Beirutista

I wasn’t always such an avid wine enthusiast. In fact, I didn’t enjoy my first glass of vino until I was 21, attending a wine and cheese social hosted by my university’s graduate department. I slugged it back as though it were fruit juice. When I moved to Paris, wine became daily bread. Not only was it cheap and accessible, undercutting the price of bottled water, but heck, when in France, do as the French, right? They’ve only dedicated their entire lush soil to the cultivation of grapevines, and wine types like Bordeaux and Beaujolais are actually named for French regions. So you’d literally have to be living under a rock to ignore the cornerstone place of wine in the French day-to-day. Believe it or not, Lebanon has honed my appreciation of the grape derivative by huge strides. Over the past decade, the country has seen a proliferation of vineyards from as north as the hills of Batroun to as south as the perches of Jezzine, and that’s besides the fertile Bekaa valley where th...

It’s been a challenge keeping up with friends abroad. Folks I grew up with, former classmates from school and university, ex-colleagues. Writing individual letters proved burdensome at the beginning, but that all dissipated with the launch of this blog. The sad thing though, as artist Charlie Puth puts it in his trending pop hit, is “we don’t talk anymore” (which incidentally came on the radio as I was typing this). I’m referring to near-and-dear confidants, people I’d flagged as besties, friends for life. One I met on the P.E. court my high school freshman year nearly a decade and half ago. Our paths didn’t intertwine much beyond our sports class, and she transferred to another school by the following term. It wasn’t until university that we collided again, in Boston, as we both slaved away on our master’s degrees at neighboring institutions. A few years later, life threw us onto the European continent, where she pursued her PhD at Cambridge, and I, my MBA, in Paris. S...

There’s only so much you’ll experience in the culinary world of Lebanon. When a new restaurant opens, you can bank on already being well-versed with 50%, if not 75%, of the dishes featured. Be it an Italian pizzeria, a French bistro, a Japanese sushi joint, or a Lebanese shawarma stand, there aren't too many surprises you can expect. Two reasons for this. First and foremost, the Lebanese palate, while discerning, is heavily biased in favor of familiar flavors, so menus intentionally reject the foreign. Secondly, the creativity of the chef is capped. He draws up a menu based on what’s trending in the country and what his culinary capacity can afford him. Now imagine for a second that a new restaurant opens in Beirut, slapping both of the foregoing principles smack in the face and flipping them on their heads. The restaurant introduces unconventional tastes and flavors, and boasts a kitchen whose sense of adventure knows no boundaries. A bit far-fetched? Well, as of a f...

It’s been over three weeks now, and Wesley’s Hazmieh is pulsating with life! If you haven’t had the chance to visit the two-story megastore nestled on Camille Chamoun Boulevard roughly opposite Galaxy, “missing out” just doesn’t start to capture it. Your meek existence in Lebanon will totally transform with just one Wesley’s shopping spree, but don’t let me sway you. Let the products do the talking. Wesley's Hazmieh staff Spread across 3,000 square meters with two separate entrances and five check-out stands, Wesley's Hazmieh is split into food and nonfood sections. The former encapsulates fresh, dry, frozen, chilled and bulk sizes. The latter gathers up everything home and bedroom (linens, pillows, home organizers, plastics), cleaners and laundry, health and beauty, cookware, furniture, basic clothing, pets, and paper (toilet, towels, and disposables).  The store is open 7 days a week from 9 am to 9 pm, and the parking lot accommodates over 175 cars (happily no...

After my initial rapture with Byblos Sur Mer some three months ago, when we lunched at its seafood restaurant Dar el Azrak , a revisit was due. Located squarely at the port of Byblos, the five-star boutique property perches right on the Mediterranean and boasts an expansive seaside cove. Therein sit Sophia Bay, a zen for sunbathers and seafarers, and Al Marsa café. Saturday found us checking into our charming junior suite. In fact, “charming” is the best adjective to describe the hotel, from the cream-colored, chandelier-decked lobby with local artwork on display, to the den-like breakfast buffet site turned evening pizzeria, Café Tournesol. The lobby inside Byblos Sur Mer Our room, a comfortable 44 square meters, featured a proper balcony with views of the Crusader castle and the Byblos port. This is precisely where you'd want to sip on wine at sunset as you survey tourists passing directly beneath.  View from the junior suite balcony Back inside the ...