When Hani Rabee came to America from his hometown of Jerusalem seven years ago, he thought he knew what he would find.
“I thought the whole United States is the same thing,” says Rabee, 35, who came to the U.S. with his wife Nura. “But New Jersey is very different than New Orleans.”
That understatement was the result of the couple’s first visit to see his sister in central Jersey, before they came to see his brother in New Orleans. Rabee had worked in restaurants since he was a teenager, and his dream was to have his own restaurant. Until then, he figured he’d work with his brother.
"My brother owns Sahara Cafe (in Gretna),” Rabee says. “I thought we would work together in the restaurant.”
But his brother was adamant Rabee work somewhere outside of the cafe and learn the city until he could open a place of his own. So with his brother’s help, Rabee instead got a job managing a beauty supply store in Mid-City.
“My brother Shakor said, ‘No, you won’t learn English if you work with me. You won’t understand people in New Orleans. You won’t grow. No,’” Rabee says. “I didn’t really get it then, but he was right.”
Five years later, Rabee opened Olive, a Mediterranean cafe at 339 Carondelet St. in the CBD. He signed the lease days before the Covid shutdown, and after doing all the renovations and painting himself, he opened the restaurant almost a year ago, on Nov. 11, 2020.
“This is my dream,” he says.
Lufu, cooking in New Orleans and what people should know about Indian cuisine.
Along with Rafat Hennawi, a business partner and childhood pal from Jerusalem, Rabee opens the restaurant at 7 a.m. daily for breakfast and serves a vast, all-day menu throughout the day. Olive closes at 9 p.m. except on Friday and Saturday nights, when it stays open until 1 a.m.
“We make everything — with all my recipes — fresh to order,” he says. “I cook the way we cook in Jerusalem, always from scratch.”
The breakfast specialty shakshuka is a satisfying stew of fresh tomatoes, herbs and garlic topped with two sunny-side-up eggs, plus hummus and salad on the side. Musabaha is a dip like hummus, made with whole chickpeas and herbs and served warm with grilled pita. Kalaya features fresh tomatoes, chicken or beef, and plenty of garlic. There are only three fried items on the menu: falafel, french fries and chicken nuggets for kids.
Entrees also include shawarma made with chicken or beef, the ground meat mixed with spices and formed into a kebab. Marinated lamb chops are a house specialty, grilled to medium rare and served with rice, hummus and salad. Seafood lovers can opt for grilled shrimp and sauteed vegetables with rice and hummus. Grilled catfish fillets are dusted with herbaceous za’atar and served with basmati rice and salad.
There are plenty of options for vegetarians, including a handful of green salads, from fattoush to Greek salad with feta. Tabbouleh is made with bulgur wheat, lemon juice, olive oil and lots of parsley. There’s a grilled vegetable plate that includes grape leaves and two sides, and another vegetarian plate combines hummus, baba ghanoush, falafel and tabbouleh. Falafel also is available in a sandwich or on a platter.
Breakfast dishes have a decidedly Mediterranean accent, with spinach pie served with a side of thick yogurt labneh. Olive toast includes feta, olives and tomatoes. Rabee recently met a Turkish baker who will be supplying him with bagels for the breakfast sandwiches. There is American or Turkish coffee, mint tea and Lebanese tea, made with pine nuts and rosewater.
Despite the pandemic and a rough first few months, business is picking up, Rabee says.
“It was really scary opening the business at this time,” he says. “But I have a passion inside of me and I was going to do it no matter what.”
Despite the ongoing pandemic, Rabee remains upbeat, having gone through both a major professional and personal life change during it. “I opened my business in 2020, and we had our son Amir born during Ida,” he says.
The family feels right at home in New Orleans.
“I went from not knowing anything about American football to being a huge Saints fan,” Rabee says.
Olive
339 Carondelet St., (504) 766-9271
Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily, late-night Fri.-Sat.