"The 2024 James Beard Award winner for Outstanding Chef Michael Rafidi manipulates smoke with a master’s touch, sending out dishes from the wood-burning hearth at his high-end Levantine restaurant that have a way of commanding a diner’s full attention. The Maryland native’s Middle Eastern menu tweaks dishes to incorporate peak produce — see the coal-fired mushroom hummus — but the snack-sized lamb kefta kebabs speared on cinnamon sticks should never go out of style. Cocktails, desserts, and a lengthy wine list full of hard-to-find Eastern Mediterranean labels all rise to the occasion. An a la carte menu joins a multi-course option featuring lamb meat pie and swordfish dolma, pita with spreads, and larger plates like chermoula black bass. The feast is $145 for food; beverage pairings are priced at $65 or $95. For something more affordable, head to sibling cafe Yellow, which expanded to Georgetown with fiery pies at night, and added a Union Market locale with lively Levantine bar La’ Shukran up top." - Tierney Plumb, Emily Venezky
