Nabeel Hamameh is a lawyer. And before you even ask, no, he can't get you out of that speeding ticket. He's a business litigation and real estate attorney in the city of Dearborn. He spends his days, and the occasional night, at a desk or in meetings, wearing a tie, and trying to figure out the best way to represent a client in a lawsuit – that's legalese for the verb "to sue."
When you hear words like that – litigation, lawyer, lawsuit, suit, sue – you automatically have a romantic image of that slick counselor in the pinstripe suit, giving the jury the business, and landing that enormous case. But the real life of Hamameh is a lot different than that. And the 34-year-old admits that litigation isn't as exciting as it sounds. "It's mostly paperwork," he says.
Being a lawyer is Hamameh's career – he makes the money and pays the bills with that suit and tie and his college education – but it certainly isn't his life. He has better things to talk about than work after, well, a long day of work. And one of those things happens to be the city he's called home since before he was a teenager. The city of Dearborn.
The Hometown"This is a great community," he says, enthusiastically. "There is a lot to do here. Everything you need is right here."
Dearborn isn't exactly small – nearly 100,000 residents are spread out over about 25 square miles – so when he says, "right here," he's really talking about the downtown area's of East Dearborn – running along Michigan Avenue and centered around Schaefer – and West Dearborn – between Military and Oakwood also along Michigan Avenue.
"This place is very diverse and people sometimes forget that there is more here than just a heavily populated Arabic area," he says. Hamameh, himself, is Palestinian. "There is a broad range of people in the area and there is something for everyone."
Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner"I don't go out too often for breakfast," he says. "I'm an eggs and pancakes kind of a guy. And I gotta tell you, if I do go out, I go to Bob Evans." He laughs at that.
"But really, for me, my breakfast, lunch, and dinner could be La Pita," he says.
La Pita is a staple in West Dearborn's Middle Eastern cuisine. It's his Peach Pit. "I just got a message a second ago from my friends saying, 'Hey, get up here, we're at La Pita.' It's our place." He says the menu won't steer you into a bad choice. And he, after all, is an expert on the joint.
But it's not the only weapon in Hamameh's eating arsenal. Putting La Pita aside, he says Dearborn could fill a foodies "to eat" list for at least a week.
One of those "to eats" would be the burger at
Miller's Bar, which is consistently voted one of the best burgers in all the land.
"Those burgers are phenomenal," he says. "That's one place I go to a lot for lunch. I get a cheeseburger; pile it high with pickles, then mustard and ketchup. And they do it on the honor system – you order as many burgers as you want and after, you go and tell them how many you had. It's simple."
If Hamameh wants to hit up something a little more swanky, he throws on a button up, dabs the cologne, and heads on over to
Crave for some sushi – but mostly for the experience.
"Crave is really nice but you really go there for that atmosphere more so than the food," he says. "It's kind of overpriced, but nice. And the ambiance of the place is great."
What To Do AfterwardHamameh doesn't smoke cigarettes. He hates them. He thinks they taste and smell bad. Won't touch them. But he does smoke argeleh (the Arabic word for hookah). The hookah is an Arabic tradition (though catching on quick in the West) of smoking flavored tobacco through a water pipe. In Dearborn, argelehs are served at most Middle Eastern bars and restaurants and Hamameh has been to all of them.
"If we're going for argeleh the two biggest spots are La Pita and Le Cigar," he says. Le Cigar is a West Dearborn cigar bar. "At Le Cigar I can grab an argeleh and a drink, usually a Grey Goose and Red Bull or a Jack Daniels and Coke. Those go good with argeleh.
Lava Java Café and Midnight Espresso" – more modern digs and geared toward a younger, but legal, age of argeleh smokers – "are also our big smoking spots."
West Dearborn, known more for its party crowd than East Dearborn, has dive bars, swank lounges, and night clubs compacted next to each other on both sides of the block.
So, on a Friday, after the meetings and the lawyer business, where can you find Hamameh and his crew?
"There is a stretch of in West Dearborn where a lot of the bars are right next to each other," he says. "We'll start out at
Bailey's, move to the
Post next door, then to Crave, then to the
Double Olive, then to
Cheli's Bar," – referring to Chris Chelios', Red Wings' father time defenseman, Chili bar. "That's a night out."
Before You GoHamameh knows the downtowns, the spots, the ins and outs of East and West Dearborn. But, he says, before you go or before you find a parking spot and head on into one of these places, take a drive.
"I'd like newcomers to drive up the Warren Corridor, between Greenfield and Wyoming, and see the Middle Eastern Flare," he says. "And then drive downtown to West Dearborn, between Brady and Telegraph, and see everything there.
"It's a good way to see Dearborn. Everything is there. Hangouts, nightclubs, restaurant, movies, and if you're into adult entertainment, Dearborn has that, too."
Truly something for everyone.