Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018 - 32

Passport

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FOOD & SPIRITS

Beyond the Med
Chefs are looking east - from Turkey to Yemen - for
inspiration at these new spots.

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Lebanese and Iranian chefs run
the kitchen at Sharq Oriental
and Shisha Lounge, one of ten
restaurants and bars at the new
Bürgenstock Resort on Lake Lucerne. Housed in a two-story villa
that was once home to Sophia Loren, the restaurant serves dishes
that include roukak (cheese-filled
puff pastry) and ground-lamb
kabab kubidah amid the lake and
alpine scenery.

LISBON At Pitaria, in the lively
Chiado district, the two-Michelinstarred chef José Avillez celebrates the pita sandwich in
house-made versions stuffed
with chicken or pork shawarma,
falafel, baba ghanoush, and
vegetables, with za'atar-dusted
fries on the side. 11 Rua Nova da
Trindade; pitaria.pt.

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LONDON In tony Mayfair, Rüya, from

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Istanbul-born restaurateur Umut
Özkanca, champions Anatolian
food from the Mediterranean
to the Black Sea. Must-tries:
24-hour slow-cooked short ribs
with Turkish chili glaze and spicy
chickpea purée, and cheese
pide with slow-cooked eggs. The
drinks program highlights raki,
Turkey's anise-scented national
spirit. 30 Upper Grosvenor Street;
ruyalondon.com.

LOS ANGELES California-born and
Israel-raised Ori Menashe, chef

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V I RT U O S O L I F E

1. Spiced lamb with herbs from Rüya.
2. Shisha Lounge. 3. Pitaria's pork shawarma. 4. The bright and healthy look
of Dez. 5. Saba's interior. 6. Sababa's
traditional shakshuka. 7. Bavel's inviting
space and beef-cheek tagine.

of the acclaimed Italian spot
Bestia in downtown's Arts District, recently opened the Middle
Eastern Bavel nearby, with offerings such as freshly baked pita,
lamb shawarma, tagines, and a
hummus recipe that was three
years in the making. 500 Mateo
Street; baveldtla.com.

NEW ORLEANS James Beard Awardwinning chef Alon Shaya's justopened Saba ("grandfather" in
Hebrew) draws on cross-cultural
influences from Bulgaria to Yemen and Morocco to Palestine.
Seafood and meat entrées arrive
family style on platters for sharing. Look for his Safta ("grandmother") to open in Denver later
this summer. 5757 Magazine
Street; eatwithsaba.com.

NEW YORK Just opened in NoLIta:
fast-casual Dez from the Cooking Channel's Eden Grinshpan,
serving grain bowls and the
baked egg-and-tomato dish
shakshuka in a mural-adorned
storefront accented with bright
Moroccan rugs. 227 Mulberry
Street, inthedez.com.
WASHINGTON, D.C. The new Sababa,
Hebrew slang for "cool" or
"carefree," serves modern Israeli
food inspired by Jewish and Arab
traditions. Ryan Moore prepares
everything from carrot salad with
dates to harissa-marinated chicken thighs and charred vegetable
tagine to pair with wines from
Lebanon, Israel, and the Mediterranean. Try one in the lounge,
which channels a Bedouin tent.
3311 Connecticut Avenue NW;
sababauptown.com.

(PITARIA) JOSÉ AVILLEZ, (SABA) GABRIELLE GEISELMAN-MILONE, (SABABA) GREG POWERS,
(BAVEL INTERIOR) DYLAN + JENI, (BAVEL TAGINE) NICOLE FRANZEN

BÜRGENSTOCK, SWITZERLAND

Virtuoso Life - July/August 2018

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