"Thanks to the green-thumbed loving ofowner Robert Johnstone, the Ruined Garden has bloomed into a jungly paradise—a welcome retreat both for lunch in the shade on a sunny afternoon and for a bask in the glow of a roaring wood firein the red-brick dining room as days get cooler. Johnstone has long been celebrated locally for his deeply authentic approach to Fassi cooking, andthe menu features some hard-to-get traditional dishes like slow, spit-roasted-lamb mechoui (order a day in advance) and Sephardic saffron chicken with eggs. He doesn't limit himself to tradition, though: Try reimaginings of traditional Fassi street food like "popcorn" makuda (potatofritters), succulent chicken wings and livers in a delicately spiced onion confit, or earthy berkoula (a foraged green wilted with olive oil and preserved lemons)."
