New Restaurant, Alara, Opens in Georgetown

Alara, a new Mediterranean restaurant and bar, opened this week at 1303 Wisconsin Ave NW. The menu features a variety of modern dishes from Turkey, Greece, and Lebanon. Highlights include beet labneh dip, butter shrimp, feta cheese wrapped in dough, braised lamb shank over rice, pan-seared branzino with potato salad and asparagus, a meze platter, and Mediterranean flatbread with spicy sausage. For dessert, try the tahini creme brulee or Turkish coffee tiramisu. Brunch is also available on the weekend. Owner and restaurateur Hakan Ilhan is also known for his other Georgetown restaurant, Brasserie Liberte.

(Photo by Scott Suchman)