Restaurants

Ameer’s Mediterranean Grill

Stop-and-go traffic at the intersection of Briarcliff and Lavista can stir up road rage, so this hospitable new spot next to Dip ‘n Dab feels like an oasis of calm. Israeli owner Sami Salame, who named the restaurant after his son, serves an unexpectedly complex menu of Middle Eastern specialties. He is a master of hummus (particularly fine with sliced lamb on top) and fluffy, oblong falafel. Delve into other dishes like lamb shanks, fried kibbeh stuffed with meat, lemony grape leaves stuffed with rice, warm fava beans smashed in olive oil, eggplant salad, homemade baklava, yogurt with rosewater, and hot mint tea. The simple decor—plain booths, mustard-colored walls—feels a bit sterile, but this is nonetheless the kind of food that tastes best if you sit down and enjoy it on the premises.