At 33, my aesthetician has apparently never traveled outside of the U.S. Every time I see him, while he gives me a beauty treatment, I give him a carpe diem homily, urging him to make the most of his youth and see the world! Explore the unknown! Travel! Make a bucket list and start crossing things off! I do see the irony, though, in someone like me, who hasn’t left the country in more than a decade, giving such impassioned advice. I should heed my own advice and get out (of the country) more. At my last treatment, I suggested to my aesthetician that we plan a group trip to Europe in a year or so. A loosely assembled group, wherein members would be free to roam a foreign city together or on their own, as they prefer, and then perhaps meet up in the evenings for drinks and dinner (or not). I really should do something like that, while I still have the stamina and mobility required to wander through exotic, faraway streets.

In the meantime, these forays into different ethnic cuisines could be considered one way to travel around the world, without ever leaving the comfort of home. If I made a list of desired travel destinations, the Middle Eastern nations would probably not be on it, but if I only expose myself to one aspect of Middle Eastern culture over the course of my life, let it be the food! Not sure how authentically Middle Eastern the food at Bavel is, though. Furthermore, “Middle Eastern” seems too broad as a category; I seriously doubt that Lebanese cuisine, say, is the same thing as Iranian cuisine. Despite these limitations, I’m still glad that I’ve made an effort to experience, however superficially, Middle Eastern culture through their food. An additional source of satisfaction comes with being able to cross “Bavel” off our “restaurant bucket list.” It was a place Charlie and I definitely wanted to try, we tried it, spending quite a large sum in the process (our bill came out to $220) and it was, like, okay. I’m stamping this review with a grade of “C+” for the excellent service, the occasionally exciting flavors, but the mostly disappointing dishes, drink selections, and restrooms (hey, that’s an important feature!).