Restauratuer Ed Beczynski recently opened Café Focaccia’s in the Hylant Building, serving many of the same items as Focaccia’s Delicatessen on Summit Street.

The new outpost will serve specialty sandwiches, soups, desserts and Seattle’s Best Coffee drinks. Like the deli, which has been open for 12 years, it offers catering.

“It made sense for me to have another presence a little away from Focaccia’s [Delicatessen],” Beczynski said. “It’s a little bit of a walk for those who are down in the Hylant Building and SSOE.”

The menu prices range from about $6-$8 and the menu is designed for the breakfast/lunch crowd. Hours are 7 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. The new place is 2,800 square feet, seats 90 people and is operated by six employees.

Beczynski said his (and customers’) favorite menu items are the Reubens, the Holy Toledo (turkey, bacon, lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise on focaccia) and the Little Italy (ham, salami, roasted peppers, provolone, pesto on focaccia).

Despite tough economic times, Beczynski, who also owns The Blarney Irish Pub on Monroe Street, said business has been great so far.

“I’ve been hearing, ‘What are you thinking?’ for 15 years since I started Eddy B’s, which was my first place,” he said.

“Each location has done well, extremely well. It takes a lot of hard work, a lot of hours that I put in, but in the end, it’s been well worth it,” the owner added.

He said he’s also been asked why he doesn’t locate in Perrysburg or Sylvania.

“I’ve been a Downtown guy for over 15 years,” he said. “I just love the whole revitalization that’s going on Downtown. It’s been great to be part of that.”

Private selection bourbon

Beczynski also has some new things going on at The Blarney. He recently traveled to Kentucky to select a Four Roses bourbon so he could serve his own private selection at the pub.

“If you’ve never tried bourbon, it’s a very smooth whiskey that we chose,” he said.

The Blarney also began offering its Blueberry Ale earlier this year. Options like these keep the restaurant creative, Beczynski said.

“It’s really about thinking outside of the box and being creative because you could go to any bar to buy a beer,” he said, adding, “Bourbon is on its way up.”

And are there any plans for a fourth restaurant? Well, maybe.

“No,” Beczynski said, but quickly added, “Every time I’ve opened another one, I’ve always said this is it, but that opportunity was there and I couldn’t turn it down.”

Café Focaccia’s is located on the first floor of the Hylant Building, 811 Madison Ave.

Tags: Café Focaccia’s, Ed Beczynski, Hylant Building, The Blarney Irish Pub

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 15th, 2012 at 4:22 pm and is filed under Arts and Life, Restaurants.
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