Beirut

Steam rises from enormous fresh pita breads while smoke rises from sweet-smelling hookahs at Beirut, a Lebanese restaurant decked out in imitations of classical stonework and mosaic tables from the fountain on its shaded patio to the columns dotting the spacious interior. The menu lists treats like falafel and dolmas, dips like hummus, baba ganoush, and foul, soups, salads, meat and seafood dishes, Lebanese oven specials and pasta plates including plantain gnocchi. At the end of a delectably flavored meal, guests might be lucky enough to enjoy a complementary sweet mint tea to ideally wrap up the experience.