It’s been the talk of my circle of friends for several weeks now. There are big changes cookin’ at one of our favorite restaurants in town.
It started with a “Closed for remodeling” sign in the window right before the holidays. Then the handmade sign disappeared along with all the furnishings. Then a couple of neon signs appeared in the window, including one of a hot dog. This was alarmingly out of character for the family-owned restaurant featuring Mediterranean cuisine. Then paint and new Chicago-sports-oriented wall hangings and finally, a new street sign indicating a new direction completely.
We don’t know the name of the owner – none of us do – but we all know him. He is a terrifically interesting man who grew up in Israel and came to the Portland area for college. Eventually his parents and two brothers joined him in his new country and together they opened three restaurants in our county featuring their family’s favorite recipes. Honestly, it was quite a shock to discover such fantastic hummus, tabouli, kabobs, and my personal favorite – chicken shawarma – in a town featuring more bags of baked Cheetos than all of Manhattan.
I also got a personal kick out of dining at the café because somewhere along the line, the owner got it in his head that I am a huge – HUGE – pro football fan. I honestly have no idea how he got this impression since I am a fair-weather fan at best and have not paid much attention to the NFL since the 49ers replaced Steve Young with that skinny bald-ish guy. Nevertheless, at some point during our Mediterranean meals, the conversation would inevitably turn to how poorly my Seahawks were doing, followed by concern about the Bear’s coaching staff. Rob, bless him, carried the conversation for me, with me simply nodding and smiling between bites of falafel.
The owner is a sharp business man and it seems he reluctantly concluded that this is really not a tahini town. So, he is still in business but is now featuring “burgers and breakfast.” And from what I can tell, it is already a huge hit. I haven’t been able to see into the restaurant while driving by due to all the cars and trucks parked out front.
We’re guessing the owner is “importing” Chicago beef and dogs and is likely now attracting a crowd of men in their Carhartts and plaid flannel jackets. We will certainly stop in eventually, but we anticipate becoming friends with the brother at one of the remaining cafés. I’ll definitely miss my easily accessible cucumber and tomato salad fix, but at least I won’t have to pretend to talk football over my babaghanooj.
1 comment:
LOL ... baked Cheetos in Manhattan. You know, a good burger is hard to find here, too. The best burger I've found so far is something called the Millennium Wrap at a little place on the Upper East Side ... it's a cheeseburger made as a wrap, even with the french fries inside of it. You don't know how lucky you are with Burgerville.
-Zeke
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