Dearborn's L.A. Bistro Thrives in New, Bigger Location

Family values and loyal customers have taken the Johair brothers far with their west downtown restaurant venture.

If you build it, they will come. And at west downtown Dearborn's L.A. Bistro, the customers just keep coming. At 2:30 p.m. on a Monday afternoon, Souheil Johair sits in the booth of the busy restaurant and quickly glances over every table. His eyes stop at one where a group of college guys sit and he directs a passing waiter to check on them.  “His ice tea isn’t full,” he says of one of the customers. “That drives me crazy.” Souheil, 28, is dressed in a silver button-down shirt and a sleek black tie. His attire matches the beige walls and mocha tiles that make up the classy ambiance around him. “When you’re the owner, you want everything to be perfect,” he says. Souheil is the owner of L.A. Bistro, which opened in its new location at 21928…

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L.A. Bistro to Move Into Larger Space Rented from Nichols

The west Dearborn restaurant's new location is expected to open in February or March.

Frequenters of the west Dearborn Michigan Avenue business strip can expect to see some changes this winter. Nichols Ski and Snowboard will be shifting over in their current space, making room for a new tenant: L.A. Bistro, which is moving from its location one block west. Nichols owner Karen Nichols said that remodeling of the space will likely start in a couple of weeks as her store moves its remaining inventory out. But though the project is moving along quickly, the idea was a long time coming. “Two years ago, I went over (to L.A. Bistro) and had lunch and it was wonderful," Nichols said. "(Owner Samih Johair) was busy and was turning people away. I said, ‘You know, you guys need to expand your business. Why don’t you come down and look…

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