How Tomer Blechman Controls the Fiery, Flavorful Joy of Theodora’s Charcoal Oven

When you walk to your table over the muted, earth-toned terrazzo tiles and past soft-cornered beige stonework at Chef Tomer Blechman’s Theodora in Brooklyn, you can’t help but notice the sounds and smells coming from the central hearth of the modern Middle Eastern/Mediterranean restaurant. Think the flicker of fierce saffron-hued flames, the whistling crackle of fish skin hitting grill grates, the sweet smell of deep, dark...