Native of Syria opens dream restaurant in La Verne
By JASON NEWELL
STAFF WRITER
Tuesday, April 15, 2003
Several others had tried to operate restaurants out of the historic building at the corner of Moreno Avenue over the past few years. None of them succeeded.
"That didn't stop me, because I had a vision," said Saab, who now proudly owns Grapevine Restaurant, which has had a full house every night since it opened a month ago.
His vision was to restore the former home -- said to have been moved to La Verne from the East Coast in the early 1900s -- fill it with ornate, handcrafted Oriental and Mediterranean furnishings and draw the masses with a unique Lebanese-influenced cuisine.
The 38-year-old native of Syria poured more than $1 million into the project, a risk he thinks will pay off.
With room for 85 in the building's exquisitely decorated interior, and seating for 125 in the casual outdoor patio, Saab said his business has been overwhelmed, serving up to 500 people daily. Already the restaurant has built a considerable following, with some connoisseurs returning more than 20 times.
"For someone to come back every other day -- that says something about this place," he said.
Saab moved to Kansas from Syria 17 years ago to attend Wichita State University. After transferring to Mt. SAC in Walnut in 1987, he struck up a highly successful food distribution company, which he continues to operate. The idea for starting a restaurant came to him when he saw the vacant building and its potential for a large patio seating area.
"Every time I go overseas, I'm always impressed with the patio seating and the way they set up the restaurants over there," he said. "And California has the best weather. We have more summer than any other country. So the whole idea started with the patio."
Now reconstructed, the patio is one of things that gives Grapevine its inviting atmosphere, he said. The stone-enclosed area boasts a new rock fountain, charming lighting and the ethnic sounds of Arabic, Spanish and other international music.
Also out on the patio, patrons can order hookah -- flavored tobacco smoked through a large, Eastern-looking water pipe. Hookah comes in strawberry, apple and other flavors, and has been around for thousands of years, but has just recently become a trend in Southern California, Saab said.
Of course, atmosphere alone can't draw patrons on a regular basis.
Grapevine's food is prepared by Executive Chef Samir Toubia, a 27-year veteran of Mediterranean cuisine. Using no frozen ingredients, he said he prides himself on preparing every ethnic dish fresh daily.
Toubia said patrons will be satisfied by blindly dropping a finger anywhere on the menu, but his personal favorites are the lamb chops, lamb shank and "the best salmon around" -- topped with his own unique sauce.
Despite the upscale environment, the food is relatively inexpensive, with meals ranging from $4 to $15.
"It's the nicest place in Southern California for Mediterranean food," Saab said. "We don't feel there's any competition."
Jason Newell can be reached by e-mail at jason.newell@dailybulletin.com or by phone at (909) 483-9338.
HOOKAH, PLEASE
Louai Kassuoaa, whose job is to load hookahs with tobacco flavored with fruits and honey, enjoys the concoction himself at Grapevine Restaurant