DINING OUT: Spices delight at La Lune

The lushness and vividness of Mediterranean cuisine – based on fresh, seasonal produce and fragrant, flavorful herbs and spices native to the region – is unquestionably seductive.

As interpreted at Bay Ridge’s newest restaurant, La Lune, it is lively and luscious – a feast for the eye as well as the palate.

Basing its menu on the classic dishes offered for the past three decades at King Falafel, next door, the elegant eatery aims to serve up a wide range of the region’s specialty, interpreted by chef Samo Bayari, who speaks enthusiastically about his love of the native foodstuffs of the Middle East.

This is a chef who is passionate about his chosen field. He makes his own spice mixes, varying them for different dishes, one for kofta (ground lamb that is grilled on skewers), another for grilled vegetables, a third for grilled chicken.

“It’s all spice, but not hot,” stressed Bayari. “It’s flavor spicy.”

And, he stresses, almost everything served at the restaurant is made to order; that doesn’t include items like hummus and babaghanoush which are made in quantity in advance, but it does include falafel balls, which are fried when ordered, as well as the restaurant’s meats.

“It’s still 100 percent authentic Lebanese, but I fuse other stuff in,” Bayari said. “It’s joy. If you don’t love it, you can’t do it.”

We tried a wide range of La Lune’s specialties, and were delighted. First, we sampled classic offerings typical of the meze table, small dishes that together make up a veritable banquet of appetizers.

The Hummus ($5 for a small, $6.50 for large) – garnished with a sprinkle of paprika, shaved herbs and a pool of olive oil -- was creamy and nutty, slightly tart and absolutely delicious.

The Babaghanoush ($5 for small, $6.50 for large) was silken, its flavor pervaded by top notes of grilled eggplant; it too was garnished with olive oil and herbs but, instead of paprika, chopped tomatoes were added as a finishing touch.

The Tabbouleh ($5.50 for small, $7 for large), enriched with chunks of tomato, was crunchy and full of the fresh taste of the herbs that are its main ingredient.

The Falafel balls ($7.85 for a platter, $4.15 for a sandwich) were sizeable, crispy outside and tender within.

One of our favorites, the Fattoush ($5.50 for small, $7 for large) – a generous salad of romaine lettuce, herbs, chunks of tomato and red onion studded with crispy pita croutons – was delightfully fresh flavored, its tartness coming from the use of sumac, a popular spice in the Middle East, and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

Of the main courses, the Shrimp La Lune (market price) was a definite winner. The tender seafood tastes both of the grill and of the lemon butter sauce that it’s dipped in as a finishing touch. A final grace note is added by a sprinkling of cilantro.

Also scrumptious were the grilled chicken chunks ($12.95 for a platter with sides), served with a side of garlicky sauce. Meltingly tender meat is charred on the exterior, with layers of flavor that are enhanced by the creamy sauce. It’s served on a bed of red onion slices, and garnished with a butterflied pickled pepper as well as a sprinkle of herbs.

The slices of flank steak ($13.95 for a platter with sides) were served up with caramelized onion in a raspberry vinegar-based sauce. They too were amazing.

Our meal finished with a taste of dessert – triangles of baklava ($2.50) dripping with honey and rich with nuts, and birds’ nest ($2.75) filled with walnuts and flaky phylo dough. We washed that down with some delicious mint tea ($1.50) that warmed us for our walk back to the office.

La Lune

7408 Third Avenue

718-745-4188

Free delivery

Open seven days 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.