Meaning « perfect housewife » in Yiddish, balaboosta celebrates wife and mothers who are « the fearless emotional center of her family, who makes sure her table is not only full of gorgeous food, but also full of friends, love, laughter». A celebration that chef Einat Admoni, a James Beard Award finalist, showcases with incredible food inspired from Israel, but also her Persian and Yemeni roots.

So, don’t be surprised to see Yemenite soup dumplings ($19) on their menu, a creative dish from the Chef to merge Yemeni and Chinese culture, but, instead of being filled with pork or crab, they are filled with beef and a soup made with Hawajj, a Yemeni spice blend composed of cumin, cardamon, coriander, turmeric and black pepper. Then, instead of vinegar, it is accompanied with hibleh, a condiment made with fenugreek. These dumplings are simply magnificent: I just ate a whole at once and it was an explosion of flavors in my mouth, getting as well a bit of fattiness that make soup dumplings delicious. Original is also their calamari ($29) that is served with lamb belly: a sort of surf and turf where the perfectly cooked calamari paired perfectly with the meat, that gave a bolder taste to the dish, while crispy shallots added some texture. All of this was sitting on an amba aioli for a bit of acidity, that I discovered is an Iraqi-Jewish sauce made from pickled greens mangoes, vinegar, and a blend of aromatic spices like turmeric and fenugreek. Superb!

They also have a bunch of vegetarian dishes, like the cauliflower ($19), that now every restaurant needs to have on its menu, but this one was a bit different: slightly cooked, so still crispy, it was marinated in chermoula, a flavorful and aromatic North African marinade that originated in Morocco, and is popular in Tunisia, Algeria, and Libya. Their hummus ($17) is also a must have: there is not question that hummus is best homemade. Topped with chickpeas, green s’chug (a green hot pepper sauce) and tahini, it was delightfully creamy, served with a homemade pita that was pillowy. After all this, we could not leave without trying one of their desserts and decided to go for the tahini creme brulee ($14) that was topped with shredded halva.

The creme brulee was delicious, creamy, with the top being perfectly torched, giving some added sweetness. But, I admit that one of the element I was really looking forward to is the shredded halva. It had the texture of a thicker cotton candy and was not too sweet, adding some texture to the creme brulee. In fact, for brunch, they serve this amazing Kataïf French Toast ($19) that is also topped with shredded halva. Made with challah bread and accompanied with macerated berries and whipped cream. This is one the best French toasts I had an I surely recommend it. They also have an Eggplant Shakshuka ($23) that is not to be ignored. Made also with eggs, peppers, tomatoes, feta, sour dough toast, it is a very comforting dish.

I should mention the drinks they serve there: the limonana ($10), made with lemon, lime and mint syrup is an interesting take on lemonade, while the Yarok ($10) is quite refreshing, as made with cucumber, fresh ginger and lemon. I also tried their Mensh cocktail ($20), that is a take on an old fashioned, but with black Arak as well, adding a nice anise flavor to the drink.

Brunch and dinner at Balaboosta were equally delicious: the food there is surprising, showcasing the creativity of Chef Admoni, bridging culinary cultures with brio.

Enjoy (I did)!

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