studioHOPSCOTCH, a London-based design practice, recently completed the Bab Hotel in Marrakech, a pioneering urban hotel where traditional Moroccan influences meet contemporary design. They based its design on light and transparency to create sequences, rhythm and movement throughout the bar, restaurant and hotel rooms. The furniture was found in the souks of Marrakech, or designed by Clemence Pirajean and custom-made by local craftsmen.

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Proef Amsterdam is a little restaurant in Amsterdam West. Proef means ‘taste’ in Dutch, and it’s all about tasting honestly produced food, presented in a very original way. Order a pear juice and it’s served in a jam jar; on the table is a notebook with funny questions in it. Creativity is literally boiling in every square meter of the place.

Officially, Avec is first and foremost a wine bar. Yet, a few minutes in this vibrant, energetic Chicago-based space and it’s quickly evident that it’s so much more. Set in a long, narrow honey-colored room wrapped in cedar and hickory, with five communal tables and red oak seating, the atmosphere is loud and boisterous, filled with lively conversation and music to match. Within this James Beard Award Winning designed room, rustic cuisine, charcuterie, and cheese from the Mediterranean regions of Southern France, Portugal, Italy, and Spain are served as small and large plates.

The wood-oven, roasted flavors that dominant the menu are rich and representative of local foods, like Chorizo-stuffed Medjool dates and prosciutto with peaches, ricotta, and mint. And of course as a wine bar, Avec’s list is abundant with over 130 affordable bottles from the region and 30-plus wines available by the glass to encourage tastings and experimentation. The long lines around Avec speak to the success of their formula (and their no-reservation policy), but if you’re not in the mood to wait for hours, check out their equally intriguing, more formal – and expensive – sister-restaurant, Blackbird, just next door.

I was delighted to discover the newly opened Crisp restaurant a few blocks from where I work in midtown Manhattan (not normally known for its selection of tasty lunch fare, much less, tasty vegetarian fare). It’s similar to Chipolte, but with a Mediterannean slant and cooler decor.

I tried the Baja Fresh hummus salad bowl, which consists of two delicious baked falafel balls, cliantro pesto, avacado, corn, salsa, jalepenos and nachos. It also comes with a warm whole wheat or white tortilla. It was delicious, with the perfect blend of ingredients. And the portion was huge. For the adventurous, there is also a Crisp Africa hummus bowl, which includes North African peanut sauce and sweet potatoes. Crisp uses corn resin plastic for their biodegradable packaging and their tagline is ‘Crisp syncs your taste with your conscience’. Very true.