Spray Ain’t The Way: Our tent caterpillar dilemma

It seems like there's always something going on with our local
pub/brewing scene. But as you may have noticed it can sometimes be
difficult to separate rumor from fact in this gossip-hungry town. This
past week we chased down one of the juicier rumors that had been
fermenting for several weeks - that new kid on the block 10 Barrel
Brewing was going to take over the lease at the former Rising Star
building to launch a homegrown McMenamins-style pub just south of
downtown. Such a possibility would no doubt be intriguing, alas the
guys over at 10 Barrel said the deal for the Rising Star building is
off the discussion table - and likely for good - for the same reasons
that Rising Star folded, primarily the dismal economic climate.

"We
had a really cool plan, but it's not exactly the small homey kind of
easy-to-operate place. It's a little more of a chunk than we felt
comfortable biting off right now," said Garrett Wales, one of three
partners in 10 Barrel who also serves as the operations manager.

It seems like there’s always something going on with our local
pub/brewing scene. But as you may have noticed it can sometimes be
difficult to separate rumor from fact in this gossip-hungry town. This
past week we chased down one of the juicier rumors that had been
fermenting for several weeks – that new kid on the block 10 Barrel
Brewing was going to take over the lease at the former Rising Star
building to launch a homegrown McMenamins-style pub just south of
downtown. Such a possibility would no doubt be intriguing, alas the
guys over at 10 Barrel said the deal for the Rising Star building is
off the discussion table – and likely for good – for the same reasons
that Rising Star folded, primarily the dismal economic climate.

“We
had a really cool plan, but it’s not exactly the small homey kind of
easy-to-operate place. It’s a little more of a chunk than we felt
comfortable biting off right now,” said Garrett Wales, one of three
partners in 10 Barrel who also serves as the operations manager.

Hummus, check, kebabs, check, spirit apparition server, check. With the corpse of Bistro Corlise still warm, and its cherished memory fresh in my mind, I figured I'd instantly and probably unfairly compare, contrast and ultimately find fault with whatever took its place. That was before I heard about Joolz. The latest from Ramsey and Juli Hamdan, owners of the Jackalope Grill until 2005 and more recently Barking Squirrel Kitchen and Catering, Joolz couldn't be further from the classic French cuisine of its predecessor. The menu, tagged "Where Mezze Meets the Mesa," features traditional Middle Eastern flavors and recipes (Ramsey is of Lebanese extraction) with Southwestern accents and a nod to local ingredients and preparations. Being a recovering big city gal, constantly craving the many and varied ethnic foods of my former life, they had me at halloumi-and hummus and kafta and kebabs.

The room, while largely retaining the layout and the core fixtures from the old space, has been thoroughly beJoolzed with assorted pieces of Middle Eastern flare like hanging metal lamps, hookas, camels and bright shocks of cloth to complement the orange and brown drapery. Mesa touches, most notably a series of stylized mounted horns from various ungulates, are interspersed in keeping with the concept. The result is a comfortable, festive dining room with great lighting and a large and lively bar area that's ripe for the happy hour scheduled to begin in the next week or so.

Hummus, check, kebabs, check, spirit apparition server, check. With the corpse of Bistro Corlise still warm, and its cherished memory fresh in my mind, I figured I’d instantly and probably unfairly compare, contrast and ultimately find fault with whatever took its place. That was before I heard about Joolz. The latest from Ramsey and Juli Hamdan, owners of the Jackalope Grill until 2005 and more recently Barking Squirrel Kitchen and Catering, Joolz couldn’t be further from the classic French cuisine of its predecessor. The menu, tagged “Where Mezze Meets the Mesa,” features traditional Middle Eastern flavors and recipes (Ramsey is of Lebanese extraction) with Southwestern accents and a nod to local ingredients and preparations. Being a recovering big city gal, constantly craving the many and varied ethnic foods of my former life, they had me at halloumi-and hummus and kafta and kebabs.

The room, while largely retaining the layout and the core fixtures from the old space, has been thoroughly beJoolzed with assorted pieces of Middle Eastern flare like hanging metal lamps, hookas, camels and bright shocks of cloth to complement the orange and brown drapery. Mesa touches, most notably a series of stylized mounted horns from various ungulates, are interspersed in keeping with the concept. The result is a comfortable, festive dining room with great lighting and a large and lively bar area that’s ripe for the happy hour scheduled to begin in the next week or so.