Mourad Lahlou Names New Restaurant, Offers Sneak Peek of Dishes

Mourad Lahlou's new restaurant continues to approach in the Financial District, and the Aziza chef has finally settled on a name for it: his own. According to a job posting, Mourad is set to open next door to Trou Normand in "early 2015." (Lahlou has a history of naming his restaurants after first names—Aziza is his mother's.)

By total chance, Bonjwing Lee, otherwise known as the Ulterior Epicure, got a sneak peek of Lahlou's new project this week:

https://t.co/Ko1iZ1bJMg Happened by @mouradlahlou’s new place by chance. Invited me in for preview of his tasting menu. Amazing. Photos.

— ulterior epicure (@ulteriorepicure) December 24, 2014

Among the dishes on the tasting menu at Mourad: chestnut-pumpkin-black truffle tartlets; crab with cabbage and nasturtium; sturgeon with cranberry, dill, potato, and cucumber; and Lahlou's famous duck confit basteeya. The menu was prepared by Mourad's James Beard-nominated chef de cuisine Chris Kajioka (Aziza, Per Se), as well as longtime Aziza pastry chef and Beard nominee Melissa Chou, who contributed dishes like duck liver with cocoa and a pistachio financier. Here's more details on what to expect at Mourad when it opens; we'll keep you posted on the official drop date.