Louisville, KYMediterranean

Jerusalem born owner Ramsi Kamar opened this Bardstown Road room in 1994 and has been feeding the Highlands ever since. The menu wanders the Mediterranean basin and well past it, and close to half of it is vegetarian. Art covers the walls, the patio stays busy in warm weather, and the kitchen serves late by Louisville standards.

The Mediterranean dining room inside The Myriad Hotel on Baxter Avenue, and one of the newer openings LEO Weekly highlights. Seafood paella comes out of the open kitchen, there is poolside seating for anyone who wants it, and the room runs from brunch straight through dinner. Design forward without being precious about any of it.

A Fourth Street deli counter that LEO Weekly has covered for its hummus and broad Mediterranean menu. Hummus and baba ganouj arrive with warm bread, the shawarma is carved to order, and grilled meat plates come with rice and salad. It is a lunch room first, and the downtown crowd keeps it moving.

Food & Dining says this Baxter Avenue counter channels the late Falafel House, serving gyro sandwiches, chicken and beef shawarma, and kebabs from the grill. It is a quick lunch operation more than a dining room, which suits food meant to be handed over hot. The menu also carries falafel, hummus, and salads for a broader spread.

Rehan Ahmed's halal kitchen returned after losing its Fourth Street home to redevelopment, and Food & Dining covered the move to Dutchmans Lane. The restaurant builds gyros and shawarma on pita made in house, along with kebabs, falafel, and rice plates. The soft, thick bread is sturdy enough to hold the lamb without taking over the sandwich.