A little while ago, I read an article that highlighted the culinary resurgence of Beirut, and I could not help but think of this dish and my visit a few years ago.  I was there at a point when the city was built up and beautiful.  Cultural, cosmopolitan.  I remember the architecture as stunning, and I endlessly wandered the streets, dipping in and out of little shops.  The shopping was amazing, and the outdoor café scene buzzing – rivaling the Da Silvano, Bar Pitti, 10 Downing trifecta…In any case, the article has me excited that chefs like Joel Robuchon and Yannick Alléno are considering opening up restaurants there.

When I went, it was for a wedding of two close friends of mine.  The wedding was a total bash, a multi-day affair with dinners and drinks and parties each night.  At one of the dinners, I had this dessert, Om Ali, and it has been literally stuck in my head ever since.  The dish is pretty much a form of bread pudding, but instead of using bread, the Lebanese use filo or puff pastry.

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