Amar is Born (and Kunafa is the Star)

All along Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach, Florida, there are lots of places for good food. But when COVID forced people to stay home, it also crushed several eateries. Although some restaurants succumbed to the stress and uncertainty dished up by COVID, a new place was born. Amar Mediterranean Bistro, a genuine Mediterranean eatery opened smack in the middle of the pandemic. Nicholas Kurban, the owner/founder is of Lebanese descent. 

My husband and I walked up without a reservation and asked for a table for two. The hostess studied the bookings and shook her head, apologizing that there was no availability. A confident-looking lanky man, well-pressed-dressed, glided over to the entrance stand and peered over the hostess’ shoulder. I figured he had to be the owner, working it to squeeze us in. He pointed to the seating chart, spoke softly to her and then addressed us. “We can seat you but the table turns in 90 minutes for a reservation. Could that work?”

“Of course,” I said, “We’ve been married for decades. We don’t need to talk. We can just eat.” We were hungry. 

The waitress brought us warm, puffy, just-baked pita with a dish of thick homemade hummus to munch on while reading the menu. Top notch. And, we learned later, Amar runs a commissary nearby, selling them. 

When I opened my menu, I headed right to desserts. They serve Kunafa. That clinched it for me. The first and only time I ate Kunafa was in Amman, Jordan while on the Global Scavenger Hunt. Kunafa is on my list of reasons to be alive. It’s melted gooey salty cheese, topped with a hardened crust of pistachios and sugar (think creme brûlée only exponentially better).

When Amar’s owner, Nicolas Kurban swung by our table to check on us, I chatted with him to get the scoop. He has an impressive background in food and hospitality. When the pandemic hit, he was a vice president for Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants and traveled all the time. Before that, he was corporate VP of food and beverage for Four Seasons Hotels in the Asian Pacific . Earlier roles included  fine dining operations for Wynn Resorts, and director of operations for top chef Thomas Keller's Bouchon restaurants. Obviously, the guy knows his way around the restaurant world. 

The pandemic cut off his business travel, so he used the opportunity to open this restaurant with his wife near their South Florida home. Several recipes are from his dad’s restaurant in Lebanon and his grandmother’s specialties, with input from his Venezuelan wife. His goal is for all people, not just Lebanese, to appreciate the food. 

Oh boy. Did I ever. And the best of all was Kunafa for dessert. It’s rich. It’s sweet. Just as delicious as I remembered.