Brocard proves traditional Syrian food can feel brand new

Talal Sabbagh's plan, one he'd been nursing since his first shift at Campo four years ago, started to take concrete shape when Sandra Ferreira asked him what he wanted to do with his life. "I'm going to open my own restaurant," he told her. "A Syrian one."

Months into running Brocard on Saint Laurent, that plan is playing out exactly as he imagined: a 40-seat spot with an open kitchen you can see from anywhere in the room, traditional dishes his mother Nahla taught him how to make, and a menu that doesn't apologize for being specific. It doesn't fall under the catch-all term of being "Middle Eastern"—it's Syrian, full stop, in a room of brick walls, concrete accents, stainless steel, and a full wall lined with spices.