Beirut Bites, From Nicholas Restaurant, Is Serving Lebanese Street Food on SE Grand

For almost 35 many years on SE Grand Avenue, Nicholas Cafe served mezza platters, lamb kabobs, chicken and saffron rice plates, and pita breads served nevertheless steaming hot from an imported Lebanese oven. Its proprietors, spouse and spouse Nicholas and Linda Dibe, experienced escaped the violence of the 1982 Lebanon War, ultimately settling in city and opening Nicholas, introducing Portlanders to all fashion of new dishes. In 2021 it moved from its cozy — even cramped — location on SE Grand to a new, a lot more roomy setting up just on SE Madison Road. Now, right after standing empty for a 12 months, the workforce has returned to the unique constructing. Beirut Bites opened final 7 days with a fresh coat of yellow paint a relaxed, counter-support product and Lebanese road food items which include pizzas, shawarma wraps, salad bowls, and gyros.

Operator Hilda Dibe claims that Beirut Bites is another possibility to introduce Portland to new preferences of Lebanon, just as her mom and dad did in 1986 when they opened Nicholas. While the cafe will provide additional common fare like hummus and falafel, it will also aspect dishes not often seen outside the house of the streets of Beirut. A staple of the cafe is the menu of Lebanese street pizzas, which are baked in the same classic oven her mothers and fathers imported to the US — unlike several conventional ovens, and even pizza ovens, this can get up to 700 and even 800-degrees. The shatta pizza is designed with roasted and fermented pink pepper sauce, stuffed with a dwelling mix of imported Lebanese cheese, whilst the ayeress sees pita stuffed with lamb sausage made in-home, and served with a tomato broth.

Another showcased menu product is a establish-a-bowl variety diners can pick things like falafel, shawarma, or Beirut grilled chicken in turmeric cream sauce. They then select amongst salad greens or vermicelli jasmine rice, a Lebanese dish of blended wheat noodles and rice. There is also an possibility for sauces to major the bowls.

Other dishes contain cauliflower shwarama wraps —which include cauliflower and eggplant roasted in the exact large duty oven — as effectively as lamb gyro, falafel served a la carte or wrapped, and chocolate iced Turkish coffee. Desserts, Dibe clarifies, are not strictly Lebanese road food, but alternatively goods that the staff loved, like pistachio baklava rolled into “cigars.”

Regulars to the old Nicholas house will uncover it fairly distinctive, with an added counter for purchasing — even though diners can dine-in, there is an emphasis on speedy grab and go lunches.

Dibe and her loved ones, getting been refugees themselves, have lengthy been involved with companies like the Immigrant and Refugee Group Organization (IRCO). “We became refugees in 1982,” claims Dibe. “I’ve always been concerned with IRCO. We retain the services of people from them, we donate meals.”

To that end, Dibe says that Beirut Bites will be donating 10-per cent of its proceeds every Tuesday to the corporation. The fundraiser will go by way of May perhaps and into June, and Dibe states quite possibly even more.

“Owning a cafe, you have the platform to assistance,” she explains. “It presents you a sense of reason.”

Beirut Bites is open Monday as a result of Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. at 318 SE Grand Avenue.