Many Portland diners were sad to see the axiomatically hip Baharat close its doors earlier this year. When they first opened years ago, their take on Middle Eastern Food was a trendy answer to its start as a food truck or the more upscale places like EVO and Tiqa. I loved the food in the first few years, its gutsy, easy to take fare was well prepared and reasonably priced. On my last visit about 5 months ago, it had lost its luster. The plating had turned from dazzling to muddy. I vowed not to return, and then it closed!
Baharat Circa 2017
From what I’ve learned ,the owners of Full Turn are related to the originators of Baharat, who’ve since moved downeast to be with family. From other chatter at Full Turn when I visited last week, I surmised it’s a mix of employee ownership and its founders. And in so doing it’s truly a neighborhood restaurant serving a simple menu of food and drink, in essentially the same room as before. It hasn’t yet reached its full hipifacation potential.
There’s more seating in the bar area and the rest of the dining room–a kind of cavernous space that just sort of disappears into the woodwork. The great wall of windows will be very inviting when those big garage style door windows open in the summer. At this time of year, sitting by them can be drafty. In fact on my visit, with my back to the windows, I had to put my coat back on over my shoulders to stay warm. That’s the only complaint. I’m not sure that there’s a fix, other than to turn up the heat on frigid nights.
Full Turn dining room and bar at 6:00 pm on December 2022 evening visit; by the time we left the rooms were filling up fast
