Photograph by George Sakkestad
Mahin Tahaei knows what she likes, and that's the kind of food she and husband, Khalil, serve at Café de Flore.
It's spring, so Café de Flore expands its hours, and menu
By Suzanne Cristallo
The Internet can provide handy information--even instructions on how to make tabuli. That's how Mahin Tahaei at Café de Flore learned to make the Middle Eastern specialty she now offers her customers.
"I ate it, and I really liked it," she explains.
Mahin and husband Khalil, owners of the recently reopened coffeehouse across from the library in Los Gatos, are featuring several new dishes like tabuli and falafel to tease the taste of their growing customer base. They're also extending their hours to accommodate the early evening joggers and strollers who want a light supper on the patio before the afternoon light fades.
Gradually, the two are gaining a foothold in a new business that is a far cry from the sophisticated world of research science in which they traveled for 22 years.
Mahin, who is enjoying working out of the home for the first time, makes falafel in a way that is helpful for the weight-conscious. Normally, the croquettes of a highly spiced blend of parsley, onions, cilantro and ground chickpeas are deep fried in fat. Mahin, however, sprays the hand-formed balls lightly with oil, then pops them into the oven for browning just before serving. In a special lunch plate for $6, she serves falafel on a bed of lettuce, cucumber and tomato with tabuli as a side dish.
Tabuli is a nutritious mix of softened bulghur wheat with herbs (there's a hint of mint in there), cucumbers, onions and tomatoes, held together with a little olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon juice. Mahin makes a yogurt sauce to pour over the top. Tahini (ground, hulled sesame seeds), garlic, salt, pepper and lemon juice are blended into the yogurt to give it a nutty zest.
"It's a big dish and very healthy. Everybody likes it," she says, smiling.
Pleasing customers is what their business is all about. Because their customers' tastes are so varied, Mahin and Khalil find that the variety they offer--from chicken sandwiches to German bratwurst to Berry Blowout smoothies--is, so far, just about right.
"The high school students' favorites are Greek, mango and Caesar salads! I was really surprised!" comments Mahin, who says the noon-hour rush from nearby Los Gatos High School also brings in a big demand for their smoked Turkey California sandwich with avocado and Swiss cheese.
Chicken in Pita--breast of chicken with lettuce, tomato, cucumber and special sauce in pita bread--is a standout favorite of neighboring office workers. "I ask them, 'don't you want to try something different?' and they say no--they love it because it's healthy," Mahin says.
The extended hours coming with the longer spring days will also make the Tahaeis' 13-hour work days even longer. But Khalil views it as a blessing. "Our customers are our best experience in the five months since we opened," he says.
"This is a job unlike any other," observes the former scientist, who once developed hybrid varieties of corn for companies all over the world. "You get a mix of people from every culture and country--first one from Sumatra, then one from the Far East, another from Nepal."
Khalil keeps an article mentioning his scientific background handy at the register as a way of introducing himself and Mahin. "They talk to us; they share information about their own backgrounds. It's such a nice, friendly town," he says.
They also share ideas for running the business, right down to bringing in oranges from their trees. "What makes them happy is seeing how we've incorporated their ideas," Khalil says with a grin.
Café de Flore, 111 E. Main St., Los Gatos; open Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m.-7 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m.-4 p.m. and Sunday 7:30-4 p.m.; call 408.354.1249.
Saratoga, California Since 1955
