his recipes to Raleigh.  Everything on his menu is made at the restaurant and nothing is canned.  Chef Ghassan says like most Mediterranean food, it's about being healthy.

"The flavor is not overpowering, but a lot of spices, its very mildly spiced, so it's a lot of the earthy freshness," said Jarrouj

With food like grandma used to make, Sitti reinforces its name and vintage feel that is echoed in the pictures.

“Part of the real heart of this restaurant are the photographs of our sittis," said Hatem.

Throughout the restaurant there are reminders of the heritage that can be tasted in the food and seen in the space.

"This is my grandmother on her wedding day and that's back in the village back in 1929," said Hatem.

There is a true sense of history and family here.  From photos of grandmothers and great grandmothers, to a deco bar from the 1940's that was shipped from Chicago and refinished.  But nothing says family more than the communal table that centers the restaurant.

"I even had a fella tell me last night, when he comes in here by himself, he likes to sit at the sitti table, because he's surrounded by other people,” said Hatem.  “He doesn't feel like he's eating alone, he's visiting with some other folks.”

Unique food and antique flair can often times add up to a shirt and tie and dent in the wallet

“We're not fine dining, you get the feel of a nice restaurant, you get the prices of a casual dining restaurant, it's meant to be more of a family type of environment," said Hatem

"That’s the whole Sitti theme, that's what Lebanese food is, so, it's about friends and family getting together, having good time," said Jarrouj,