Stephan “With an A” Pyles loves to travel. Recently he scoured the world for new tastes that he and chef Vijay Sadhu will incorporate into the Middle Eastern, Lebanese, Turkish, Moroccan, Spanish, and South American small plates menu of Samar By Stephan Pyles. (Waiting on update for opening.)
Anywhoo, Pyles recently returned from Damascus. He writes this:
Recently in Damascus while power-shopping at Souk El-Hamidiyeh for lighting fixtures for Samar by Stephan Pyles, we stopped in at the Bakdash ice cream parlor (founded in 1890) for the most incredible pistachio-encrusted gum mastic and rosewater ice cream. (Nancy, this is the attached photo I took).I watched milk, gum mastic, and rosewater being pounded by hand in vats at the front of the shop. Chewy scoops are then rolled in crushed pistachio nuts and served in a sugary cone. It’s worth the wait.
I love the dude in the Junior League shirt. Hopefully, Samar will offer chewy scoops rolled in crushed pistachio nuts.
