The restaurant, is a welcome addition to Lincoln Avenue, opening several months ago in the former location of the Willow Glen Kosher Butcher, which has been vacant for almost two years.

"We have hummus, falafel and gyros," owner Fawaz Hamed said." Plus I like to make specials for dinner like salmon. I want to show what types of food I can make and test run dishes on customers to see how they like them."

Hamed said all of his ingredients are fresh and the dishes are made from scratch.

"I want to sell people healthy food," he said. "My humus has fresh garlic and in my falafel I use fresh cilantro, garlic and parsley."

After his mother suffered a second stroke in 2002, Hamed decided it was time to leave his home in Minneapolis and move to San Jose to be near her. A restaurant owner in St. Paul, Hamed scanned the classifieds for a place to move his business and came across the vacant storefront on Lincoln Avenue.

"I liked the place and the area is very nice," he said. "It is like Europe with people walking everywhere."

Hamed decide to lease the vacant property and returned to Minneapolis to sell his business, which consisted of a deli/restaurant and grocery store. Hamed said it took him two years to sell his business during which time he continued to make payments for the space on Lincoln.

"The Willow Glen Association really helped out by keeping the store front looking nice," he said. "Finally, on Sept. 5, 2004, I opened the restaurant."

His desire is to make his restaurant a family-friendly place where mothers with children feel comfortable stopping in for lunch or whole families can come for dinner. His no alcohol policy is strictly enforced for this reason.

Born in Jordan, he grew up in Kuwait where his father worked as an accountant for the Ministry of Information. He left home at age 17 to see the world. After being laid off from a job with a tire manufacturer in Germany--where he lived for 21 years--he started working as a waiter and later learned to cook.

"All day I would watch the cooks and then go home and try the recipes." Hamed said. "I discovered cooking is what I love to do."

Hamed is slowly making renovations to the restaurant. A drawing on the wall to the right of the door shows his vision for the space.

"I am doing things step by step," he said. "I want to have more tables and an outside seating area. It will be beautiful and make the street more beautiful."

In addition to growing his business, Hamed hopes to soon move his family from Minnesota to be with him.

"I have a wife and five children ages 14, 12, 10, three, and two. The youngest is a boy the rest are very beautiful girls," he said. "I am 50 years old and this is the last stop for me. I plan to buy a house here and have my children grow up and finish school in this area."

Hamed is also optimistic about his future in Willow Glen.

"If you are honest, work hard, do not monkey with people and always hope and dream, you will be a success," he said.

Casablanca's Café is located at 1185 Lincoln Avenue and is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information call 408. 993.8636.