Nanoosh Mediterranean Cuisine in Greenwich Village, NYC, New York

Still looking for cheap places near Union Square, we ended up at Nanoosh, a restaurant serving Mediterranean food. The place was packed so we imagined that there was a reason for it. The dining room was pretty big with high ceilings adding to the impression of volume. They sat us at the communal wooden table. 

The menu is supposed to be on the healthy side, featuring salads (Greek, greens, tabbouleh, quinoa...), hummus plates (with falafel, chicken, beef...), wraps or for an even healthier version, bowls, that are in a way or to simplify this post, a different version of the salads or hummus plates they propose. 

We decided to go for hummus plates. The hummus can be plain (original) or made with roasted red peppers. It is made daily with fresh organic chickpeas. 

Jodi decided to go for the falafel hummus plate. 

And I ordered the chicken hummus plate.

With the hummus plates, they brought us some pita (we picked whole grain):

The presentation was beautiful and very appetizing. They laid out the hummus in the bottom and then added the different ingredients. We added some toppings such as cucumber, tomatoes and olives, but I have to say that I was surprised that they charged us for it ($1 each), especially as it was not a big quantity they put and it definitely contributed to make the dishes pricey compared to other similar restaurants like Mamoun's falafel or Taim!

In term of taste, it was disappointing: the falafel, that were baked (therefore healthier than their fried version) were missing some crunch and texture. The hummus was just ok, not as tasty as I would have liked. The chicken was good at least...as well as the olives!

I also ordered a mint iced tea:

I guess the mint part refers to the couple of mint leaves that were added to the iced tea. Unfortunately, there were not enough to give that wonderful refreshing taste to the drink. 

When we finished our dinner, we felt that something was missing and that our dinner was incomplete. For sure it was not dessert as they only proposed rice pudding or a chocolate dessert...

To conclude: average food and pricey considering the much cheaper choices in the city! I definitely prefer Mamoun's falafel or Taim over Nanoosh!

Enjoy (...)!

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Sandwiches at Bite in the East Village NYC, New York

Continuing our exploration of the cheap eateries near Union Square, we ended up at Bite, a small restaurant that serves Mediterranean / Middle Eastern food.

Their menu offers and interesting variety of dishes: salads, soups or sandwiches, chili (???)...I was surprised however that they did not serve falafel!

We decided to order two sandwiches. The first one was the Middle Eastern mushrooms:

It was composed of sauteed mushrooms, hummus, goat cheese and Middle Eastern salad. The bread was ciabatta. The first bite was good, especially because they put a lot of goat cheese, but I could not get past the texture of the mushrooms that were probably canned. They would have used fresh mushrooms, this sandwich would have been fantastic!

The other sandwich was the Sabih:

It was composed of sauteed eggplant, hard broiled egg, hummus and Middle Easter Salad. The bread was also ciabatta. I really liked it! Sauteed eggplant is fantastic: it has this particular pleasant bitter taste and a spongy texture that will absorb the oil, oil that will then deliciously absorbed by the bread.

What we realized only after is that we could have picked pita instead of ciabatta bread; they did not ask and served bread by default. I think I would have preferred the pita because you have to press the sandwich when made with bread and then it becomes messy to eat because all the ingredients start to ooze from it!

Anyway, I could not not order their nutella and banana sandwich!!!

It was incredibly good! Look, you do not need to be a master Chef to make this sandwich good: banana and Nutella pair so well together, it would be a crime to separate them! Then, when served on a pressed ciabatta bread, it is heaven! Between the crispiness of the bread and the warmth of the Nutella that starts to melt, you cannot stop eating, carefully paying attention that no drop of Nutella will end up on your white shirt!

With this meal, we got also a homemade lemonade that was pretty good, a bit too sweet though.

The total for this meal was $23 that is a good price considering the amount of food we ate. It is definitely a place to know in the area! But, if I had to choose, for a great, cheap, Middle Eastern food, I would prefer Taim (check out my review of Taim).

Enjoy (I did)!

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And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!

Hummus Bowl at the Hummus Bar in Hoboken, NJ

How many hummus joints will open in Hoboken??? Well, after I guess a tough competition, two of them already closed: Ibby's falafel and Maoz. I have been a big fan of Mamoun's falafel and was eager to try his competitor, The Hummus Bar, located not far from it! I was more eager when one of my colleagues, Sonnali, mentioned that she went there and had some Indian flavored dish that was apparently delicious. So I was wondering what the menu would be as I imagined before, that a Hummus Bar would simply serve the traditional Middle Eatsern dishes: hummus, falafel, shawarma...Looking at the menu, I realized that it was not the case and that they showcased some interesting combination: Italian, Indian, Greek...

So we decided to try it. We picked two different Hummus bowls. A Hummus bowl is a the equivalent of a plate rather than a sandwich where the bottom of the plate is spread with hummus (classic, black olive and herbs...). You can even decide to replace the hummus by guacamole (not sure I would try that there) or babaganouj. 

Jodi ordered the Hoboken Hummus Bowl with classic hummus.

 It was made of avocado, chickpeas, fresh mozzarella, grape tomatoes, olives, cucumber and pineapple. This was delicious and very fresh. But they could have put a bit more salad in the bowl. The pineapple added a nice sweetness to the dish that matched the acidity of the tomatoes. Delish!

On my side, I ordered the Lamb Tikka Hummus Bowl.

It was lamb marinated overnite and grilled with onions, peppers, tomatoes and spices. It was good and flavorful but they did not use a great part of the lamb. Tasty though. I noticed that it is off the online menu and that they now serve the chicken tikka: it might be better.

Concerning the star of the bowl, the hummus, I have to say that I loved it: it was creamy and delicious, as good as the one at Mamoun's...

I would probably try something else next time as their menu offers plenty of interesting choices and combinations!

Enjoy (I did)!

The Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia, PA

You cannot go to Philadelphia without visiting the Reading Terminal Market! This place has some incredible food! Not all the food is good, but they have some little gems there!

I love going to this kind of places where there are so many different merchants that you do not know where to go and what to eat! They serve: meat, fish, vegetables, ice cream, pastries... And then, you can eat French (crepes!), Thai, Italian, Middle Eastern...

Each time we went to Philly, we stopped there!

The variety of food is so amazing that just walking around will make you discover some incredible vendors such as Wan's seafood!

Their stand look amazing and fresh!

I saw these huge Wild Shrimp! Trust me, these, simply grilled on a BBQ must be fantastic!

There is also an Amish owned traditional deli, called The Riehl Deli.

Not only do they have a wide variety of cheeses, they have tons of meats!

But what caught my eyes was clearly on the sweet side...

First were the Termini Brothers with their Italian cookies!

And decadent cakes!

Then, the custom made Chocolate by Mueller:

They seem to have some amazing creation like the chocolate brain....

Pretty funny!

There is also the phenomenal Flying Monkey!

Look at that! If I did not have to go to the Franklin Fountain later on, I would have had some of their cakes!

They looked incredible!

So definitely, the Reading Terminal Market is the place to go for some surprising and decadent food! I will stop there next time again for sure! By the way, it is there that we found Salumeria, an authentic Italian hoagies joint!

If you go, before leaving, do not forget to make a donation to Philbert, the pig in the center of the market! It goes to charity for children of the community!

Enjoy (I did)!

Afghan Kebab House #1 in NYC, New York

Few weeks ago, we met a lovely couple in a wedding and we ended up (of course) taking about food. They mentioned the Afghan Kebab House as being a good spot to eat some kebab. I love kebab because of the incredible aroma that the spices will give to the meat while cooking.

So we decided to go. We enter in the restaurant; it is dark inside and there is one only guy sitting at a table, waiting for his food. The decor is made of murals and carpets. I noticed immediately that there is no music in the background; the only noise we hear is the one from the construction outside. 

When they give us the menu, I understand from the cover that we are at the Afghan Kebab House Number 1! Yes, there are several in New York City. At the time of writing this post, I count eight of them.

As I would like to try different kebab, I decide to pick the Combo Kebab.

The combo kebab contains three sorts of kebab: 

• Beef Tikka Kebab: chunks of lamb marinated in fresh grated spices and herbs. It was my least favorite. At first, I though the meat will be like eating my shoe, but in fact it was the knife that they gave me that could not even have cut my bread! I barely tasted the spices and herbs. Fortunately, they have some spicy sauce and white sauce on the side to help...
• Lamb Kafta Kebab: ground lamb marinated in spices. This was very good: juicy and very tasty! 
• Chicken Kebab: chunks of chicken marinated in spices. This was also very good, although missing a bit of seasoning. The chicken was perfectly cooked and moist. Again, the spicy sauce and the white sauce saved it!

The dish was served with a salad (I could not care less), basmati brown rice (just ok) and some delicious and crispy Afghan bread. 

We also tried the eggplant dish.

Same as the Kebab, it was served with basmati brown rice, a salad and a piece of Afghan bread.

The eggplant dish reminded me a bit a ratatouille (a traditional French Provençal stewed vegetable dish), although it had chick peas in it. It was just an ok dish for me: I was disappointed about he fact that I could barely taste the eggplant and it was a bit soup-ee. Also, I thought the dish was overpriced ($11.95) for what it was.

Afghan Kebab House was just fine for me. It is not the kind of place I would recommend or dream about...

Enjoy (the post)!

Happy 4th Of July! Don't get the Crisp!

Hoboken is going to be crazy today as it is the best spot to see the Macy's fireworks! Imagine that people already started to setup their spot in the parks along the Hudson river in this heat!

Smartly, the city allowed some food trucks to settle next to the ferry. Considering the number of people who will come in the afternoon and tonight, they will get some good business! The trucks we saw are:

• Max's: hot dogs and burgers. 
• The Taco Truck: well known in Hoboken! But they had a reduced menu...
• Luke's Lobster: they were not yet ready when we when there! Bummer! It is a perfect day for a lobster roll!

Then there was the Crisp truck, a vegetarian truck that serves Middle Eastern favorites (falafel) with a twist! 

The twist comes from the different ways they serve their food. You can for instance pick a falafel sandwich with the following combinations:

• Mexican: cilantro pesto and avocado, corn, salsa, nachos with jalapeno dressing.
• African: North African peanut sauce, sweet potatoes, corn salad, cherry tomatoes, green onions and habanero harissa.
• Mediterranean: sundried tomato spread, eggplant parmesan flakes and garden greens.
• Parisian: sundried tomato spread, goat cheese, roasted peppers, garden greens and red onions.
• Athenian: herbed yogurt, greek salad and green onions.

We decided to go for the Parisian one.

The sandwich was conveniently placed in a box that allows you to eat it without too much mess, although, making a little mess when eating a falafel sandwich is part of the experience...

They gave us some tahini sauce with the sandwich that I poured as there was no dressing. The tahini was very liquid... What I liked about the sandwich was the sundried tomato spread that was a nice addition. Also, the goat cheese added some extra freshness to a sandwich that could have been, without these two ingredients, bland. The main problem I has was that the falafel where in the bottom of the pita! So first you eat the salad and then the falafel...Too bad! I would have preferred layers of both! The falafel were a bit mushy, but I am wondering if it was not because of the tahini sauce.

Besides the sandwich, they also propose some hummus salad bowls with international flavors:

• Salsa pignolias: pine nuts, salsa, greens and tahini.
• baja fresh: cilantro pesto, corn, salsa, jalapeno and nachos.
• Acropolis: olives, feta, greens and vinaigrette.
• Aubergenius: eggplant, greens, parmesan and vinaigrette.
• Mama mia: sundried tomato spread, roasted peppers, greens and red onions.
• Dolce vita: sundried tomato spread, sweet potatoes, greens and red onions.
• Garbanzo extravaganza: chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, greens and lemon garlic sauce.

We selected the Aubergenius.

It was a bit disappointing: For close to $9, you only get two falafel??? Although I have to say that they were really good: correct amount of spices, crispy and not greasy. Also, there was very little eggplant. At the end, I had the impression I was just eating a salad with some (pretty good) hummus!

On top of the disappointing food, we ordered a passion fruit ice tea and a gaucho mint ice tea: lacking sweetness and taste!

Our bill ended up being $20. For that price, I would go to Mamoun's falafel on Washington street in Hoboken or Taim in NYC!

So, if you go to Hoboken, avoid the Crisp: it is not worth it!

Happy 4th Of July and Enjoy!

Falafel at Azuri Cafe in NYC, New York

We decided to try Azuri Cafe in NYC, New York as some say that it is the best falafel in the City; better than Taim, Mamoun's, etc...

The place is very small with only 4 tables. We saw the owner there who not only did not say hello, but was very grumpy. Well, we went there for the food, not the owner! Anyway, they play on it as they quoted the NY Times who in 1999 said:

"With just a few rickety tables, Azuri Cafe, a kosher Israeli restaurant and takeout shop, is not the most stylish place around. It's not the friendliest, either. But when you taste the food, you can see where the gruff owner, Ezra Cohen, puts his energy. ".

Then, on their website they wrote: "A place you want to call home"! Really? Maybe for the food, but not for the owner for sure!

The place serves vegetarian as well as non vegetarian specialties. You can find Shawarma Gyro (isn't it kind of the same?) that is made with chicken, beef or chicken shish Kebab (where is the lamb?), chicken liver or falafel. The problem is that they do not describe their menu and a lot of dishes clearly either needed a description or a definition! Considering the personality of the owner, I could not picture myself asking him questions. Especially after I ordered the Shak Shuka plate (I wanted to see if it was the shekshouka) and he responded in a growl that it would take 25 minutes! So we just ordered falafel.

The cook (who was nicer) prepared them. He first fried the falafel. Then, opened a whole wheat pita (we did not have a choice between whole wheat and white as other customers who came after did) and stuffed in it hummus, red cabbage, taboule...and of course the falafel. They topped the sandwich with tahini sauce and pickles.

The sandwich was big for sure. You immediately notice the crunchiness of the falafel. They were very good and I did not detect any greasiness. The sandwich was overall good, but was missing some flavor. 

I definitely prefer Taim not only for the sandwich, but also because their menu is more original with sandwiches like the Shabish that was delicious! So, in the battle between Azuri Cafe and Taim, Taim won!

The owner would have been nicer, it would not have changed my mind...

Enjoy (I almost did)!

Falafel at Taim in NYC, New York

In my quest for the best falafel, I decided to try Taim (pronounce Ta-eem) in the West Village. Taim means in Hebrew tasty, delicious. Seems a bit pretentious, no? So let see!

First, the place is tiny and you can only sit on one of the stools near the window or outside, on a bench. If the restaurant is packed, as it seems it can be, this can be a problem....Especially as there is no park nearby where you can enjoy your sandwich!

Anyway, I am there for the falafel and even this small detail cannot stop me. 

We started with a falafel sandwich:

First you decide which falafel you will get: green (traditional), harissa (spicy - harissa is a chili paste from Tunisia) or red (made with red peppers). We picked the green. Note that they also offer a tasting of falafels. They served it in a pita (choice of white or whole wheat) and with hummus, israeli salad, pickled cabbage and tahini sauce. This was very good! The falafels were crunchy and not oily at all, cooked all the way through (everything is done to order and the food is prepared daily).

We also ordered a Sabish sandwich:

It is made of sliced eggplant, fried to order, with an organic egg (sliced), parsley, hummus, israeli salad, pickled cabbage, tahini and amba (mango pickle condiment). That was a bit surprise! So good with all the flavors! It is a good alternative to the traditional falafel sandwiches, especially if you do not like them. I was happy to be sitting though, because the eggplant was a bit oily (not surprisingly) and the oil ended in the bottom of the pita.

With your sandwich, you can enjoy a lemonade or a smoothie....I did not go for the smoothie, but the lemonade was good, nothing exceptional. I guess the mint and ginger lemonade would have been a better choice!

This was a great simple lunch there and the sandwiches were delicious! You should definitely try. Now, is it the best? I do not know: there are so many places that I need to do more research...

Enjoy (I did)!

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And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!

Mamoun's falafel in Hoboken, NJ

Did you notice that there are more and more restaurants proposing falafel as the main specialty? There is Maoz, Taim and Mamoun's falafel, Moishe's falafels. Yes, falafels are definitely good when well done, meaning for me: good chickpea taste (not too many breadcrumbs please), cooked all the way through, crunchy and not oily. People debate about the benefits of falafels. The pros:

• it is only chickpeas, no meat.
• low calories: 50 to 60 per ball.
• High in protein, iron and fiber.

The cons:

• it is deep fried.
• a falafel pita can contain up to 550 calories and 32 grams of fat.

Anyway, I love Middle Eastern food, falafel of course, but also Shawarma. So we tried few times Mamoun's falafel. They have several restaurants in the City and opened several months ago one in Hoboken. The flagship restaurant is in Greenwich Village: it was opened in 1971 and was the first falafel place in New York City, as well as one of the first Middle Easter restaurants in the US. I like their menu that offers dishes not only to meat lovers, but also vegetarian.

On the vegetarian side, I love their hummus (chickpea spread) and baba ganouj (eggplant spread). We tried the tabouleh, but I do not know if it is because they make it with bulgur, but I did not like it.

The falafel are good, but I had better. They are sometimes overcooked.

On the meat side, I love their shawarma and meat combo!

The lamb shawarma is delicious! The meat is usually tender and has this great grilled tasted combined with the strong taste of the lamb meat. You can have it in a plate or a pita. With salad and olives, it was perfect.

Last time, I chose the meat combo: I picked a sandwich with chicken kebob, falafel and olives. I loved it! The crunchiness of the falafel worked really well with the chicken that was quite moist.

Another thing to try there is the mint lemonade: it is so refreshing!

I like Mamoun's falafel. Their falafels are good, but I would not name them the best though!

Enjoy (I did)!

Ali Baba in Hoboken, NJ

This post has nothing to do with the tale of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves! It is a restaurant located in Hoboken, NJ, that I heard whose owner is of Lebanese origin. It is one of my favorite Middle Eastern restaurant in the area, with good food and good prices. The restaurant is nicely decorated and the service courteous and good.

The photos above are from their vegetarian party platter that serves 3 to 4 people. I love this platter, although I just realized that they closed to double its price(!!!): you can pick 5 different appetizers: from hummus to baba ganoush (both I believe homemade), to taboule or falafel. They always add delicious olives and peppers, and are very generous with the pita (packaged)! The falafel are small and crispy, never greasy. The taboule is typical, very tasty and fresh. A great platter if you have a party (hence its name!).

I also love their sandwiches that are served in a pita. My favorite is the tandoori chicken one. It is a bit messy to eat because of all the sauce they put, but it is so good that I do not care at all! They also serve other typical dishes like couscous or kufta (type of meat patty).

For dessert, they serve baklava: sometimes good, sometimes too dry. Not the place to go for dessert for me!

Last, if you want, you can enjoy some Hookah (instrument for smoking flavored tobacco in which the smoke is passed through a water basin before inhalation), but I cannot comment about that!

Leave me a comment to tell me if you shared the same experience or what you think about this post!

Enjoy (I did)!

And remember: I just want to eat!

My Shawarma! At The Halal Guys Food Cart in NYC, New York

I already mentioned a food cart SW corner of 53rd and 6 avenue in New York.They are called the Halal Guys. They are wearing yellow sweaters, but in fact, in each corner of 53rd, either on 6th or 7th avenue, you see the same yellow sweater.

I really think you should try it.
Here are few reasons:

- I have never been sick eating there. I know that some people are scared to eat at food carts. It is true that they do not have the grades like restaurants and not all of them maintain some hygiene standards.. 

- The food is delicious. The lamb gyro is my favorite! The meat is cooked perfectly and is very tasty. It is a bit burnt, giving a nice taste to it.

- it is cheap compared to a Shawarma you would eat in a restaurant.

I also tried the rice platter, but did not really like it: the rice was too dry. Definitely the sandwich is better!

The legend says that these guys are so profitable that they turned down a $1 million offer on their license! After seeing the number of people waiting in line, I am not surprised!

Try it and enjoy (I did)!

And remember: I just want to eat!

Restaurant review - Kosher Deluxe (NYC)

I love Shawarma! If you are scared of the carts in the street and their "side effects", I suggest you try Kosher Deluxe located midtown. Ok, this restaurant is serving a wide range of food: Middle Eastern, japanese, chinese...I have only tried the Shawarma and the falafel and they were delish! They serve it in different ways: pita, baguette or plate and you can pick Hummus and / or hot sauce. Each sandwich is coming with salad (there is a salad bar) also very good, for a little over $10.

So, what is Shawarma? It is a Middle Eastern sandwich with pieces of lamb, goat, chicken, turkey, or a halal mixture of meats that cooked on a spit for sometimes an entire day. The way the meat is cooked is very important: it has to be upright to give that wonderful taste. Some argue that Shawarma is different from a Gyro because a Gyro is a mixed of beef and lamb. 

If you are adventurous, try the gyro in the cart situated at the corner of 6 avenue and 53rd street. It is well known and very good. But make sure you go to the South West corner cart, otherwise, if you go to the South East side cart, you will probably understand what I meant by "side effects".

Enjoy!