Search Results for: Todd Barndollar

Zizi Limona—Middle Eastern Cuisine—Beyond Falafel

April 14, 2013 By Mary W. Yeung Leave a Comment

By Mary Yeung, Photos by Todd Barndollar

A few days after I had lunch at Zizi Limona, I found myself telling all my friends about it. I haven’t been so excited about a new restaurant for a long while, but Zizi Limona really meets my criteria for what good Middle Eastern food should be. Colorful dishes that are smoky and tangy, with layers and layers of exotic flavors. You can taste the cumin, peppers, tahini, mint, dates, preserved lemon, and toasted olive oil, and, occasionally, even basil and Thai fish sauce will make an unexpected appearance. The flavors are intense and complex, but never muddled or overwhelming.

French Kissed by Kimchi at Bistro Petit

March 12, 2012 By Mary W. Yeung Leave a Comment

Chef Sung Park in his new kitchen at Bistro Petit. Photo by Todd Barndollar

If Sung Park wasn’t a chef, he would make a wonderful guru. He has charisma, speaks about food and life with unbridled passion, and dispenses his opinions on culinary matters with authority and certainty. Sung owns Bistro Petit, a little French place on South 3rd Street and Driggs Avenue. “It was supposed to be a take-out restaurant for French food, but everybody wants to eat in,” he says.

The charming joint with the hand-painted blue-and white tiles and the flirty French striped awning was designed by his girlfriend, an interior designer. It has a serious kitchen, which takes up two-thirds of the space, with only a few feet left for three short counters and ten backless stools. It’s a tight squeeze. Yet people insist on hanging out, they want to eat their gourmet meals right there and quiz the chef on the ingredients and his cooking techniques.