Feast after the fast

As the sun faded behind the neon-pink horizon last Friday night, groups of men took turns kneeling on prayer rugs in the parking lot of the Big Marina Grill & Deli. Fellow Muslims, having already finished their sundown prayer for the holy month of Ramadan, grabbed any seat they could find in the Columbia Heights restaurant and its giant outdoor tent.

The day's fast, from dawn until dusk, was over and everybody was ready to join the bustling buffet lines.

During Ramadan, many restaurants that serve the Muslim community -- estimated to be 75,000 people in the metro area -- see their daytime business drop as their customers spend those hours fasting. But at sundown, the nightly rush to break the fast is enough to make this month the busiest of the year for many of these eateries.

Last year at Big Marina, diners waited as long as two hours for a table.

So when this year's Ramadan began on Sept. 13, owner Shaker Elsaied was ready, having erected a tent almost as big as the restaurant.

"People started getting mad because they were waiting so long, so I said 'Oh no, I better think of something else,'" he said.

An eating expedition

Last weekend, Adam Soliman, a doctor from St. Cloud, came with his brother, Mahmoud, who flew in from Miami that day. Ramadan is known as a time to strengthen ties with family and friends. They filled up on lamb shank, stuffed quail and falafel.

"He came all the way from Miami to have an eating expedition," Soliman said of his brother. "Seriously!"

Mahmoud, who runs a hotel management company, said he prefers spending time celebrating Ramadan with his brother in the Twin Cities.

"Here, we are Americans but we can still save our own traditions," he said. "For a while I questioned why he lives here, but when I see this community, I know why."

On the menu

Just down the Central Avenue strip from Big Marina is the popular Holy Land restaurant and market. Co-owner Majdi Wadi spent last Wednesday night walking about the packed house shaking hands and repeating the customary greeting "As-salamu alaikum" ("Peace be with you"). The dinner buffet was a hit. Serious repeat visitors had the option early on to buy a 30-meal discount card for $209.

'Dates are a must'

While every Ramadan buffet is different, they all have one menu item in common: "Dates are a must," Wadi said. The prophet Mohammed is said to have broken his fast with dates, making them a Ramadan tradition.

Wadi is planning to have his own outdoor tent next year, when Ramadan will start about 10 days earlier because it is based on the lunar cycle. "It will be warmer for customers," he said. He wants to import a colorful tent from the Middle East to re-create the Ramadan celebrations in that part of the world.

Food, and education

"We feel like it's not just our responsibility to serve food," Wadi said. "It's also our responsibility to educate Americans on who we are. Because all they hear about us is war and suicide bombers."

Some of Holy Land's non-Muslim customers come out specifically to experience the traditions of the month, which will end later this week.

"I knew they would be doing something special during Ramadan," said Ingrid Case, who came with her husband and 5-year-old son. "This is their normal food bumped up a notch."

Lights out during the day

While both Holy Land and Big Marina are open during the day, many Somali restaurants wait until evening to open. At International Corner, a popular Somali coffee shop near downtown Minneapolis, owner Saeed Nooh said he doesn't have any Somali customers during the day, except for the cab drivers who use his back room to pray.

"But at night, the coffee shop will stay open until way past midnight," he said. "I try to go home by 1 a.m., but nobody wants to leave."

At Hamdi, one of south Minneapolis' oldest Somali restaurants, tables were filled even on a rainy Tuesday night.

"Sometimes we don't have enough tables for them," said assistant cook Burhaan Sahal. "But they still have their meals -- standing up."

But even after a day of fasting, some Muslims don't necessarily stick with just Muslim-owned restaurants. A trio of young Somali women who were eating at Big Marina last Friday said they have spent a few nights at mainstream chains, such as Applebee's and TGI Fridays, during Ramadan.

"But when you go to Applebee's, it doesn't feel like Ramadan," said Amina Asser, 22, as she looked around Marina that night.

"This feels like Ramadan."

Tom Horgen • 612-673-7909

Tom Horgen • thorgen@startribune.com