Bites and Sips Around the City

January 9, 2013 By 1 Comment

There is just one burning question every New Yorker needs to know (now that we know that Dan was Gossip Girl):

What are the tastiest snacks, bites, and drinks around town, and where can you get them?

Read on, hungry city dweller:

Hummus Plate at Le Pain Quotidien

Ah yes, this upscale coffee shop/bakery does more than just great breakfasts. Order the hummus plate and you will be surprised at how tasty it is. The hummus is thick and lemony, slick with fruity olive oil. The kalamata olives atop are juicy and soft, the perfect salty counterpart to the hummus.Also on the plate is garlicky, almost velvety babaganoush and quinoa tabouleh that is earthy, herby, and chock full of juicy tomatoes and diced onions. The sour wheat, crusty white, and sweet raisin breads served alongside complete the dish. This is enough for a very satisfying lunch or a shared snack plate among 3 friends. It’s amazing how well this Belgian place does a middle eastern plate.

Foccacia de Recco at Rosemary’s

This locavore west village restaurant is a little too pricey for what you get, but there is one thing worth trying here. The foccacia filled with milky, creamy stracchino cheese is among the best breads in the city. Your order arrives piping hot, slick with slightly spicy olive oil and topped with grains of coarse sea salt. When you tear a chunk off the bread, the first scent that hits you is the rosemary, deep and woodsy. Then, the tantalizing smells of yeast and spicy olive oil hits your nostrils. The taste is as good as the aroma. The bread is pliant and soft, with a thin crust, punctuated by sharp rosemary needles. The inside is filled with that mild, creamy cheese, so soft that it makes mozzarella look hard and pungent. This is like grilled cheese on steroids, and it’s worth a visit to the restaurant to try this.

Any cocktail at The Dutch

I have been here several times, and each time have ordered a different cocktail. Every single one has been exemplary – well balanced, interesting but but not different just to be weird, nuanced and also pronounced in all the right places. The bartenders are knowledgeable but not snobby, and have no problem recommending something that you will like. The bar is small but comfortable and the vibe is extremely laid back. Of course, also order something to eat, but this is a great place to get a little tipsy before dinner.

Beef Carpaccio with Truffle Oil at Slightly Oliver

I know I have talked about this place before, but it deserves more mention because I just love it. The cocktails, the  faux-British vibe, and the tasty small plates make this a real gem on the Upper West Side. This carpaccio, made with tender slices of beef and dressed with a peppery arugula salad with a tiny fried quail egg and toast, is a perfect appetizer or even light meal. The addition of truffle oil just elevates it. Mushrooms and beef are always a win, especially when the beef is filet mignon and the mushrooms are truffles.

#winning

Filed Under: SoHo, Upper West Side, West Village Tagged With: , , ,

Taim – How Have I Not Tried This Amazing Falafel Before Now!?

January 8, 2013 By 1 Comment

Ugh…this is just like that humiliating Shake Shack experience. Why did it take me so long to get to Taim?! I love falafel. I love casual places. I love to eat…why didn’t I go here sooner?!

Just like when I realized what I had been missing with Shake Shack …the embarrassment may never leave me.

Taim is a tiny storefront in the West Village. Really small…only a few seats at the window, and even those are cramped and tiny. It’s best to get takeout or, on a nice day, eat outside. It is possible to sit comfortably if

But however tiny and cash only this place may be, it’s worth it.

The falafel is outstanding.

Falafel Sampler

An uber popular choice that lets you try the three flavors of falafel offered here. Be sure to dip the balls in the creamy tahini, a middle eastern sesame paste that is somewhere between peanut sauce, tzatziki, and heaven.

Green: with parsley, cilantro, and mint. This traditional falafel is special mostly because of its texture – dense and moist, with a very thick, crackly crust. The taste is classic middle eastern, fragrant with the parsley and mint. The hit of cilantro adds a welcome, sharp flavor.

Harissa: mixed with Tunisian spices. This is my favorite flavor. It has the same marvelous texture as the green but with the added slight heat of harissa, one of my all time favorite hot condiments. The paste is fiery but earthy at the same time, akin to a less smoky chipotle. The harissa falafel elevates the chickpeas, adding fire and salt. It isn’t super hot, just a bit spicy for those of us who like to mix it up.

Red: mixed with roasted red peppers. This tasted a lot like the original green falafel, but with less of that fresh taste of cilantro. the red peppers were not noticeable in the taste of the falafel and this was probably my least favorite. That said, it is still heads and tails above most other falafels in town.

Falafel Platter

The way to go if you eat in – if you are going to walk as you eat, go for the more user friendly sandwich. This comes with a selection of those wonderful falafel balls, fresh Israeli salad, a wonderfully lemony tabbouleh, and a few pieces of the most tender, fluffy za’atar dusted pita bread on the planet. No exaggeration, it is the best pita bread I have had in ages…it’s enough to make me realize why Israel is called the holy land.

Be sure to help yourself to some of the sauces served alongside, including the oily, garlic laden s’rug (like chimichurri) and the addictive spicy-sweet mango sauce called amba.

Fried Eggplant

It’s oily. It’s messy. It’s soft and slick and might be too much for some people.

Some people who have no tastebuds.

This overload of creamy, fatty, eggplanty-goodness put the meal over the top. Be sure to get an order.

The food here is incredibly cheap, especially for the quality. Everything is made fresh to order, the staff is courteous and extremely adept, and the food is really, really good. They have a food truck. They have a restaurant. They even have another sit down restaurant that has now made it to the top of my list. There is no reason that you can’t go get some of that falafel this week, right?

Take it from me…to wait one more day before you try Taim is one day too long.

Filed Under: West Village Tagged With: ,

Halloumi Watermelon Salad Pitas

June 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Don’t you love something that can fry on its own without any breading? That’s where halloumi comes in! This Mediterranean sheep’s milk cheese is firm, with a salty feta-like taste and a texture like firm mozzarella. The coolest thing about this cheese is that it can be fried without melting! This means that the outside can get crispy while the inside is just barely soft…incredible! Like a grilled cheese sandwich with a crust of cheese. The flavor is a natural with mild or sweet vegetables or fruit, and when paired with watermelon it results in a complex but easy dish that can be a vegetarian appetizer or a quick lunch. Just be sure to prepare this as close to serving as you can, because the hot halloumi contrasted with the cool watermelon is one of the best parts of the salad.

Halloumi Watermelon Pitas

Ingredients:

2 cups cubed watermelon

1 package halloumi, cut into slices.

2 Tsp. each dill and mint

1 package pitas or mini pitas, split in half

2 tbs. balsamic vinegar, or to taste

Olive oil to sautee

salt and pepper, to taste

1. Dice the watermelon into bite size squares and set aside

2. Put some olive oil into a pan on medium high heat. When it starts to ripple, set in the halloumi.

3. Let it cook for about 2 minutes, or until the bottom is crisp, then flip it. If it sticks a little to the pan, that is okay.

4. Let it cook on the other side for about 1 minute, or until the bottom is crisp. Remove the halloumi and drain it oa paper towel.

5. Dice halloumi in the same size dices as the watermelon. Add it to the bowl with the watermelon.

6.  Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl, and taste for salt and pepper.

7. Stuff into pitas and serve.

This is such a great snack. It is unexpected and really interesting – the way that the pepper plays off the sugary watermelon is really special. The pita soaks up the sweet and savory watermelon juices, rendering it soft and flavorful. And that halloumi – melting and warm on the inside, salty and crisp on the outside. Cool and warm, sweet and salty, fatty and light. This salad is really everything that you desire at one time.

Including cheese that you can fry on its own.

Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: , ,

Taboonette – The Homeland of Middleterranean Food

June 1, 2012 By 1 Comment

I’m gonna cut to the chase:

Taboonette is the best cheap lunch in the city.

This tiny storefront in the Union Square area specializes in Middleterranean food, that mish mash of all things Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, and North African. Harissa, chickpeas, lamb, pita, and herbs all collide in a cuisine is so cohesive that it seems that it must come from a region.

That region is Taboonette.

Order at the front then wait for your number to be called while seated at one of the long communal tables. The feel is incredibly casual – clean and minimalistic, perfect for a fast workday breakfast or lunch.

Taboon roasted cauliflower, grilled eggplant, hummus, tahini, and cilantro

The taboon is the large dome-shaped oven that cooks most of the bread and some of the food here. The cauliflower does well in the oven’s heat, becoming crispy and charred in places while turning soft within. It is a wonderful vehicle for the nutty tahini and the creamy hummus. Eggplant is done well here – silky but not slimy, and the rice is outstanding. It must be boiled in chicken broth, because it has a very rich, buttery taste. This dish is satisfying even for a carnivore.

Chicken Shawarma with hummus, thyme roasted Yukon gold potatoes, homemade pickles, tahini and chopped salad

A fantastic rendition of an often greasy and salty classic. This chicken schwarma is rubbed with smoky cumin then grilled to reinforce that deep, woodsy flavor. The chicken is incredibly tender and also tastes of garlic and onions. Mixed with sour pickles, crispy fried potatoes, fresh cucumbers and tomatoes, and a creamy hummus and tomato mixture, this is just what a schwarma should be. It is na explosion of flavors, textures, and temperatures, all in an almost exceedingly delicious laffa wrap. One of the best parts of the sandwich is right at the end, when the juices from the chicken and the vegetables soak into the soft bread.

Kebab with ground lamb and beef, grilled eggplant, chopped salad, tahini, fresh mint and cilantro

Soft patties of grassy lamb and juicy beef cooked until there is still some pink inside. Redolent of mint and fragrant cilantro, it tastes bright and light with the fresh Israeli salad. Don’t forget to top it with some of the spicy cilantro laden hot sauce on the table – you might, as I did, start taking some of the excellent house baked pita chips and just start eating it straight with the hot sauce. These kebabs are only missing some yogurt sauce, as the tahini on them takes away from the complex, subtle flavors of the kebab.

Taboonette is delicious, fast, and nothing on the menu is over $12! Nothing I ordered was even over $11, and I walked away so full it was uncomfortable.

I love that feeling.

Taboonette is a must-go for anyone who loves Middleterranean food. After all, don’t you want to see its homeland? Well now you can, right near Union Square.

Taboonette on Urbanspoon

Filed Under: Union Square Tagged With: , , , , ,

Tuscan Hummus

December 19, 2011 By 5 Comments
Contrary to popular belief, the great equalizer isn’t education. It’s hummus. Have vegetarian friends? They can eat hummus. Same goes for people who can’t eat dairy, wheat, or nuts. It doesn’t cost a lot of money to make a huge amount. It also couldn’t be easier to make and it’s pretty damn delicious, to boot. That said…If I never see another pita chip again, it may be too soon. Sorry, but the thing about hummus is…since it is so great, everyone does it. It’s time to jazz up hummus, to give it new life and make it sexy and mysterious again. It’s time to take it to San Remo, drive it down the Italian Riviera, and bring it back in its new European outfit. It’s time for:
Tuscan Hummus

Ingredients:
2 cans cannellini beans, drained
3 Tbsp. jarred pesto (be sure to find one without nuts if you are serving those with allergies)
1 head roasted garlic
1/3-1/2 cup apple cider or tomato vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
Special Equipment: Food Processor

 1) Dump the beans into the food processor.

 2) Toss in the pesto.

 3) And the garlic
You guys doing ok? I know, I’m really intimidating with all of the incredibly technical recipes I show you on the blog.

 4) Vinegar. Add it. Be aware, you may need up to 1/2 of a cup of vinegar by the time the hummus is to your liking. But start out with 1/3 of a cup. You can always add more later.

 5) Start the food processor, and slowly drizzle in the olive oil. You won’t need much because the pesto has oil in it.

Just drizzle a bit in until the hummus becomes a consistency you like – I prefer a consistency that is mostly smooth, but not too thin. Transfer to a container and refrigerate the hummus for at least 3 hours, or up to overnight. Taste for seasonings before serving, and add more pesto, oil, or spices as you see fit.

 6) Serve.

This hummus is a showstopper. I served it with a drizzle of chile-infused olive oil on top, but it is delicious just on its own. The beans are creamy and mild, and the roasted garlic adds the deepest, sweetest flavor to the dip. The jarred pesto is – if I do say so myself – the genius of this recipe. Two little spoonfuls and you get the most incredible, unmistakably Italian flavor of sharp Parmesan cheese and earthy basil. The vinegar is the kicker here – its brightness and acidity adds another dimension to the hummus. 
That’s what this recipe does all around – it adds another dimension to hummus. It is elegant, it is hearty, it is healthy, and it is really, really tasty with a breadstick or crudite.
And, let’s not forget…hummus is the great equalizer. 
I know, I taught you that…you’re welcome.
Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: , , , ,

Mario’s Bakery, Fall River – A Middle Eastern Vacation

April 4, 2011 By 7 Comments
Just so there is no confusion out there…naming this road trip, the Quahog Chronicles, has way more to do with WHERE to road trip is (Up the coast of Southern New England) than WHAT we ate. Sure, we ate a lot of quahogs, but not at every meal. Like not at this one, for example:
We were driving right through Fall River, MA, which has a huge Portuguese population, but did you know it also has quite a substantial Lebanese population?
Me either! Thanks to a few food-centric friends, I was directed to Mario’s for a quick stop through the Middle East.
*We were 45 minutes away from the spot when I called and asked what time they closed – half an hour. Upon hearing how disappointed I was, Maroun offered to keep the store opened for an extra 20 minutes for us. This was without my mentioning I would review him or him even knowing if I would show. This was just because he wanted someone new to experience his food and the love he has for his culture’s culinary identity. He didn’t have to stay open – we certainly weren’t buying mass quantities of food – but for Mario, it wasn’t all about the money. This is the kind of place that we, as food lovers MUST patronize to ensure they stay in business with all the big boys. Ok, now off soapbox and back to food porn*
The scents of fresh baking bread, cinnamon and garlic all greeted us as we entered the tiny store.
Luckily, Mario had a mop on hand to wipe up the drool that dribbled out of my mouth.
It aint’ fancy, and you KNOW how I feel about that…
LOVE IT!
 Just a brick oven, a fridge full of dough to go, a few Lebanese seasonings and ingredients for sale and…
 Lots of these fabulous meat filled pies. They were incredibly cheap and…
incredibly delicious!

The dough was reminiscent of slightly thicker pizza dough-floury, yeasty, a bit chewy and with excellent hole structure. The meat was fragrant, spicy, sweet and just freakin delicious. Cinnamon, cardamom, red pepper, oregano…who the hell KNOWS what was in there? It was incredibly complex – way more intricate than shwarma, yet not at all greasy or heavy. It was – dare I say – light? It was meaty and satisfying, but that was it. Not too heavy, not too spicy, just perfectly balanced. If you like Moroccan or Middle Eastern food, you will simply LOVE this.
I mean, I loved 4 of them.  
And that was before I loved this dessert bread. The same slightly sour, pliant dough laden with nutty sesame seeds and lashings of sweet honey. Sweet, nutty, doughy…what sounds wrong with that sentence?
 Nothing, according to my sister.
My favorite bread was a shocker – the freebie that Maroun gave us for all of our enthusiasm. This was simply bread covered in the house blended za’atar. All I have to say is…
WHAT THE HECK KIND OF CARDBOARD SHAVINGS HAVE I BEEN EATING ALL THIS TIME?
NEVER have I had za’atar like this. One bite kicked me in the face and practically jettisoned me to the Dead Sea, Lebanon and all other places Middle East. It was incredibly aromatic, almost like a savory perfume (not like rosewater though…HATE rosewater), and there was a powerful citrus taste that really made the bread wheatier and the sesame seeds meatier. Not at all salty or spicy, but with that evasive, mouthwatering flavor known as umami, it was just impossible to stop eating. It begged only for a tiny bit of the yogurt that Mario sold. 
Can’t believe I didn’t buy that yogurt when I had the chance.
Sometimes, I hate myself.
But I sure as hell don’t hate Mario’s! This place is run by the kindest lover of food who just can’t wait to share his cultural legacy with you via meat pies and other goodies. It is cheap, it is delicious, and it is the type of place that…well you know where I am going with this.
You have to support it…you just have to. They deserve to stay open.

And you deserve to see some more quahogs on these Quahog Chronicles!
With that, we continue northward…
Filed Under: Massachusetts Tagged With: , ,

Shalezeh, or Why I Can Still be Prom Queen

February 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment
A Michelin Star is a big deal in my book. It is the gold standard, the highest peak, the zenith of a restaurant’s career…
It is like winning Prom Queen.
Something that definitely never happened to me. Theater nerds don’t REALLY factor into popularity contests.

Yeah that’s me in the middle…at our school’s lip synch contest…

ANYWAY…
Michelin stars really mean something. So when Grace and I headed to NYC’s only Michelin Starred Persian restaurant Shalezeh, I was ready to be impressed.
We started out with bread and this tahini dip. The tahini was VERY strong and thick – almost peanut-buttery in texture. At first it was nutty and comforting, but it later tasted sort of repetetive and dull. A little pepper or chile would really have kicked this baby up to interesting levels. 

The bread. The picture stinks…but so did the bread. Dry, leaden, nondescript. 

Koofteh Tabrizi - prunes and fava beans stuffed meat ball, served over tomato, sweet pea, turmeric, curry and saffron stew. This was the restaurant’s specialty, and it really was quite delicious. Tender beef, fragrant with tumeric and cinnamon, was stuffed with sweet, soft prunes and creamy fava beans. The prunes played so well off the savory beef and the tomatoey saffron soup was acidic, tangy, and provided a great, bright flavor to counteract the hearty meatball.
It was great….but not groundbreaking. Grace and I weren’t really hungry, so we called it a night after our meaty snack, but, really…it was yummy. Nothing less, but certainly nohting more. Not Michelin Star worthy. And this was the restaurant’s signature dish. The service was good, decor was fine, menu was classic, but not deserving of a coveted Michelin Star.
I mean, if that was the way we were doing it, I definitely could have been homecoming queen.
Maybe not. 
Shalezeh on Urbanspoon
Filed Under: Midtown Tagged With: ,

Gazala Place Review

July 21, 2010 By Leave a Comment

It’s hot.  You are hungry.  You are poor. 

ANYWAY…As you and Stephanie walk through Hells Kitchen, she pulls you into this restaurant:

 

 

 

And she says-”omg i have eaten here before!  We MUST go in and get falafel!”

 

You love falafel. You know Stephanie takes food very seriously. You say ok.

 

As soon as you enter, you see these things sitting on the counter.

 

Buttery, pillowy, croissant like dough in yeasty layers folded into a cinnamon roll shape.  The scent of spinach, garlic, and sesame wafts towards you.  You start to drool a little

 

 

You are embarassed.  So is Stephanie.

 

You squeeze into a teeny tiny booth in this teeny tiny restaurant.  Pillows line the booths, and though the space is a little bit cramped, it is clean and functional.

 

After an enthusiastic waitress takes your order, you talk about how crazy Mel Gibson is and how you need to start watching True Blood.  Cause you totally do.

 

Then the bounty starts to arrive…

 

 

The tabbouleh comes first.  Parsley, mint, tomato, lemon, bulgar wheat and olive oil.  It is like pesto without abrasive garlic, or a chopped salad with carbolicious nuggest of the pasta-like wheat.  It is summer in a bowl-subtle, refreshing, tart. It is not salty or spicy.  It is just refreshing and you shovel it into my mouth like you’re going to the chair.

 


Then the LEHEM BELAGEEN arrives.  Flakey, crispy, nutty whole wheat dough topped with mint infused ground meat,  pine nuts, and sundried tomatoes. The crust crackles as you drag your knife through it to spear yourself part of the meat pie.  The beef is charred on the outside but soft and lucious on the inside, spilling umami filled juices onto the bread underneath.  Salty, crunchy, soft, and filling all at the same time.  The pine nuts are not noticeable, but the sundried tomatoes are plump and vibrant- nothing like the oil packed variety we get in the grocery store.  This is a hamburger out of “1,000 arabian nights”.


About now you wish you were eating here alone.  Stephanie is enjoying sharing a little too much.  You need to get friends with smaller appetites



Falafel.


Parsley, oregano, garlic.  Chickpeas.  Thickly crunchy on the outside, smoothly creamy on the inside.  Like heavily spiced potato croquettes.  Nary a speck of grease on my hands.  So hot the steam burns your tongue when you eat it.

Rich sesame tahini.  Homemade saag pita which tastes like a very thin, very delicious whole wheat flour tortilla.  Crispy iceberg lettuce.  fresh tomatoes.

 

 

This meal is transportive.  It is swimming in the salty Dead Sea, feeling the warm sun on your face, eating food that has been feeding many cultures for THOUSANDS of years.  We hear so much about the middle east, yet never about the totally transcendent food of the Druze that Gazala Place executes with love and passion.  You taste the passion in the soft, housemade pita.  You smell the love when that mint and garlic laced beef pie hits the table.  You know you are in for something special when the salty, savory,  fresh falafal sandwich graces your palate.  And you know you are lucky when the bill comes to $21 for the two of you.

 

As you step back into the blazing July heat, you are somewhat shocked to rediscover that you are not in someone’s kitchen in the middle east after all.  You have been in New York all this time.  You are just a lucky food lover, who has to start watching True Blood.  Who loves falafel.  Who writes about it on her blog.

 

Gazala Place on Urbanspoon

Filed Under: Hell's Kitchen, NYC Tagged With: ,