POULSBO —After years of talking about it, John and Laura Nesby have finally opened a restaurant together.

But the Mor MOR Bistro and Bar is not just a fulfillment of their dream. It’s also a part of a family tradition.

Mor MOR, which opened in the old Benson’s location in downtown Poulsbo this month, is part of a long line of Poulsbo businesses for John Nesby’s family. His great-grandfather was the proprietor of the famous Len’s Cafe and his grandmother and father owned Ralph’s Shop Rite for more than 24 years. His father still owns Bremerton’s Red Apple and Big Apple Diners and his grandparents have already made Mor MOR one of their staple lunch haunts.

“My family is all originally from Poulsbo, generations and generations and generations of us,” John Nesby said. “We’ve kind of had fun carrying on the family tradition of owning our own restaurant.”

The Nesbys met in 1997 at culinary school in Scottsdale, Ariz. and were married two years ago. They’ve worked for top-end restaurants in locations like Arizona, the Napa Valley and Portland, Ore. but always talked about owning a restaurant together someday. Over the years, Laura has moved to operating the front end of restaurants and John has stayed in the kitchen, but they never lost sight of that one restaurant goal and, of course, the name.

“Both sets of our grandparents had inspired us to cook and we always said if we ever owned a restaurant that we’d name it after our grandmothers,” John said, explaining the name of the eatery, which is the Norwegian word for grandmother.

And the atmosphere at the Mor MOR is somewhat akin to stepping into your eccentric grandmother’s parlor. From the Depression era glassware above the bar to real family photos on the walls, the feel is that the place is all about family.

That, and good food.

Modeled after many of the small plate and wine bar locations that have become popular of late, Mor MOR’s menu focuses on freshness and fun. Many offerings come in large and small portions so that folks can try one dish or several. Nesby said pairing tastings with choices from their extensive wine selection can make for an entertaining evening outing.

“You can sit down with a couple different people and you can try many different dishes so it’s less of a meal and more of an experience,” he said.

But no matter the size of the plate, the taste is always big. Nesby describes his cooking style as rustic and drawing from French and Italian influences. The majority of the menu changes daily depending on what’s available and what’s in season and from local, sustainable sources.

But no matter the size of the plate, Nesby said the secret is that the tastes are always big. From fresh saffron ravioli stuffed with lobster in a tarragon butter nage, to braised veal shanks on polenta with garlicky sauteed greens, Mor MOR’s food’s charms are in the details.

“I try and keep all the dishes extremely simplistic, no more than three to five ingredients per plate and I focus the flavor on the main ingredient in the dish,” Nesby said. “Instead of using a cheap steak and filling the plate with all kinds of things, I’d rather give you a really great steak.”

Lunch and dinner is served daily and Sundays bring an off-the-menu brunch, which is served all day long.

Mor MOR also features a full bar with drinks named after favorite relatives like the double Manhattan “Grandpa Jim” for John’s grandfather and the Jack Daniels with a float of Amaretto called a “Texas Rose” after Laura’s grandmother. A full spectrum of wines round out the menu, with a distinct focus on Northwest wineries.

But at Mor MOR, sophisticated tastes are married with a down-home, family feel. One of the restaurant’s staple menu items is the totally local burger — an all beef patty from an Oregon cooperative, Tillamook cheese and hamburger buns made by Sluys Poulsbo Bakery from its signature Poulsbo Bread recipe, with a side of roasted Idaho red potatoes.

“We wanted to make sure this restaurant was very approachable and someplace where you could eat two to three times a week,” Nesby said. “We had one couple come in our first night and they said they were looking forward to coming back and having a ($60 bottle of wine) with a cheeseburger. That was a testament that we were on the right track.”