Arabian Breeze Morphs Into Nicholas II

Northeast Broadway's Arabian Breeze has become Nicholas II, with the same vegan, vegetarian and broke friendly menu as the Cheap Eat standard-bearer Nicholas I. But, brace yourselves Almaza fans, this Nicholas is serving beer and wine, perhaps the only thing missing from the perenially-packed Southeast Grand Avenue Nicholas, except a place to wait that's not on an urban thoroughfare. It's not going too far to give the Dibe family credit for popularizing Middle Eastern food in Portland. Since opening Nick the First in 1986, the family, helmed by Nicholas and Linda Dibe, has spread its hummus across the cityscape, with daughters Hoda and Mirna opening Belmont's Hoda's and Montavilla's Ya Hala, and daughter Hilda (with husband Ziad Khouri) now running the mothership, the former Arabian Breeze and Nicholas III at 323 NE Main St. in Gresham (opened on March 30). Arabian Breeze had one of those laminated, bound, many-paged menus full of more unusual Lebanese dishes than you can find at Nicholas, but it could take longer to read than to eat your mezze. A big change is the end of the pillow-sized freshly griddled pitas, cooked in full view on an upside-down wok thing. Now the traditional Lebanese bread will be baked in the oven as it is in the other places. But there's beer.
Nicholas Restaurant [Official Site]