Nicholas Restaurant’s New Location

June 1, 2021 by Leave a Comment

I have been a fan of Nicholas Restaurant for a long time and I’m probably not the only one – this family restaurant has been in business in Portland for more then 35 years. It all started when the original Nicholas, “Dad” to the current owner and daughter Hilda, and grandfather to the Nicholas I met during my recent visit (Hilda’s son), took a risk using his retirement and pension to found Nicholas Restaurant after immigrating from Beirut, Lebanon. Despite this being their first time running a restaurant, Hilda’s parents found their pizzas and calzones were a hit and they were able to expand to the larger Lebanese homey menu you see today. I was sad to see them close up their hole in the wall Grand location, but also thrilled to see Nicholas Restaurant’s new location on SE Madison which now has room for a patio with heaters and umbrellas, plus more space (4x as much square feet) for distancing tables, and a medical grade air filtration system. And look at those cute booths and new bar. The second floor has a section perfect for a larger party of family and friends.
Nicholas Restaurant's new location on SE Madison includes a patio with heaters and umbrellas Nicholas Restaurant's new location on SE Madison now has room for a patio with heaters and umbrellas, plus more space (4x as much square feet) for distancing tables, and a medical grade air filtration system. And look at those cute booths Nicholas Restaurant's new location on SE Madison now has room for a patio with heaters and umbrellas, plus more space (4x as much square feet) for distancing tables, and a medical grade air filtration system. And look at those cute booths and new bar! Nicholas Restaurant's new location on SE Madison now has room for a patio with heaters and umbrellas, plus more space (4x as much square feet) for distancing tables, and a medical grade air filtration system. And look at those cute booths and new bar. The second floor has a section perfect for a larger party of family and friends! Nicholas Restaurant's new location on SE Madison now has room for a patio with heaters and umbrellas, plus more space (4x as much square feet) for distancing tables, and a medical grade air filtration system. And look at those cute booths and new bar. The second floor has a section perfect for a larger party of family and friends! Nicholas Restaurant's new location on SE Madison now has room for a patio with heaters and umbrellas, plus more space (4x as much square feet) for distancing tables, and a medical grade air filtration system. And look at those cute booths and new bar. The second floor has a section perfect for a larger party of family and friends!

During the pandemic I was thankful and incredibly impressed by Nicholas Restaurant‘s quick pivot to their “Flatten the Curve Healthy Menu” to serve the community. This was one of the fastest reactions to the times – they closed the dining rooms on March 16 2020 and started offering this menu right then. The menu at the time still had the same generous portions, but at a reduced price of $10 or less (with entrees still including salad and rice) to help those suffering financially and enhance their diet from unhealthy or processed food that might be what they think could afford. And, they were taking care of their team and their family with food. I ordered multiple times, and then when I heard they would be closing the SE Grand even stopped for takeout just to see it one more time.
Nicholas Restaurant's takeout from their 2020 Flatten the Curve Healthy Menu that offered $10 or less menu items so people with financial concerns could still enjoy good healthy food

As much as I enjoy the takeout, and especially eating that garlicky toum without subjecting anyone else to my aromatic breath as I eat it by the spoonful, I was excited to check out the patio immediately. There is nothing like having that fresh pita bread hot from the oven presented to your table with the zaatar and oil dip. We love the hummus so added that on as well even though we knew we would also be ordering a Mezza that had more hummus because well, we love hummus. F has a regular order that he doesn’t even look at the menu: the Arabian Breeze Mezza which gives highlights of multiple dishes: Hummus, hamara, caramelized onions mixed with tahini, majadra, fried cauliflower, and falafel.
Nicholas Restaurant pita with an appetizer of hummus. There is nothing like having that fresh pita bread hot and fresh from the oven presented to your table. Nicholas Restaurant Arabian Breeze Mezza which gives highlights of multiple dishes: Hummus, hamara, caramelized onions mixed with tahini, majadra, fried cauliflower, and falafel

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Drina Daisy at Astoria, Oregon

October 27, 2015 by Leave a Comment

When you need a break from eating seafood while exploring the Oregon coast, how about a visit over to an entirely different country with Bosnian food? There isn’t much Bosnian food to be found in Portland, so I was surprised when I saw that Drina Daisy in Astoria not only specializes only in Bosnian cuisine, but got consistently high ratings on Yelp, Tripadvisor, and Zomato. In fact, on Tripadvisor it was ranked the second highest restaurant in Astoria (with understandably Bowpicker Fish & Chips taking the #1 spot).

When I read the description, I couldn’t help but be a bit charmed by it’s sincere heart:

Drina Daisy strives to offer uncommon food that is approachable & satisfying. Our food is prepared & presented with a respect that comes from its ancient roots. We labor to celebrate the dignity of hard work & meaningful service. Drina Daisy is a place to relax with good food & good hearts. Drina Daisy seeks to bridge both time & place.

How fun to go on a little adventure to the coast, and then embedded in that adventure have a mini adventure that takes us to another place in the world. As soon as we stepped into the restaurant, we could immediately feel a different vibe from the rest of the Coast, almost as if we had stepped into a portal that had transported us into a little family restaurant in some street in Sarajevo.
Signage identifing the location of Drina Daisy, a Bosnian Restaurant in Astoria, OR Signage identifing the location of Drina Daisy, a Bosnian Restaurant in Astoria, OR

The Ajvar that we started out with (a traditional condiment and spread made from pureed fire roasted sweet red bell peppers, here served with bread) is the consistentcy of how I model the adjika sauce that I made previously with burek (though thanks to the use of red chili peppers, adjika is much spicier).

Meanwhile, the Bosanski Sudzuk (a Bosnian Smoked Beef sausage with light garlic and other light spicing) sliced and decoratively arranged with pickled vegetables and Sopska (a tomato and cucumber salad with diced tomato, cucumber, green pepper, and cheese in light sour cream dressing) served as a second shared appetizer for us.

What you see is pretty representative of the starters that Drina Daisy offers, they only have 3 starters (2 meat, and the other is the Ajvar) and they only have 3 salads. The arrangement on the plates was simple and functional – the menu promises that “presentation varies by availability and mood”.
Bread with Ajvar, a traditional condiment and spread made from pureed fire roasted sweet red bell peppers at Drina Daisy, a Bosnian Restaurant in Astoria, OR Bread with Ajvar, a traditional condiment and spread made from pureed fire roasted sweet red bell peppers at Drina Daisy, a Bosnian Restaurant in Astoria, OR Bosanski Sudzuk (a Bosnian Smoked Beef sausage with light garlic and other light spicing) sliced and decoratively arranged with pickled vegetables and Sopska (a tomato and cucumber salad with diced tomato, cucumber, green pepper, and cheese in light sour cream dressing) served cold at Drina Daisy, a Bosnian Restaurant in Astoria, OR

Then our main dishes came in huge platters for the four of us- we had ordered 3 mains. The major types of entrees they have fall into a beef stew (the only type we didn’t get), stuffed cabbage leaves (either with beef or vegetarian), handmade pitas/pies with jufka (filo pastry), and a lamb platter.

Here, you can see the vegetarian entrees were placed together along with some green salads and various fruits: it was so old school style.
Jagnjetina Na Rostilju, Zeljanica and Sarma Sa Povrcem at Drina Daisy, a Bosnian Restaurant in Astoria, OR Zeljanica and Sarma Sa Povrcem at Drina Daisy, a Bosnian Restaurant in Astoria, OR

Zeljanica is a cheese pita of Jufka folded and baked around spinach, farm cheese mixed with eggs. They had a version without spinach (listed as Sirnica) and a version that included ground beef and onion (Burek).
Zeljanica, a cheese pita of Jufka folded and baked around spinach, farm cheese mixed with eggs at Drina Daisy, a Bosnian Restaurant in Astoria, OR Zeljanica, a cheese pita of Jufka folded and baked around spinach, farm cheese mixed with eggs at Drina Daisy, a Bosnian Restaurant in Astoria, OR

The favorite of the 2 vegetarian options was the Sarma Sa Povrcem, Stuffed Cabbage Leaves with Italian arborio rice and Vegetables and spiced with Mediterranean spices.
Sarma Sa Povrcem, Stuffed Cabbage Leaves with Italian arborio rice and Vegetables and spiced with Mediterranean spices at Drina Daisy, a Bosnian Restaurant in Astoria, OR

Three of us also shared the Jagnjetina Na Rostilju, a Rotisserie flamed roasted whole fresh young lamb rubbed with Mediterranean spices and roasted in their special large rotisserie. These are a Mediterranean style cut aka mixed pieces cut from the whole lamb, for a platter for two.
Jagnjetina Na Rostilju, a Rotisserie flamed roasted whole fresh young lamb rubbed with Mediterranean spices and roasted in their special large rotisserie. These are a Mediterranean style cut aka mixed pieces cut from the whole lamb, for a platter for two. At Drina Daisy, a Bosnian Restaurant in Astoria, OR Jagnjetina Na Rostilju, a Rotisserie flamed roasted whole fresh young lamb rubbed with Mediterranean spices and roasted in their special large rotisserie. These are a Mediterranean style cut aka mixed pieces cut from the whole lamb, for a platter for two. At Drina Daisy, a Bosnian Restaurant in Astoria, OR

Finish off with Kafa, a Sarajevo style Minas coffee. Made and served as it was when Sarajevo introduced coffee to Europe in the 1500s. Made and served in traditional dzezva, includes mineral water, sugar cubes and lokum (a cookie). They also Baklava if you want an actual dessert option.

Kafa, a Sarajevo style Minas coffee. Made and served as it was when Sarajevo introduced coffee to Europe in the 1500s. Made and served in traditional dzezva, includes mineral water, sugar cubes and lokum (a cookie). At Drina Daisy, a Bosnian Restaurant in Astoria, OR

Other unique  beverage options include Cockta (a Yugoslavian soft drink produced in Slovenia flavored with 11 different herbs with dog-rose berry, vitamin C and caramelized sugar providing much of the flavor. No caffeine, no corn sweeteners or phosphoric acid) and Kiseljia, Bosnian Mineral water that can be mixed with their fruit syrups including strawberry, blueberry, and rose petal. A dozen Eastern and Central European beers and spirits and wines of Yugoslavia rounds out the beverage menu along with the regular teas and American sodas.

Drina Daisy Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Have you been to Astoria? What was your favorite eats there?

Have you been to Drina Daisy, or had Bosnian food before?

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Arabian Nights Cafe

July 17, 2015 by 7 Comments

It may seem like a dine out a lot- and to be fair, I do. F and I are childfree, and he’s not only vegetarian, but a picky and healthy vegetarian. I’m just… not either of those. At least when we dine out.

When we’re home, our meals are usually very simple and repetitive, and we also often eat on our own because I want nothing to do with his cold black beans or lentil soup out of a can or Morningstar concoctions with BBQ sauce. Meanwhile he is uninterested in my sauteed spinach and rice plates or riffs on mac and cheese. Even though I love delicious food and pretty much eat/blog as a hobby and a way to spend my leisure time, F is not shy to admit that if he could stop doing 3 things, one of the top 3 would be eating! For me, things like having to sleep so many hours to be functional or going to the bathroom or having to wash my hair every 36 hours make that list… and I would never even think to put eating on that list.

There are several places though that we both really really enjoy and bring us together to bridge this divide on food. Arabian Nights Cafe, a less than 10 minute walk from our home, is one of those guilty pleasures we both share great affection for. If on the way home he comes in carrying a bag of take-out from Arabian Nights, even if it’s just a side of fries with that garlic sauce, I just can never resist. I’ll tell you now that it’s totally a divey hole in the wall. But we don’t care.

Every time we order, the pita bread is always piping hot and fresh out of the oven, and it’s so soft and poofy.
Arabian Nights Cafe fresh piping hot pitas

He always gets the same thing, because he is a huge creature of habit. He finds something he likes, he will become a regular at that location with that same dish. Here at Arabian Nights Cafe, it’s the Arabian Nights Mezza Platter, a combination plate of hummus, baba ghannouj, falafel, dolmades (stuffed grape leaves) and tabouli. The baba ghannouj here is really incredible because of it’s smokiness. There are lots of times we don’t like the dolmades dish because the leaves are hard, but at Arabian Nights the chef marinates them an extra long time than usual, making them very soft.
Arabian Nights Mezza Platter, a combo of hummus, baba ghannouj, falafel, dolmades (stuffed grape leaves) and tabouli Arabian Nights Mezza Platter, a combo of hummus, baba ghannouj, falafel, dolmades (stuffed grape leaves) and tabouli Arabian Nights Mezza Platter, a combo of hummus, baba ghannouj, falafel, dolmades (stuffed grape leaves) and tabouli

While F always gets pretty much the same thing at every Meditteranean restaurant (always hummus and falafel, and maybe baba ghannouj), I like exploring different foods. That’s why I like going to new places, and also ordering new dishes at the regular places. The one time I asked F to dine in at Arabian Nights, I decided to try the Arabian Nights Cafe entree of the Mixed Grill Supreme with three skewers of chicken, lamb and kafta kabob served with rice, small salad and a side of cucumber yogurt.
Arabian Nights Cafe Mixed Grill Supreme entree of Three skewers of chicken, lamb and kafta kabob served with rice, small salad and a side of cucumber yogurt. Arabian Nights Cafe Mixed Grill Supreme entree of Three skewers of chicken, lamb and kafta kabob served with rice, small salad and a side of cucumber yogurt.

I couldn’t believe how much food there was on the plate. While the chef apologized he didn’t have any glass plates and had to serve me my food on a paper plate while F got the fancy plate, I thought it was homey and charming. And looking at those kabobs and mountains of rice, who’s looking at the plate itself? And, I was impressed that the lamb was tender and cooked perfectly medium for me and the kafta kabob was delicious also.

It clearly meant that my side order of Cheese Pie, a house dough that is used to make that doughy pita plus cheese spread on top, was clearly unnecessary to get me full, though it was super enjoyable.
Arabian Nights Cafe Cheese Pie, a house dough that is used to make the pita plus cheese spread.

The place is really a dinky and small. But I don’t judge – and would completely understand if on your visit you chose to get carry-out, which is what I think most people do given it’s in the PSU area in the South Park Blocks and it’s literally steps to a picnic in the park. Here’s an example of the carryout the Chicken Shawarma Platter with thinly sliced chicken over rice that is served with rice, small salad and a side of cucumber yogurt. That’s like 2 servings there in that box with that single order.
Arabian Nights Cafe in Portland, carryout of the delicious Chicken Shawarma Platter with thinly sliced chicken over rice that is served with rice, small salad and a side of cucumber yogurt Arabian Nights Cafe in Portland, carryout of the delicious Chicken Shawarma Platter with thinly sliced chicken over rice that is served with rice, small salad and a side of cucumber yogurt

The Lamb Shank, which I got as carry out, is big enough for two. The lamb is fall off the bone, and served with traditional bokhari rice along with small salad and a side of cucumber yogurt.
Arabian Nights Cafe in Portland Lamb Shank, lamb shank served with traditional and flavorful bokhari rice along with small salad and a side of cucumber yogurt Arabian Nights Cafe in Portland Lamb Shank, lamb shank served with traditional and flavorful bokhari rice along with small salad and a side of cucumber yogurt

My only disappointment is that the Arabian Nights Beef Shawarma Sandwich (thinly sliced beef rolled with tomatoes, parsley, pickles, onions and tahini sauce) is small. Though maybe this is actually an advantage so you can justify also getting a side of fries with that garlicky sauce. Yeah,  it totally rationalizes it. F knows when I have a crappie day and want to wallow at home the fries with that sauce always are a comfort to me.
Arabian Nights Beef Shawarma Gyro Sandwich - thinly sliced beef rolled with tomatoes, parsley, pickles, onions and tahini sauce Arabian Nights Beef Shawarma Gyro Sandwich - thinly sliced beef rolled with tomatoes, parsley, pickles, onions and tahini sauce

I support all small business owners – be it those beautifully designed restaurant with Northwest wood and maybe even white tablecloths,  those pop ups with multiple courses where you bring prepped food in Tupperware, or if you working out of a food cart, or those out of a little hole in the wall. Sure I love a restaurant and being served like I’m special,  but there’s something sorta luxurious about take-out or delivery food out of boxes and yes, paper plates and plastic utensils.

What is your little hole in the wall that you love by your home? What us your family regular take out joint?

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Lebanese Taverna in Baltimore

April 14, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Last weekend, I was in Baltimore, Maryland for the IA Summit conference. I had two amazing meals there that I photographed to share. Here is a look at one of them.

The first I have to share is the lunch I had at Lebanese Taverna, which is a family restaurant serving food from their home country of Lebanon in various outposts (6! Well, the founding couple does have 5 grown children now) in the DC Metropolitan area, which include this restaurant in the Harbor East area of the Inner Harbor of Baltimore, nestled by the Legg Mason building and Four Seasons and the Promenade Apartment Building, so they have created a menu of authentic  dishes that offer nourishment and comfort for residents while also the presentation and the hip modern atmosphere inside (and views of the water with their large bay windows) to satisfy the business and hotel guests as well. It was a little chilly that day, but they also outdoor seating which I could imagine makes for great al fresco dining with the views of the sailboats and people walking by.

Quite a few other attendees I chatted with had mentioned Lebanese Taverna, and I’m glad I tried it. For my quick lunch in between sessions on Sunday, I went with a recommendation from the waiter from the small plates section, Ouzi dish of braised lamb, spiced rice, yogurt sauce. The lamb was tender and moist and flavorful. The ouzi was really leaning towards a regular plate in amount rather the described “small plate” you can see, but I found the strength and resolve (ha ha) to make sure there was nothing left on that plate.

I had to ask the waiter because I had a difficult time choosing: other items such as chicken schwarma with rotisserie cooked chicken, Kibbeh Nayeh with lamb tartare, Eggs Awarma with housemade lamb confit with the scrambled egg, Shakshouka with poached eggs in a tomatoes and chili pepper gravy, Manakish Zaatar or Manakish B’Jibne flatbread with either mixed herbs or cheese, Maanek mild sausage or Sujok spicy sausage (both made with lamb & beef), Mediterranean cheese platter… hard call!

As you can probably also see, the pita bread arrives fresh to the table (too hot for me to even pick up to start) in a little basket perfectly shaped for dipping, along with olive oil and seasonings.

Baltimore Lebanese Taverna pita bread Baltimore Lebanese Taverna Ouzi dish of braised lamb, spiced rice, yogurt sauce Baltimore Lebanese Taverna Ouzi dish of braised lamb, spiced rice, yogurt sauce Baltimore Lebanese Taverna Ouzi dish of braised lamb, spiced rice, yogurt sauce

I then finished with sweetness thanks to Knafe bel jibne, a dish of sweet cheese tart, golden semolina crust and sesame seed biscuit. This was listed on the Hot Mezze section of the menu (I did not have the stomach capacity to additionally order a Cold Mezze, sorry), but also on their Dessert section. The Dessert selections enticed me in multiple ways as well, offering the traditional baklava as well but also other options such as Halawet Jibne (a sweet cheese crepe with pistachio brittle and candied orange zest) and warm awamat (Lebanese donuts served with honey-saffron syrup, yogurt-milk pudding) or molten chocolate “Turkish Coffee” cake that boasted cardamom, marshmallow, and pistachio-orange ice cream. Yes, Lebanese sweets have a lot to offer!

The Knafe bel jibne was a really light dessert that balanced between the butteryness of the tart’s crust, the freshness of the cheese in the tart, and the seedy biscuit that had honey holding it onto the plate (and perhaps I wiped up more of that honey with that flakey biscuit as well). If I am in the area again, I would definitely give Lebanese Taverna another try. Despite several meat offerings, their menu also has options that could satisfy any vegetarian and will probably be a welcome break from all the seafood you will probably end up having (especially the Maryland crabcake). Doesn’t this inspire you to go out and have some Lebanese, or at least Mediterranean food now? Lebanese food is a lot more like tapas with small plates so definitely invite some friends so you can order a whole table’s worth of color and tastes.

Baltimore Lebanese Taverna Knafe bel jibne a dish of sweet cheese tart, golden semolina crust and sesame seed biscuit Baltimore Lebanese Taverna Knafe bel jibne a dish of sweet cheese tart, golden semolina crust and sesame seed biscuit

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Karam Lebanese Restaurant

January 17, 2011 by Leave a Comment

I’ve heard good things about Karam from a reliable foodie friend, but it was only relatively recently that I finally was able to visit this Middle Eastern cuisine restaurant. It is located not far from Al Amir, the home of my favorite baba ghanouj. I wondered going in how Karam would stack up, including to my Chicago standby Reza‘s.

To be fair, Reza’s is Persian, while Karam is specifically described as Lebanese. So I forgive them for not having dill rice, and my interest was peaked by their offering of kibbee, a national Lebanese dish made with ground meat, onion, and bulgar.

Our dinner entrees came with a fresh side salad, and we were excited to see some interesting beverages, especially the fruit infusion one I had that was made with homemade yogurt. I could see myself craving those drinks during the summer.

Karam Lebanese Restaurant Karam Lebanese Restaurant

I passed on specifically ordering the the kibbee this time to try their Baleela, their take on hummus served hot, steamed garbanzo beans mixed with garlic, cumin, olive oil and tahini sauce. Really really good, definitely would recommend it. I did get to try the kibbee as well- more in a moment.

Karam Lebanese Restaurant

I ate almost that whole plate on my own, because he got the huuuge Veggie Mazawat, which is a sampler of, from left to right and back to front row, taboule, baleela, falafel with tahini sauce and grape leaves (on the same plate), baba gahanouj, veggie kibbee nayee, hummus, and labne their homemade Lebanese cheese and the wrapper is from the basket of fresh oven baked pita bread! If you are coming in for your first time, this is a good way to try a little bit of everything, obviously.

Karam Lebanese Restaurant

After the full Veggie Mazawat shot, you can see closeups of what made up the sampler. First photo is a look at the taboule, baleela, and baba gahanouj. I don’t think the baba gahanouj is as good as Al Amir, but that baleela still is awesome and unique. Following that is the closer look at the baleela, falafel with tahini sauce and grape leaves (on the same plate), veggie kibbee nayee, hummus. Very filling sampler that filled our table with 7 plates of goodies to try

Karam Lebanese Restaurant Karam Lebanese Restaurant

For my entree, since I would get to sample the kibbee from the Veggie Mazawat, I decided to try something else. Based on a foursquare suggestion, I went with Lamb Couscous, a dish of tender lamb shawarma topped with feta cheese and tahini sauce. I think I only ate 1/4 of that lamb, it was good but this was a really big plate. When we asked for a box, they brought us boxes for *everything* so we didn’t waste any food by throwing it away… and it did still taste delicious the next day. Despite the lack of dill rice, this place is the closest to giving Reza’s a run for my money, and is my pick for Portland for Mediterranean food right now.

Karam Lebanese Restaurant

The restaurant is a family business with the men greeting and serving while the wife gives you a taste of her incredible (probably literally) home cooking based on recipes that have been passed down. They take great pride in their food- giving you lots of choice including ones that are unique, lots of it on a plate to make sure you don’t go home hungry, all executed well, they check to make sure you are enjoying your meal and heap new fresh in house pitas onto your table. Whether you are someone who already enjoys Middle Eastern food and is looking for a new take on it or someone trying to expand their ethnic cuisine palette, Karam is going to pleasantly surprise you with flavors – look past the simple traditional plating and indeterminate mush look and put it in your mouth and enjoy.

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