A PERFECT MATCH
“W
hen you cook,
you’re drawn to
the things that
have a place in your heart,” Haidar
Karoum observes. And yet he be-
lieves that a reflexive reach for
comfort will only take you so far:
“Half of the fun is being able to
explore different cuisines.”
Karoum’s happy place is in the
bridge between the two modes. His
Washington, D.C., restaurant,
Chloe, offers a global menu weav-
ing together diverse traditions.
There’s pistachio in the pâte, lab-
neh in the Brussels sprouts, chile-
lime dipping sauce with the roast
chicken, and pappadam, fenugreek
and coconut alongside the cod.
Hummus might traditionally be
served with pita, but it turns out
to be excellent with naan too.
Growing up in D.C. as a first-
generation American, Karoum
knew and loved the food of his
Lebanese father, an avid cook, as
well as that of his Irish mother, and
saw the opportunity to try dishes
beyond his home food as an invi-
tation to adventure. “I’d be excited
about going to a friend’s house for
a sleepover because I’d get to eat
American food,” he recalls. He
also traveled extensively outside
the U.S. with his family.
The Lebanese cuisine Karoum
grew up on shares common ground
with the foodways of Greece and
much of the Fertile Crescent, but
even farther afield, “Lebanese food
is very similar to a lot of the cui-
sines of the Mediterranean Basin,”
he says.
Years ago, eating his way through
a trip to Italy with his parents, Karoum felt the call of home mixed
with the spark of discovery. “I was used to fruity olive oils and garlic
and fresh herbs and tomatoes,” he says. In the dish shown here, he uses
all of those to make a late-summer gnudi: rustic Italian ricotta dump-
lings with tomato confit, fresh corn, sweet basil and herbed olive oil.
To drink alongside, he favors an offbeat white that is simultaneously
native and foreign: nearby Virginia winemaker Michael Shaps’ Petit108 WINE SPECTATOR • SEPT. 30, 2019Manseng. An aromatic white grape indige-
nous to southwestern France, Petit Manseng
is used primarily in the sweet wines of Juran-
çon but can also be vinified dry. In Virginia, the grape’s high acidity,
medium to full body and exotic fruit notes make for distinctive dry whites.
Karoum’s pick combines ripe tropical fruit with a beeswaxy quality
that melds with the starch in the gnudi. “The richness of it pairs really
well with the sweetness of the corn and the richness of the ricotta,”
he says. It’s a match that illuminates a key to his eclecticism: “I’m al-
ways trying to find some sort of balance.”
—Hilary SimsHaidar Karoum
Chloe
Washington, D.C.TOP:^
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FOODSTYLIST:^ MONICAPI
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SCOTT^ SUCHMANGnudi With Petit Manseng
WINE PAIRING
A ripe, fruity white with fine cut will stand up to the starchy, smooth ricotta dumplings and
the burst of acidity from tomato confit. Try a juicy white blend or, if you can find one, an
offbeat varietal bottling of Petit Manseng.CHEF’S PICK Michael Shaps Petit Manseng 2016
WINE SPECTATOR PICKS Mas de Daumas Gassac St.-Guilhem-Le-Désert Cité d’Aniane
White Haute Vallée du Gassac 2017 (91, $50), E. Guigal Côtes du Rhône White 2017 (88, $18)GET THE FREE RECIPE
AND VIDEO
WineSpectator.com/PerfectMatch093019