My dear foodie friend, H.A., is from Syria and has been telling me all about this delightful middle-eastern restaurant named Safita in Fairfield. It’s her family’s go-to place for authentic home-style food. We kept talking about lunching there – but the plans just never materialized. Well! last week it was her 25th birthday and she decided to celebrate it at Safita. I was so excited just thinking about all the great food I was sure to have, and couldn’t wait to finally get there!
Middle Easterners celebrate lavishly! And Safita was just the place for such a celebration. Hassouns, the owners, are a wonderfully warm couple. The husband makes sure that all the guests are well taken care of while his wife does her magic in the kitchen. Everything…I mean EVRYTHING is made in-house. Right down to the the delicous Za’tar spice mix for our pita. That Za’tar was divine….so delicately infused with wonderful herbs and flavors. I could not stop coating my pita with it. Another of my favorites was a spicy, homemade harissa-based sauce. Mmmm! Mmmmm! I hope the Hassouns start selling jars of this goodness…because when that happens, I am sure to be their first customer. 
We were a group of 15 people - hungry from smelling all the wonderful aromas coming out of the kitchen, and eager to start tasting all the food. And then the food started coming. And Coming. And COMING! We had practically everything from the appetizer menu. It was great to go in a large group as I got to try so much more than usual. Everything tasted fresh and home-made. I loved the fresh Tabouleh, the Hummus, the Baba Ghanoush and the Fattoush (a fabulous fresh salad). The Safita Chicken Rolls are also a must try! There was so much food at the table that I could not keep up with all the names and flavors. The important thing I remember is that everything was simply delicious!
Two hours into the dinner party, and about 15 dishes later we were stuffed. We were happy to see the servers take away our plates. But, to our dismay, a few minutes later they brought out dinner plates. Apparently, it was time for the main course! Seriously!!! This is how it’s done in Syria, people. And so this is what we must do.
The main course was an assortment of Safita Mixed Grill Platter, Lamb and Chicken Shawarma, as well as this delicious Rice Pilaf! Wow! I thought I really could not eat anymore, but when this food come to our table it was so hard to resist the tantalizing aromas. The Mixed Grill Platter was excellent. It had a combination of moist grilled chicken, lamb and beef. The Shawarmas were tangy and tasty. The Rice Pilaf was delicate, and buttery in its flavor. I brought home some leftovers of everything, and next morning, the rice was the first thing I went after.
We were served Turkish coffee and a delicious Safita Special Blend tea. I loved the presentation and flavor of the tea. It transported me to a wonderful far away world.
If you like Middle-Eastern food, Safita is as authentic as it gets.
Safita | 2217 Post Road, Fairfield | 203.319.0000
