Food Adventuring Around NYC
That corner spot in front of a busy subway station is prime real estate for a quick and fast NYC joint. And Flé Flé Grill lucked out here when they opened in 2018. Set up like a Mediterranean Chipotle, this is quick and cheap and on the healthier side of fast food. I hear good …
My search for the best falafel in New York continues…. My mission, which I chose to accept, has been to find the best falafel in NYC. It’s a fool’s errand, of course, because places keep coming and going. And the term best is terribly subjective. But I hold steady and keep on with the mission. …
My search for the best falafel in New York continues…. Poor Brooklyn Heights. I don’t think it gets nearly enough credit for its food. Everybody thinks of the neighborhood for historic architecture and incredible views, but very few people travel here for a meal. And for the most part I concur. Aside from the exciting …
Every week, I document another dish that impressed and satiated me during my food adventures around New York City SADLY, ZÖÖBA IS NOW CLOSED. When is a falafel not a falafel? When it’s a ta’ameya. Late last year an Egyptian fast food chain opened in Nolita, in the space of a former favorite neighborhood falafel …
My search for the best falafel in New York continues…. I’ve seen falafel come in all shapes and sizes. One was shaped like a log, others were bright green or fiery orange, one was even shaped around a hard boiled egg. But I had never seen ones that looked like the ones served at Zyara NY.
I’m counting down the 100 best dishes I tasted in 2018… Freshness is the main word at the hipster centric Queen of Falafel. I couldn’t get over how bright and fresh this platter of food was – from the Arabic salad, creamy labne cheese, hummus, tahini, richly charred smoky eggplant slices, and perfectly fried green falafel. …
My search for the best falafel in New York continues…. Hipsters come from all walks of life. I had been meaning to try Queen of Falafel in Bushwick for a while now. The storefront is covered with street art and is on one of the hippest streets in Brooklyn. I assumed this is an immigrant …
SADLY, TURKISS IS NOW CLOSED. When one falafel joint closes, another opens. It doesn’t always work that way, but it almost always does in and around Bleecker Street in the West Village. Yatagan sat on Macdougal Street for years churning out doner kababs and falafel. I never made it to Yatagan, but now that it’s …
My search for the best falafel in New York continues…. Every time I move on to another food journey, I turn to my readers to find out where they think the “best” version of this dish can be found. Before I even begin eating, I can usually predict the winners. But in the case of …
My search for the best falafel in New York continues…. SADLY, GAZALA PLACE IS NOW CLOSED. Gazala Place in Hell’s Kitchen (and its bigger, newer location on the Upper West Side) is the only place in New York to get Druze cuisine. The Druze are a religious people that live throughout the Middle East and have …
My search for the best falafel in New York continues…. You can pretty much stuff whatever you want inside a falafel. And some places do. I’ve seen such unconventional fillings like sundried tomatoes, olives, and spinach. It seems these tend to be popular at Israeli falafel joints. And I love it because I can usually …
My search for the best falafel in New York continues…. I was recently in the far south neighborhood of Bay Ridge. One of the things I love about this neighborhood is that its generally not a destination neighborhood. Most people in New York have heard of it, but unless you live there, odds are you …
My search for the best falafel in New York continues…. SADLY, CHICK P IS NOW CLOSED. I do my best to keep a low profile when I’m out revewing a new dish. But every once in a while, a waiter or cashier catches me in the midst of taking a photograph and their interest has been …
SADLY, RAKKA CAFE IS NOW CLOSED. Once upon a time, Cafe Rakka was an institution in the East Village. Back in the rough and tumble 80’s and 90’s, its two locations would be the place to grab a quick meal before heading to any one of the nearby music venues. Sadly those days are mostly …
My search for the best falafel in New York continues…. SADLY, THE FALAFEL SHOP IS NOW CLOSED. It’s always strange to walk around the heart of the Lower East Side during lunch hours. This neighborhood doesn’t really come alive until after work, when people flood the restaurants, bars, and clubs. During the day, it doesn’t seem …
I underestimated the modest little falafel. I was expecting some great things, sure, but I was also anticipating lots of dry and dense chickpea balls. Greasy, soggy, and mealy were words I used very rarely in my falafel reviews. Of course, I stuck with the most renowned and popular falafel spots in the city. I’m …
My search for the best falafel in New York continues…. If this was 1992, the year that Rainbow Falafel opened, I’d be jumping up and down because I just discovered a secret little, under-the-radar falafel joint housed in the back of a tiny little bodega. But it’s 2014 and Rainbow Falafel has certainly been discovered …
SADLY, MAOZ VEGETARIAN IS NOW CLOSED IN NEW YORK. LOCATIONS ARE STILL OPEN ELSEWHERE IN THE WORLD. There are many countries all over the world that are legendary for their falafel. The Netherlands is not one of them.
My search for the best falafel in New York continues…. There’s a wine trail in Napa, a bourbon trail in Tennessee, and a barbecue trail in Texas. Yet nobody ever talks about the great falafel trail in the Financial District. But they should! In the crowded business district at Manhattan’s southern edge, sit lots of …
My search for the best falafel in New York continues…. SADLY, WAFA’S IS NOW CLOSED. When my mom called and I told her I had travelled to the middle of Queens for some falafel, the natural question was “Was it worth it?” And I can enthusiastically tell my mom it was indeed. I can’t imagine she’d …