Blind Activist Embodies Mediterranean Restaurant’s Big Heart

Marlaina’s Mediterranean Kitchen is a charming family restaurant focused on modern interpretations of traditional dishes from various regions of the Eastern Mediterranean. All the food is freshly prepared on the premises, and it offers dishes that will please just about everybody. The menu includes vegan and vegetarian options.

However, it is not just for the food that this restaurant has continued to thrive and boom in downtown Burien. It is because there is an atmosphere of family and everyone is welcome. Its name says it all. 

The restaurant's namesake, Marlaina, was blind and during her lifetime she was a strong advocate for people with disabilities. She was instrumental in the passing of the Americans with Disability Act (ADA). Marlaina is responsible for the accessible crosswalks and wheelchair friendly sidewalks in Burien. She was also a longtime and loyal customer of the restaurant. One night at dinner, Marlaina pestered chef/owner Musa Firat about changing the name of the restaurant and he said okay, “How about Marlaina’s?”

Marlaina's photo is framed and hangs in the restaurant, which offers indoor and outdoor dining, takeout, catering and it has a private event space. Many locals come for the tabouli, which is a traditional Mediterranean vegan dish made of couscous, finely chopped parsley, red onions, extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice and garlic. The restaurant also features Mediterranean Salad, which is made of fresh spinach greens tossed with tomato, red onion, feta cheese, cucumber, pyaz and sumac spice tossed with pomegranate molasses and extra virgin olive oil. Baba Ganoush is another popular item. It is a creamy, smokey puree of roasted eggplant with tahini, lemon and garlic. Grape leaves are another staple in Mediterranean restaurants.

Marlaina's chef and owner Musa Firat at work in the kitchen 

Firat, originally from Kurdistan, has a big smile for all who come, and everyone feels like they are eating in his own private kitchen. “I like to make people happy,” said Firat, who has a big heart, and it shows.  He and his wife make a great team. It’s a mixture of joy and fun food. Firat opened his first restaurant in Manhattan and over the years owned restaurants in North Carolina and Georgia. He opened Marlaina’s in 2013.  Now, it is a gathering place for many in the Burien neighborhood.

One of Marlaina's customers is 76-year-old Boni Ryan. Boni also has her artwork on display at Marlaina's (as well as restaurants in Seattle). Boni is Lebanese; she and her four sisters compete on improving and modernizing traditional Lebanese dishes, such as tabouli and kibbeh. “Art and cooking are both amazing forms of expression and creativity. You give both your own perspective and interpretation. Food is a beautiful art form both in preparation and in presentation,” said Ryan. 

Four of Boni Ryan's newest paintings are on display at Marlaina's

 

 

Ryan’s motto is “Art is Love.” It refers to giving life to anything you create. “It might be a painting, a sculpture, a delicious meal, a beautiful banquet, a traditional meal with your own special twist to it. Just as a musician creates beautiful melodies and an architect creates beautiful structures, artists create beautiful artwork and chefs create beautiful meals all out of love for the craft,” said Ryan.

For more information about Marlaina's Mediterranean Kitchen, visit the following link: Marlaina's Mediterranean Kitchen

John Schieszer is an award-winning national journalist and radio and podcast broadcaster of The Medical Minute. He can be reached at medicalminutes@gmail.com.