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Off 4th Street and going west down Depot Street's red brick road in Fairfield is a colorful cafe that specializes in Middle Eastern cuisine, mainly falafels, called Baba's. Outside there's a pink Cadillac cutout fitted with shining silver hubcaps and a real rearview mirror. Behind the blue wall, and inside the red-rimmed yellow door, is the portal to a warm and tropical dining room that is also an art gallery for locals.
Richard Spitzer started this restaurant in August last year, but he has been in the falafel business in Fairfield for the last few years. The falafels were sold originally in a place called Hykie's, which was started by a Lebanese man named Hykel, who shared his legacy of recipes with the second owners, Norman and Mohini Brown, who in turn trained Richard.
Richard can be seen in the back of the restaurant making all the food fresh daily. He serves a variety of specials: stuffed acorn squash, eggplant Parmesan, lasagna, or vegetable stew. Among the Middle Eastern side dishes are spanakopita, a spinach-filled Greek pastry; stuffed grape leaves; tabouli, a cooked grain served cold with tomato, cucumber, and parsley; and hummus, a garbanzo bean spread served with pita bread.
The ornate Middle Eastern desserts are sent from Michigan weekly and consist of subtly sweet and sticky pastries, filled with different kinds of crushed nuts and served in phyllo pastry shells. Other desserts are namora, a farina coconut cake, tiramisu, a coffee-flavored Italian cake, and cheesecake.
"I think the food is really original for this area," says David Perez, a self-employed day trader. "It's always tasty. I could eat there every day."
Richard has been in the restaurant business for the last 25 years, waiting on tables, living in resorts, and traveling extensively. Originally from New York, he spent many summers in East Hampton, Cape Cod, and Mendicino, California, and winters in Vail, Colorado, and two years in St. Thomas.
"Restaurants are everywhere," Richard says, "so that was my ticket," he says of his career. He's also done high-society catering in Los Angeles and New York.
At the top of Baba's menu, it says, "Welcome to the Church of the Holy falafel," which is their specialty. A falafel is as tasty as a gourmet meal, yet quickly thrown together and as easy to eat as a burrito. Falafels are made of chickpeas and spices fried up in a ball so flavorful that many are surprised it's vegetarian, and eaten in pita bread with hummus, black olives, tabouli, avocado, and feta cheese.
"The falafel sandwiches are very tasty--it's a very light meal," says Hal Masover, president of Crown Futures and vice president of Iowa Progressive Management. "It's inexpensive, Richard is a master sandwich maker, and he always has my sandwich ready when I want it."
Black and white linoleum counters with barstool seats circle the cashier, and vases of dried dark red and white flowers decorate the tables. Richard plays a range of music, from old jazz, reggae, and soul blues to torch songs from the '40s and classical tunes.
There is a brick half-circle around the entrance, black and white tiled floors, with a wood-brick aisle-way, and more cutouts by Lance Morrison: there's a life-size topless Tina Turner singing with soul in the back, and an Andy-Warhol-looking waitress in an apron on the side seemingly ready to serve. The walls are covered with paintings by local artists: Jerry Felix, John Schirmer, and Cosmo and Richard's watercolors. Richard also painted each wall a different color. One wall is a sponged peach, another turquoise, pale green, and yellow. Glass pillars and Mexican terracotta pottery cups, suns, moons, and Madonna fountains, together with white Christmas lights and candles, create an atmosphere that people say is like having lunch at a friend's house. "It's a good place to chat," Richard says. "Some people stay here for hours.
"The place has a creative feel, and it reminds me of California," says Perez.
"I'll be here as long as there is support and desire for good food that's fresh with out chasing the food fetish," Richard says. In the Middle East, baba means "father." It's also the sound a sheep makes, and when Richard is frustrated or being carefree, he says, "Bah," which is why he named the restaurant Baba's. But he does have some loyal customers who come for the fatherly friendship and good cooking.
Baba's, at 400 W. Depot St., currently serves lunch only, Monday through Saturday, 11:30-2:00, (641) 469-6325.
