There is something timeless about gathering around the table on a Sunday.

Across cultures, Sunday meals have long been an occasion to slow down, bring family and friends together, open a bottle of wine, listen to music and share food made with a little more time and intention. At Aiona, that spirit is at the heart of our Sundays - and nowhere is it more evident than in Chef Lee Hinton’s Baharat Prime Rib.

Part American Sunday roast and part homage to the spice-rich cooking traditions of the Mediterranean and Levant, Aiona’s prime rib takes a familiar comfort and gives it an entirely new expression.

‍

It Starts With Baharat

Aiona begins with a whole boneless ribeye, but what happens next is decidedly different from a traditional American prime rib.

“Traditional prime rib is very Americana-focused,” Chef Lee explains. “Often it’s just salt and pepper, or herbs and mustard.”

At Aiona, the roast is instead coated in a Baharat-infused toum marinade. Toum - the intensely aromatic garlic sauce rooted in Lebanese culinary tradition - provides the foundation, while Baharat brings warmth, sweetness, smoke and spice.

The word baharat simply means “spices” in Arabic, and there is no single definitive recipe. Blends can vary from region to region and even family to family.

For Aiona’s roast, the kitchen uses a Baharat blend sourced from Sacramento’s The Allspicery, made with Urfa chile, Silk chile, cumin, allspice and garlic. Chef Lee describes Urfa chile as smoky and sweet, with notes reminiscent of dried raisins, while Silk chile brings a combination of heat and sweetness he likens to roasted tomato and honey.

Mixed into the toum, those spices create the foundation for the crust that will eventually surround the roast.

‍

Three to Four Days in the Making

Once coated in the Baharat-toum mixture, the ribeye begins a three-to-four-day marinating and drying process.

During that time, the coating dries around the exterior of the beef, concentrating flavor and preparing the surface for one of the most important elements of the finished dish: the crust.

For Chef Lee, that contrast is what great prime rib is all about.

At the center is beautifully tender, juicy, medium-rare beef. Around it is a deeply roasted exterior filled with crispy, fatty, crackling-like edges and concentrated garlic and spice.

“The end result is this magical combination of crispy, crackling roast edges that perfumes the whole kitchen with the smell of roast beef and heady spices,” Chef Lee says.

‍

Low, Slow - Then Hot

After several days of preparation, the roast is cooked slowly at a lower temperature for roughly an hour to 90 minutes, depending on its size.

Then comes the transformation.

The heat is raised to 500 degrees for a reverse-sear-style finish, creating intense heat around the exterior while protecting the tender interior.

After searing, the roast rests for approximately 45 minutes.

That long rest is an important part of the process. Large cuts continue cooking after they leave the oven, so the kitchen carefully monitors temperature and removes the roast before it reaches its final target.

For Aiona, that destination is approximately 115°F after resting - yielding the juicy medium-rare center Chef Lee is looking for.

It is a process built around patience: days of preparation, slow cooking, a blast of intense heat and then nearly another hour of waiting before the first slice is made.

‍

The First Bite

The result is what Chef Lee calls “savory decadence.”

The interior is tender and succulent, while the exterior delivers crispy roasted garlic, spice and rendered beef fat. As the Baharat cooks into the roast, its sweeter spices mingle with the salty richness of the beef.

Yet for all the unfamiliar flavors, Chef Lee wants that first bite to feel strangely familiar.

It should bring back memories of family roast dinners and gatherings - with the spices arriving like something new that somehow feels as though it belonged there all along.

That balance between familiar and unexpected runs throughout the entire plate.

‍

Building the Plate Around the Roast

Prime rib is inherently rich, so every accompaniment has a job to do.

Horseradish-infused labneh brings acidity and sharp heat to cut through the richness of the beef. Wood-roasted mushrooms add smoke and a satisfying chew. Olives and pickled vegetables provide salt, acidity and crisp texture against the tenderness of the meat.

And then there are the potatoes.

Rather than traditional mashed potatoes, Aiona serves crispy potatoes inspired by our patatas bravas, tossed with za’atar. Their crisp exterior and earthy seasoning provide a Mediterranean counterpoint to one of America’s most recognizable Sunday dinner traditions.

Together, the plate moves between rich and acidic, tender and crisp, smoky and bright.

‍

Why Prime Rib? Why Sunday?

For Chef Lee, the inspiration behind Aiona’s Sunday Roast goes far beyond the dish itself.

“Mediterranean culture has this lovely tradition of big family and community gatherings with lots of food and wine - and always music,” he says.

That idea helped shape Sundays at Aiona.

The goal is to create a place where friends and family can gather around a table, linger over dinner and enjoy live music - something closer to a communal Sunday gathering than simply another night out at a restaurant.

Prime rib became a natural bridge between two traditions: the familiar American Sunday roast and the communal meals found throughout the Mediterranean and Levant.

At the center of both is something remarkably similar.

People gather. Food is shared. Music plays. Stories are told. And for a few hours, the table becomes the center of everything.

As Chef Lee puts it, there is a common ground in sharing food together and gathering around a fire - a practice that predates the written word.

That is the spirit behind Sunday Roast at Aiona.

A familiar tradition, reimagined through the flavors of the Mediterranean - and an invitation to gather around the table again.

‍

‍

Sundays at Aiona

Join us Sundays for Aiona’s rotating Sunday Roast prix fixe, featuring our Baharat Prime Rib, alongside all-day Happy Hour and live music in the heart of Downtown Sacramento.

Sunday Hours: 5-8 PM
Aiona: 1213 K Street, Downtown Sacramento

Reservations are recommended: RESERVE HERE.

‍