Semiramis

On a sunny day, this Lebanese café is warm and full of light. On darker days, the food provides the sunniness. The fattoush salad provides forkfuls of bright, tart flavors, and the basket of warm pita begs to be slathered with foul—fava beans cooked with olive oil and garlic to make a tangy, spreadable paste. Sandwiches, like a chicken wrap, and tender kebabs are prepared skillfully, and everything benefits from a slather of the housemade garlic sauce, toum. Pair the mamoul cookies with a cup of rich cardamom-laced coffee.