The bistro.

Some of you might know about my secret dream of opening a local food cafe in Lupeni.  I'm a little obsessed with the idea, though still in the dreamy-wouldn't-it-be-great way, not the getting-down-to-business way.  We'll see if it progresses.

But!  Those of you who have heard me ramble on about my love for little restaurants will understand my excitement about this new arrival in Lupeni: the Passage Bistro!  (I know, the name is weird.)  It's a small little restaurant that just opened last week in an old children's clothing store that had gone out of business, and it's about halfway from our apartment to the office.  It's smoky and plays Kiss FM music videos too loudly for my taste, but I am still thrilled that it's here.  (And only in small part because they serve fabulous eggplant salad and warm naan-like bread for an amazingly cheap price... though yes, that's part of it.)

The Bistro is exciting to me because it's a sign of hope.  It's a sign of investment in a community that so often has people shaking their heads in doubt at its future prospects.  I am not one to think that micro-business and economic growth are the magic tickets to a flourishing community -- but after living here for the last year and a half, I have become a firm subscriber to the idea that economic opportunities are an absolutely vital part of holistic and sustainable community growth.  So many kids have told us that their goal is to move away someday, and when we press them on why, it almost always comes down to one thing: there aren't jobs here.  (And it's boring.  But I think those two usually go hand-in-hand.)

So the Bistro is, to me, this tiny, smoke-wreathed, noisy beacon of hope.  The food isn't amazing, and it's not the coziest place I've ever seen, but it's a bit more modern than the other two restaurants in this town of 20,000 people.  It brings the total options for a date night up to three.  (Woohoo!)  It, along with the Chill Lounge that opened last year (yeah, the names, I know) are these little enterprises that bring people together over food and drink and offer them somewhere fun, something to do, somewhere to work, somewhere to go.

The Bistro also seems to be sparking some good ol' capitalist competition, which is kind-of fun to observe.  There are a few places in town that aren't restaurants but do serve delivery lunches -- the "meniu zilei" (menu of the day) brought to your door in a styrofoam takeout container.  Usually they contain soup, four rolls (!), a hearty main course of meat and potatoes or some equivalent, a small side salad, and a little dessert.  The price range is usually around 12 lei, or about $3.50.  It's a popular thing at our office, and probably elsewhere too.  The companies leave printed leaflets in apartment stairwells with the week's menu and a phone number, and you can call and have them deliver any time of day.

Well, recently the Bistro's meniu zilei flyer also arrived in our office stairwell, and soon there were flyers from other companies posted next to it.  And then, next thing you know, they're both offering "economic portions" for those who don't want such an enormous lunch.  (The current race for bargains is between Noemi, which offers a smaller lunch for 8 lei, including dessert, and the Bistro for 9.50 with no dessert.  I am watching to see if the Bistro ups its game and cuts its price next week... or adds dessert...!)  I'm not hoping for some sort of race to the bottom, and I can't imagine that the companies selling their lunches for such tiny sums are making a big enough profit margin to pay their employees fabulous salaries, so this is certainly not the most perfect case study.  But regardless, it's fun to watch, and exciting to see these sparks of entrepreneurship in a town that so desperately need them.

Plus, it's a good reason to go out for lunch.