Lapis

Turning a successful French Bistro into an Afghan restaurant; not only saying that your food tastes like your mother’s food, but actually having your mother cook and prepare the food; and getting praise by no other than Michelin, all sounds a bit too good to be true, a fairy tale in restaurant land, but all this comes wonderfully together at Lapis. The flavors are all unique and familiar at the same time. You will find dishes that remind you of Middle Eastern or Indian cuisine, but there is always something different, something unique, a flavor you are not used to, but that wonderfully, just works. The standouts to me are Bamya, an okra stew, the lamb shank, the dal, and the mantoo shrimp dumplings. For dessert the sheer berenj, a rice pudding with pistachios, and most importantly cardamom is divine, as is the sherbet, a melt in your mouth orange almond pound cake. And if you still need reasons to go, the cocktail menu is worth a trip in itself.