La Concha resort's iconic seashell-shaped structure is now home to Michael White's Levant restaurant “Taste this.” Chef Michael White sets a dish of small and round orange fruit in front of me. Its thick, leathery skin gives way to greenish-yellow flesh speckled with tiny seeds.
I take a bite: it’s citrusy, but far less tart than I imagined, with a surprisingly soft finish. White continues, “It’s called lulo, and I learned about it from my staff here.” We’re at his new restaurant Levant , taking up residence in the crown jewel of San Juan’s La Concha Resort : the iconic 1958 concrete seashell-shaped structure by architect Mario Salvadori.
Its very first service in just 30 minutes, but White remains present and engaging. Chef Michael White at Levant Though the chef is well-regarded for his expertise in Italian cuisine, particularly seafood and handmade pasta—his 30-plus year career includes six Michelin stars, and ranges from New York City institution Marea to Paranza at Atlantis Bahamas—Levant is one of his most unique and anticipated concepts to date. Unlike his other spots, Levant takes inspiration from the titular geographical and historical region in the eastern Mediterranean, which roughly corresponds with modern-day Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria.
As Southern Italy, especially Sicily, was deeply influenced by this part of the world, White felt Levant was a natural way to bring its flavors to a city with already flush with Italian resta.
