Bistro gets a makeover, additional menu items
On Christmas Eve most people spend time with friends and family.
Ana Oliveira bought Main Street Bistro.
”
That was one of my dreams,
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Oliveira said.
”
I always wanted to buy a restaurant or a daycare center.
”
Bistro gets a makeover, additional menu items
On Christmas Eve most people spend time with friends and family. Ana Oliveira bought Main Street Bistro.
“That was one of my dreams,” Oliveira said. “I always wanted to buy a restaurant or a daycare center.”
When the opportunity to buy the Bistro came up, she took it.
“I love to cook,” she said.
Regular customers will be relieved to find the menu unchanged, except for the Portuguese food that Oliveira plans to add.
“Portuguese food and Italian food is very similar,” she said. “Portuguese food is spicier.”
Starting in the new year, the restaurant will be open seven days per week, she said. The new hours will be from 6:30 a.m. until 8:00 p.m.
“We’re going to have the traditional breakfast, because everyone is asking for it,” she said.
The restaurant has always been opened for dinner, said Matt Gratz, who has been working at the restaurant since it opened five years ago.
Oliveira would like a more family friendly, sit-down dinner where little kids are welcome, she said.
“I love kids,” she said.
The Bistro will also serve wine and beer, she said.
The paint, art and plants at the restaurant are new, said Shelby Schipsi, who has been working at the Bistro for 10 months.
The restaurant feels warmer now, she said.
Gratz agreed.
“So far, I like it,” Gratz said. “It’s more comfortable.
The decor is a work in progress, Oliveira said.
The Bistro was very busy when it first opened five years ago, Gratz said.
“It used to be really packed,” he said. “A line out the door. We’re trying to bring it back where it was.”
Oliveira hopes more customers will come once they see the changes she has made.
“I hope so,” she said. “I did this for them.”
She also hopes to attract Portuguese customers.
“I would love to have the Portuguese people here, too, because basically I am doing the Portuguese side for them.”
Oliveira moved to the United States from Sao Miguel Azores, Portugal more than 25 years ago.
“I met my husband in Portugal,” she said.
Originally from Sao Miguel Azores, he was visiting from the United States.
Two weeks after they met, they were married.
“It was love at first sight,” Oliveira said. “Worked for me. Might not work for everybody.”
It was another nine months before she could move to the United States.
After they were married, there was an earthquake in Portugal. People who lost their houses in the earthquake got to come to the United States first, she said.
“We’ve been together, it’s going to be 28 years on January 3,” Oliveira said. “We have our good times and bad times, but we are still together.”
Main Street Bistro is located at 650 San Benito St. The new hours of operation will be from 6:30 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. everyday. For more information, call 637-6370.
