12 // COASTWEEKEND.COM
Coast Weekend’s local
restaurant review
The best new restaurant of 2016
By MOUTH OF THE COLUMBIA
MOUTH@COASTWEEKEND.COM
Of the handful of restaurants
that opened on the North Coast
in 2016, many — including the
ambitious Carruthers in Astoria,
the fresh-faced A Mighty Thai in
Manzanita and the pricey Pelican
Pub in Cannon Beach — were met
with great fanfare.
But my favorite new restaurant
of 2016 opened quietly. Tucked
away in Seaside’s tourist milieu,
its unlikely existence seemed to
perplex residents I told about it.
“It’s where?” they’d say again.
(It’s located at 409 Broadway.)
You could plop McBani any-
where, and it’d still be absolutely
marvelous. Its inspiration and
execution transcends both the
cubby hole interior and the blaring
surroundings. More than just
the year’s best new restaurant,
McBani is among the best in the
region. I knew for certain when
I returned recently, as a refresher
for this column, finding myself
every bit as excited as that first
time I visited.
McBani opened in the summer.
The owners, a married couple,
spent a number of years in Port-
land after emigrating from Jordan
and Lebanon. Naturally, McBani
brings those Mediterranean and
Middle Eastern flavors to the
North Coast. Besides the Kabob
House in Long Beach, McBani
is the only such cuisine in the
region.
McBani’s delicately spiced
dishes are at once comforting and
exquisite. The mere thought of
the Beef Kafta makes me drool.
Ground with herbs, onions and
spices, it’s something like God’s
meat loaf, the saffron whispering
of ancient wisdom and elegance.
The Lamb Shawarma, so popular
McBani has been known to run
out, has a similarly deep, tanta-
lizing marinade, with cinnamon,
cloves and cumin.
The greatness goes beyond the
PHOTO BY MOUTH OF THE COLUMBIA
Above: The beef and chicken kabob
combo platter at McBani in Seaside
features well-spiced meat offerings.
Right: McBani’s Stuffed Cabbage
Leaves Platter features hummus, sal-
ad and cabbage leaves suffed with
rice and spiced beef.
meats. McBani offers robust and
thoughtful options for vegetarians
and vegans alike (or a carni-
vore taking a break from eating
animals). McBani is indeed quite
mindful about preparing healthy,
whole foods. Everything is made
from scratch with natural, kosher
ingredients (except the pitas).
They boast no GMOs, preserva-
tives or artificial flavors.
Much of McBani’s success is
rooted in that attention to detail.
The staff sweat the small things,
and it adds up not only to bal-
anced but gorgeously presented
meals. Dishes may not fly out of
the kitchen, but it’s not the result
of dragging inefficiency — it’s be-
cause your food is being lovingly,
wholly crafted.
Hardly anything in the restau-
rant is dainty or overpriced. For
$19.95 the Beef Kafta platter in-
cludes a starter — either hummus
or baba ganoush, both top notch
— a cleansing, acidic Mediterra-
nean salad, basmati rice, and two
logs of kafta, just one of which is
likely to satiate, the other to share
or take home for later. That is, if
you can tear yourself away. You
might be full but, that saffron beef
is a righteously tempting.
The plate also comes with little
accoutrements that multiply the
flavors. There are pickled red on-
ions sprinkled with cumin and two
hot sauces: a sambal and a pickled
garlic-jalapeño sauce. The beef
itself is drizzled with the perfect
amount of tahini. Then there’s
a cup of tzatziki, the soothingly
cool yogurt-based sauce with
cubes of cucumber.
The a la carte Chicken Sha-
warma Sandwich ($11.95), which
approaches the size of two burri-
tos, stuck end-to-end, has a whole
chicken breast worth of meat,
maybe more.
Indeed, McBani offers a little
bit of everything, almost. As I
mentioned, it’s both comforting
and expansive, accommodating
for most any diet and quite rea-
sonably priced. Its setting is not
over-the-top romantic, but a cou-
ple comfortable without glamour
will be well taken care of.
I would be lying, however, if
I didn’t take a moment to whine
about the lack of alcohol. A dry
red wine would go so well with
those meats.
Nevertheless, McBani not only
came out of the gate swinging but
has improved since opening. The
additions — like including sambal
and pickled garlic-jalapeño sauce
with the hummus, a dedicated
server, and a softer nighttime
alternative to the fluorescent lights
— are incremental, indicators of
ownership’s pride and care.
Looking back on restaurants,
2016 saw the continuing ex-
pansion of tourist-facing burger
and beer joints along the coast.
McBani does the yeoman’s work
of expanding options for residents
as well.
Here’s hoping 2017 brings
more of the world’s marvelous
cuisines to the North Coast.