Black Cypress brings a taste of Greece, Italy, and France to rural Pullman

As you walk into the Black Cypress, you might think a crazy person was in charge of the décor.

Between the Burlap hanging from the ceiling, the multitude of mirrors on the walls and the naked light bulbs hanging just above eye-level, the whole place comes off as a bit of a mad-house. And it fits, owner and head chef Nick Pitsilionis is crazy—about his food.

“I was looking forward to a lazy summer,” Pitsilionis said. “…A week after I had made this arrangement where I was just going to chill, I ran into Mike (Yates) who told me that this (location) had opened up.

“I took a week to think about it, and just made the jump and said ‘Let’s do it,’” Pitsilionis said. “I signed the lease a week after I found the opportunity was here, and then two months later we have a restaurant.”

You’d have to a little insane to open a restaurant right now—the economy is suffering, tuition at WSU is up, many Palouse residents are looking for new ways to save money and prices at Black Cypress are not cheap due to the local organic produce Pitsilionis uses.

In spite of the good location, building owner Mike Yates said the Black Cypress is the third restaurant to occupy 215 E Main Street in as many years.

When Yates bought the building in 2004 a French restaurant called Combray was on the first floor. After Combray went out of business, Yates renovated the building and split the bottom floor into two units.

In 2005 an Italian restaurant called Bella Dolci moved in. It lasted until 2008, when the husband and wife owners decided they wanted a lifestyle change.

Then Cooky’s, a European deli and grocery moved in. Cooky’s only lasted a year before family issues forced the owners to close up shop.

Pitsilionis said that although the local economy is slightly sheltered by the university, local businesses have been hit hard. Despite this, he said he still thought there was room for another fine-dining establishment in Pullman.

“My impression is that if people are getting value and food, they’re going to come out and eat,” he said. “I don’t think that the economy is that bad that we’re not going to be able to succeed if we’re providing good food and good service for people, which is our intent.”

Despite all of his optimism, and his intense passion for cooking and hospitality, Pitsilionis never actually wanted to open his own restaurant. He wanted to avoid it at all costs in fact, but eventually the draw was just too strong.

“Opening a restaurant is pretty much the last thing I’ve wanted to do my whole life,” he said. “It’s what I was trying to run away from forever. I never had any illusions about what it entailed.”

A lot of people have romantic notions of what they think a restaurant is—it’s a constant dinner party—and it isn’t, Pitsilionis said, it’s a lot of hard work, a lot of hours and the money can be alright, but there’s a lot easier ways to make money.

“If you’re doing it for the money it’s probably not the smartest thing to do. You’ve got to like food and hospitality, and you’ve got to care about people, and I do like those things.

“Doing it constantly, day after day, all this stuff is demanding,” Pitsilionis said. “So I finally made the decision that: I’m good at it, I like doing it, I like the people and I’m ready, at this point in my life, to devote myself to it.”

Despite the stress of opening his own restaurant, or maybe because of it, Pitsilionis maintains a relaxed atmosphere in the kitchen. In between teaching his new cooks and making sure dishes are served correctly, he finds time to crack jokes and learn about his employees—all the while cooking his ingredients to perfection on his new hardwood grill.

“You've got to be kind of bat-**** crazy to want to open a restaurant,” cook and WSU student Will Henderson said. “But (Nick's) crazy in a good way.”

A review of Black Cypress' food can be found here.