Laimoon

Laimoon inside From Here On, Highlights Middle Eastern Flavors | Eater Chicago

"A new food stall at the food hall inside the Old Post Office debuted earlier this month, offering an abbreviated menu to start with chicken shawarma bowls, a gyro burger made with Slagel Family Farm beef, and a trio of dips to satiate lunch crowds inside From Here On. Chef Brandon Dumot and partner Jasmin Spilotro launched the concept in 2023 as a pop-up and catering business after Dumot left his job as a kitchen manager for Uber; he recalls, “It’s pretty insane,” Dumot recalls. “On a normal day, we could do seared duck breast for like 400 people.” A Pittsburgh-area native who grew up in a Syrian and Lebanese family, Dumot has cooked at Sepia, Sixteen, and Schwa and most recently worked as the opening sous chef at Michelin-starred Galit, where chef Zach Engel mingles Israeli, Palestinian, and other Middle Eastern influences — that’s also where he first tried zhug, a spicy herbal hot sauce. The operation applies a fine-dining touch to Lebanese and Syrian cuisine while remaining casual: at the forefront is an intensely crafted pita (not available at the food hall until March) that uses a three-day cold ferment to give the bread "a little bit more funk," and borrows a method used in Japanese milk bread where bakers cook the flour before baking to "lock in the moisture better and keep bread fresher." The bread is wood-fired and described as a revelation next to store-bought pita, but that quality comes with higher prices. “Our dips are priced higher than probably anyone else, especially anyone in the fast-casual category,” Dumot says. “... I think the biggest challenge is getting people to try it because there is a little bit of sticker shock or resistance at first.” The dips, served for now with pita chips, include an intense smoky carrot and Aleppo muhammara, hummus, and labneh. There’s also crispy falafel — “It takes us a lot of time,” Spilotro says. “And they’re beautiful, and they’re green inside.” Kebobs appeared on the delivery menu previously, and Dumot and Spilotro hope to bring them back as they ramp up to open their own restaurant: “Hopefully we can chip away at the stigma of (Middle Eastern) just being cheap food, and we get people to realize that it’s worth it,” Dumot says." - Ashok Selvam