Out and About
The Shores of the Mediterranean in Queen Village Featuring Alyan’s Restaurant (Israel) and O Sole Mio (Italy) by Cait and Michael Allen
[The Phoenicians], who had formerly dwelt on the shores of the Red Sea, having migrated to the Mediterranean and settled in the parts which they now inhabit, began at once, they say, to adventure on long voyages, freighting their vessels with the wares of Egypt and Assyria…. — Herodotus, The History, I.1., 4th Century B.C.
A
s the ships of the Phoenicians crisscrossed the waters of the Mediterranean, centers of commerce, such as Neápolis (Naples) in Italy and Jerusalem in Israel, became melting pots of language, art, and cuisine. Now, as spring arrives in Queen Village, come to the shores of the Mediterranean and meet the proprietors of Alyan’s Restaurant (603 S 4th Street) and O Sole Mio (250 Catharine Street) as each shares the experiences and tastes of his childhood home.
Queen Village Quarterly Crier \\ spring 2020
Dine in the Hills between Jerusalem and Bethlehem at Alyan’s Chef-owner Mohammed Alyan grew up in the village of Beit Safafa just south of Jerusalem. In his youth, he learned the rigors of cooking when he worked at a bakery and a hotel kitchen. He reminisces about the wonderful landscape of traditional ingredients and flavors in the region, such as the artichoke-like blossoms of Akoub that his family gathered in the mountains. He has operated at his 4th Street location since 1986 and lives in
