Déjeuners Orange

The old adage “location, location, location” when doesn’t always hold up when faced with the skills of a veteran restauranteur like Jim Asimakopoulus. He opened Orange Café in 2002 in a spot where few others have dared to go. “A few restaurants prior to ours had closed," he says. "It was closed for two years before we came by. I looked at it and said I don’t know, maybe we can do something here.”

In order to keep the workload manageable, Orange Café opened only as a breakfast place, specializing in everything from the basics of eggs and bacon to creative eggs Benedict and omelettes. It was a hit, with people lining up outside the restaurant. In fact, Jim kept getting asked to extend his hours, prompting him to start a dinner service four nights a week. “People were always telling us they came at four or five o’clock but had to turn back,” says Jim. “I wasn’t going to open in the evenings to serve omelettes, so we put in a creative dinner menu.”