For the main dishes try Chicken Scoozi and Lebanese Fatta, a rich dish of pita bread topped with hummus and yogurt sauce.

A petri dish topped each glass to capture the tomatoes' fleeting scent.

The latter dish of crisp-crusted, fried tofu topped with grated radish, ginger and minced scallions, then drenched in a smoky soy broth, is a nice study in contrasting textures.

But my favorite main dish was a veal chop, pounded, breaded and fried to a state of delicacy, then topped with a cool salad of arugula and fresh chopped tomatoes.

A fluted pastry crust came loaded with fragrant rosemary and chunks of bosky rabbit and mushrooms, the dish topped with a squiggle of pastry.

Binyomin Forst argues that leniency is proper only for cooked cheese dishes and not dishes topped with cheese.

The dishes are hot and pungent with fresh ground masalas, and topped with a boiled egg that is usually considered essential part of a meal.

Spaghetti poveri, a simple dish of pasta topped with sauteed garlic, olive oil, cheese and toasted bread crumbs, was delicious one evening, but dust dry on another.

Two noodle dishes on that list topped my list of all-time greats.

The basic dish consists of a cooked (usually deep-fried) hot dog placed in an Italian roll or pizza bread, and topped with a combination of fried bell peppers, onions, and potatoes.