An empty building on California Avenue will soon have a new tenant, as a Filipino restaurant set to open by May 1 will occupy the old La Casa de Amigos building. 

The owners of Mara’s Oriental Buffet, on a tight $7,000 budget, have to bring the Kootenai Mercantile building up to snuff. The 100-plus-year-old structure has some roof problems and the former Mexican restaurant had some serious health and ventilation issues.

Mary-Ann and Tony Murer are the owners, and named the eatery after their five-year-old daughter Mara.

“Mary-Ann is a phenomenal cook,” her husband Tony said. “She knows the tradition behind her Filipino cooking.”

Mary-Ann, a Philippines native, came to Libby on Oct. 24, 1994. It’s the same date she said she arrived in this country. 

“I just learned some cooking from my mom,” she said. “I always enjoyed that. I’m over the moon about this. I’m very nervous but so excited to do it.”

The two-trip buffet will have traditional Filipino cuisine like chicken adobo. Adobo, sometimes known as the unofficial national dish of the Philippines, is meat, seafood or vegetables marinated in vinegar and garlic, browned in oil, and simmered in the marinade.

The Murers haven’t developed a precise price-point, but have come to an idea of $8 for two-trips to the buffet, $7 for take out and $1 for the best eggrolls the Murers have tasted.

“I like the eggrolls,” Mara said when asked what the best thing her mom cooked. “I like the carrots in them.”

The beefy eggrolls and other cuisine certainly pack in the meat, and Tony Murer said he envisions success coming in the same vein as Rosita’s – a simple, delicious menu that has some constants and some change. 

The Murers said it has been a lot of work, but will be worth it if they can open “Mara’s” restaurant soon.