Category Archives: Middle Eastern

March 1, 2012 · 2:45 pm

Ilili

I tend to avoid midtown-east restaurant establishments because I find them impersonal and fussy compared to my cozy West Village favorites. Ilili’s ambience didn’t necessarily prove me wrong, but the food was stellar. It’s pretty easy to win me over with complimentary freshly baked pita and pita chips with herb marinated cheese, and the hummus, chicken skewers with crispy chicken skin, pan seared tuna belling, fattoush salad and warm eggplant that followed were incredible.

pita

delicious hummus dip

crackers with goat cheese

warm eggplant

tuna belly

Ilili is a great place for a corporate event – they have a few rooms on the second level that can accommodate large groups, or a post-work sharable-plate meal. It’s also a great place to bring parents or adult out of town visitors. Though the food is great, I wouldn’t head to this area on the weekends unless you’re looking to be with an older, more mature crowd.

Grade: A-
Location: 236 5th Avenue between 27th and 28th Streets
Website: http://www.ililinyc.com

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Filed under Business Meal, Drinks & Apps, Family Style, Fun Group Dinner, Gramercy, Middle Eastern, Midtown East, Midtown West, Parents in Town, Sex & The City Swank

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January 30, 2012 · 2:07 am

Cafe Orlin…then Peels for dessert

Today Sonia and I had an impromptu brunch at Cafe Orlin, a bustling, straight-forward, American/Middle-Eastern East Village restaurant that never fails to form a line of hungry patrons outside its door. Surprisingly, though, at around 12pm today we were seated after only five minutes of waiting outside, albeit at a tiny table sandwiched between others. The brunch menu covers all my must-haves: huevos rancheros, mediterranean breakfast, veggie burger, eggs florentine, and lots of omelettes. Once I saw a few plates go by, I settled on the Middle Eastern Eggs, which came with two eggs (I added mushrooms and tomatoes of course), israeli salad, and labneh cheese. Sonia ordered the Tunisian Eggs – two eggs over easy with spicy tomatos and peppers.

perfect breakfast

Sonia's eggs

fluffy pita

Despite the several rooms packed with diners, our meals were served promptly. Warm pita, perfectly cooked eggs, and hot tea – exactly my wish for a Sunday brunch. While it’s straight-forward and the ambience is nothing spectacular, I will definitely be back again if in the area for a solid, no-frills meal.

Then of course, after watching Unique Eats’ expose on the bakery at Peels, I of course stopped off on my way home to try their famous 3-in-1 pie, a cross between Boston & Banana & Coconut cream pie. And after literally eating every last bite of it, I think I can fairly say it’s one of the best pies I have ever had. The crust was perfectly crunchy and dense, the dark chocolate was rich and light, and the caramelized banana flavor was unreal. The combination was indescribable – 100% recommended for those, like me, who define themselves as sweet-obsessed.

Amazing.

Grade for Orlin AND Peels dessert: A

Location (Orlin): 41 St. Mark’s Place between 1st and 2nd Ave
Location (Peels): 325 Bowery, New York NY 10003

Website: http://www.cafeorlin.com

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Filed under American, Brunch, East Village, Erin's Favorites, Middle Eastern, Sugar Surge

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December 11, 2011 · 1:00 pm

Antique Garage

Despite being a shopping mecca, New York’s Soho area surprisingly lacks the variety of brunch spots I would expect for such a weekend destination. As a result, I tend to resort to my trusty favorite: Antique Garage. This mediterranean restaurant, housed in a converted garage filled with antique furniture, ornate art and mirrors and a beautiful bar, is one of my favorite spots to drink a bellini and munch on mezes after a long day of shopping. To complement the old fashioned aesthetic, there is often live jazz musicians dressed in ’20s garb who lure you right back into the era of Great Gatsby. In the summer, when the garage door is pulled back, it becomes the ideal place for breathing the fresh city air, daydreaming, and people watching.

inside

Though I would love to eat everything on the menu, I tend to always stick to my favorites. Today, my friend Mer and I decided to split the mesclun salad with chicken kebab and the meze platter after a relaxed stroll in the area. With a sampling of hummus, tzatsiki, greek salad, babaganoush, borek, chicken salad, and fresh cucumber and tomato slices, the meze platter is my heaven on a plate. The best item on the plate is the borek, which are crispy, melt-in-your-mouth phyllo wrapped feta rolls. And with the hot, fresh slices of pita bread, all of the dips can become quite the meal.

Salad with chicken

mixed meze platter

As always, my meal at Antique Garage was a crowd pleaser.

Grade: A+

Location: 41 Mercer Street near Grand Street

Website: http://www.antiquegaragesoho.com

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Filed under Erin's Favorites, Fun Group Dinner, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, Soho

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August 6, 2011 · 1:28 pm

Al Bustan Lebanese

It’s two for two for bad dinners in the past two days, and I’m starting to think I’ve lost my touch in selecting. Uptown to visit my sister at work, I decided to stop by this well known upscale Lebanese restaurant for some take-away. At around 4pm the place was empty – in fact, I think it was closed, but the owner was nice enough to take my disorganized order, which consisted of a hodge-podge of unfamiliar small plates and interesting sides. I then asked him to pick a few specialty dishes without meat.

the disappointing spread

I waited patiently to the tune of loud Middle Eastern music, and after about 20 minutes the man came to me with a large bag of Lebanese goodies. I couldn’t wait to try them all, and when my sister and I got back to her apartment we unleashed the spread. Unfortunately, the salad, pre-dressed, was incredibly soggy to the point that the pita chip croutons had transformed into white, slimy mush. The fatayer, pastry stuffed with spinach and walnut, was far too sweet. When I read “pastry,” I didn’t actually think it would be a sweet treat with spinach inside. The Arayess bil Jibneh, haloumi-cheese filled dumplings, were actually quite good but definitely not the type of thing that stays crispy and hot in a 30 minute subway ride home. And, despite my request for vegetarian items, somehow a lamb pie made it into the mix.

I don’t think I can fairly judge Al Bustan’s as a restaurant, but I can confidently say that you shouldn’t order takeout expecting to get the real Lebanese experience.

Grade: C

Location: 319 East 53rd between 1st and 2nd Ave

Website: http://www.albustanny.com

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Filed under Middle Eastern, Midtown East

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