Charcoal runs hotter and drier than a gas flame, so the outside of a skewer sears and chars in seconds while the inside stays juicy. That hard sear is the smoke and crust you taste on every bite. Gas can't touch it.

Laffa is slapped onto the wall of a blazing taboon oven and torn off by hand, thinner and more pliable than pita, blistered and a little smoky. It's built to wrap a skewer or scoop hummus, and we tear it fresh all night.

The mezze-and-grill tradition of the Machane Yehuda market: a table crowded with small plates, fresh salads, warm bread and skewers straight off the coals, all shared. Our Open Table is that market table, in Los Angeles.

Yes. Fattoush is glatt kosher. The grill runs beef, chicken, lamb sausage and fish, cooked the way this cuisine has always been cooked.