Tales of a Feast Brings a Syrian Garden Supper to Gardenia House on Miami Beach

At a Glance

• Tales of a Feast is a recurring family-style supper at Gardenia House, 1209 17th Street, Miami Beach, created by Mo Alkassar of MO MOMENTUM GROUP.

• The first series is Syrian and runs four Sundays, October 25, November 1, November 8 and November 15, beginning at 3 p.m.

• Seats are $125++ per person for 40 guests at one long table; a $400 Series Golden Ticket covers all four dates.

• Tickets are sold through OpenTable.

Tales of a Feast, a new communal supper series from Mo Alkassar of MO MOMENTUM GROUP, opens Sunday, October 25, in the garden of Gardenia House on Miami Beach. Forty guests share one long table for an afternoon of food, drink and conversation. Each series spotlights a different cuisine, and the first is Syrian, a celebration of Alkassar's heritage.

Gardenia House is a newly activated garden patio event space beside CHŌ Funky Asian Bistro at 1209 17th Street. Guests enter through the alleyway on 17th Street, which leads into the garden.

The space also takes group bookings, private parties and venue rentals.

The meal opens with mezze, the bedrock of Syrian cuisine, which start small and keep arriving until the larger dishes land. The spread includes yalanji, vine leaves stuffed with herbs and rice; lahme baajeen, a flatbread of minced beef and lamb; mhammara, a chargrilled red pepper dip with walnut and pomegranate molasses; and Syrian falafel with homemade pickles and tarrator.

The tabbikh, or home-style mains, follow: wood-fire grilled chicken shish taouk, bamieh bil lahmeh of okra and braised lamb shoulder with tomatoes and nutmeg, and kibbeh bil sayniyeh, baked in a tray. Dessert is muhalabiya, a milk pudding with pomegranate granita, pistachios and orange blossom. The menu may change with seasonal availability.

Guests arrive at 3 p.m. and the feast is served at 4 p.m. At 6 p.m. an optional garden hang invites the table to stay for cocktails.

Seats are $125++ per person for the full feast, with wine, beer and cocktails à la carte. The $400 Series Golden Ticket holds a seat at all four Syrian dates, bringing each to $100, and comes with a Gardenia House tote filled with heritage spices.

After November 15 the series moves to a different cuisine that has not been announced, and its pricing, dates and days of the week may change. Tickets for the Syrian dates are available through OpenTable.