A cross-cultural Chef brings Euro to Soho

Food often transcends borders -- inhabitants of the Italian Dolomites are more likely to eat schnitzel than lasagna, and no matter what side of the Strip you're on, everybody in Gaza be lovin' some hummus! Melting neighboring nations into a cauldron of delicious, Beba.

Rocking a cafe (highlighted by a bar top of resin-trapped sunflowers) and airy dining room (populated with light wooden tables and an abstract flower mural) on the ground floor, and a spiral-staircase-accessed private dining area/full bar flanked by red leather banquettes & a music box down below, Beba's chef's seamlessly blending Italian & French influences with those he inherited from his Greek mother and Spanish father, all of which he feels connected to via being "born with olive oil in his veins" (which somehow hasn't gotten in the way of his being alive). The semi-staggering menu features 15 starters, from the house-specialty crab salad wrapped in smoked salmon and citrus creme fraiche, to pan seared porcini w/ poached egg & truffle vinaigrette, to warm tomato vinaigrette abetted Greek meatballs, much like those served up by Milt Pappas for the Orioles. Mains include swimmers like diver scallops w/ sauteed calamari ribbons in an anise-scented squid ink glaze, and pan-crisped mackerel in a saffron broth, plus meatier fare like a rack of lamb infused with feta & mint, and roast Cornish game hen w/ fava bean ragout and fingerling potatoes, which Jason Biggs warmed up on before graduating to pie.

Beba's also sporting a full-on lunch menu, and those light-noshing at the bar can pick from around 20 tapas, like Serrano ham croquettas, scallop ceviche, and a platter of spreads including tzatziki and hummus, which is so delicious you'd murder your neighbor if he reached for it.