Phoenicia

Phoenicia is the grande dame of Middle Eastern dining in metro Detroit, and it has the receipts: the Eid family has run it since 1971, moving it to Birmingham a decade later and building it into what many consider the crown jewel of Lebanese cooking in the state. Now serving something like a fourth generation of regulars, it plates refined, white-linen versions of the classics — hummus, baba ghanoush, labneh — plus less-common gems like muhammara and olive-oil-roasted eggplant, with hospitality that’s the whole point.

This is special-occasion territory, the restaurant families return to for birthdays and anniversaries decade after decade. We have it high on our list as a genuine institution — the rare upscale spot that has stayed excellent long enough to become a tradition. Come for a leisurely date night or a multi-generational dinner, and let the mezze pile up.