The Place: It’s very easy to miss Lev NYC since it is dressed up with generic Sabrett umbrellas and doesn’t even seem to have a Google profile. I had stumbled across this somewhat decked out food cart on the northern edge of Soho (in front of the REI store) and felt so lucky to have experienced it.
This Middle Eastern food company does a series of site-specific pop-ups. But it seems the food cart which operates a few days a week is semi-permanent.
There’s a special service that is offered here and it shows from the way they take your order to the way all the lucky customers feel the need to sit on a nearby ledge to eat the food. This is street food, but it’s not so much food to walk down the street eating. It needs to be eaten slowly and contemplated.
The Dish: I don’t usually ogle all the dishes people are eating when waiting in line at a food cart, but this was different. The lamb kebab and chicken schnitzel both looked great, but I could imagine what they tasted like. The Brika was a mysterious menu item that I could not quite imagine, so I had to order it. Turns out this is a very thin and crackly crepe that is fried until crispy, salty, and hot. Inside is a runny egg with potatoes and onion. Outside is a mess of sauces, including spicy tangy harissa, green and herbal schug, and bright lemon preserve. I truly have never had anything like this – light, greaseless, spicy, and so addicting.
If you find yourself near this food cart at the right day and time, you don’t want to miss this. Price: $15
| LEV NYC |
| 69 Clinton Street (between Stanton and Rivington Street), Lower East Side (646) 590-0960 |
| Instagram: @lev.nyc |
