ilili Restaurant

Philippe Massoud brought Lebanese and Mediterranean cooking to Fifth Avenue with ilili, opened in 2007 after he ran Neyla in Washington, D.C. Honey-hued wood paneling studded with windows and mirrors lines the 300-seat dining room, built for a menu meant to be shared: hummus and baba ghannouj to start, Phoenician fries with a thyme-spiked mayonnaise, then a dozen fish options each carrying some Lebanese accent. A mixed grill of chicken shish taouk, beef kebab, kafta, and lamb chops serves two. Ilili became the first Lebanese restaurant to win an International Star Diamond Award.