84 p o r t l a n d monthly magazine BUT FIRST, LUNCH S tart at Ameera Bread at 845 Forest Avenue for a quick bite. On the front window there’s a sign that reads, “Iraqis–Americans: Together we stand to protect our home–America.” Inside the little cafe, large rounds of just- baked pita and samoon loaves are stacking up in the open kitchen. A column of glis- tening shawarma meat sizzles on the stove. The counter displays trays of spinach pies and pastry triangles, sambusas, filled with beef, chicken, or veggie mixtures. The first bite into a beef triangle is a deli- cious burst of subtle herb and spice. The tasty little treat is just $1.99. Ameera Bread is owned by Ahmed Abbas. His nephew Ry- an Abdul manages Ameera’s other location in the Public Market House on Monument Square, which opened last year. “My uncle bought the shop on Forest Avenue in 2014,” Ab- dul says. “It was already a bakery.” Now it’s quite a bit more. “We have hummus plus baba ganoush, tabbouleh, the sambu- sas, kebabs, shawarma, the spinach pies, even desserts.” The two locations attract very differ- ent clienteles. “In the Market House, I rare- ly see anyone from the Middle East. But on Forest Avenue, there’s a giant community,” Ryan says. “My uncle gives discounts for refugees. Lots of Iraqis go there, and Soma- lis. The Somalis love our sambusas.” At the Wednesday Farmer’s Market in Monument Square, we catch up with Ryan and Ahmed in front of the Market House. The sambusas have already sold out. When asked about the company’s name, Ahmed says, “Ameera is my daughter–she is now four. It means ‘Princess.’” On the phone later, I ask Ryan, who is 20 years old and came here in 2013 from Bagh- dad, how he accounts for Portland’s love af- fair with Middle Eastern food. “Americans love ethnic foods. Iraq- is see it as an advantage. We just give it to them.” That’s it? “It’s not that hard to figure out,” he says, with the cheerful confidence of youth. OLD PORT PLAYERS At Evo, the glass jewel box of a res- Chef Matt Ginn and sous-chef Hagai Bernstein (left) give the dishes a Levantine flair at Evo. Dishes include wild salmon with smoked yoghurt and cherry tomatoes and hake with tahini,zucchini, roasted fennel,and cous-cous (below).