Now Open: Village Restaurant

​There’s a new Lebanese restaurant in Overland Park. Two days old, as a matter of fact, and the menu isn’t even back from the printer.

Bassam Derbas, a native of Tripoli, opened the Village Restaurant at 9058 Metcalf — in the location formerly occupied by La Mesa Mexican Restaurant and, long before that, the last incarnation of La Mediteranee French Restaurant — on Tuesday. Last night the restaurant was busy, but most of the patrons were Debras’ friends and family members.

The former construction company owner had set out a balloon-bedecked whiteboard listing the menu specials. I saw the balloons and walked in to see what was going on. Derbas was eager to talk about his new restaurant, insisting that it was different from all the other Middle Eastern dining spots in town. “Village,” he said, “is a Lebanese restaurant!”