Syria has largely been associated with turmoil to start the ’10s. Of course the Middle Eastern country has more to contribute to the global landscape, including cuisine. Jack is ethnically Armenian, but hails from Aleppo, Syria. He opened Esso Mediterranean Bistro with wife Elizabeth “Esso” Mirzoian and their family in an Encino strip mall in 2011. They named the restaurant for what people called Elizabeth as a little girl, but the flavors are rather adult.

Ras Nahnah ($9.95), was my favorite Esso dish and resembled a Syrian hamburger, minus the bun. Jack fries a ground beef patty, marinates the meat in garlic and mint and drops it on the grill, forming caramelized edges. The patty then bathes in tangy lemon juice, garlic, dried mint, and of course Aleppo pepper, a spicy dusting that comes from the family’s namesake city.