Food Adventuring Around NYC
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 …
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 …
My search for the best falafel in New York continues…. It’s easy enough for a business to call themselves the king. The King of tires, the king of beer, the king of burgers. It’s a marketing gimmick, of course, but it’s amazing how people tend to believe the royal decrees. King of Falafel is one …
My search for the best falafel in New York continues…. SADLY, UNIVERSITY PITA IS NOW CLOSED. Falafel has now become as ubiquitious as pizza in this city. You can find falafel on almost every corner and most of it gives the vegetarian dish a bad name. I’ve tried to focus my journey on the most popular …
My search for the best falafel in New York continues…. A Bedouin tent is a convertible structure usually made of goat or camel hair that allows nomadic people to stay safely and comfortably in the desert. It’s also the name of a restaurant in the cozy neighborhood of Boerum Hill. As far as I know, …
My search for the best falafel in New York continues…. SADLY, ZAYTOONS IS NOW CLOSED. Whether they’re stuffed with pickles, hummus, tahini, or hot sauce, most falafel sandwiches look the same. It’s usually a pita pocket overflowing with toppings. But leave it to Zaytoons, the long-time Middle Eastern restaurant on Smith Street to change things up. …
My search for the best falafel in New York continues…. Only in New York could you walk into a Middle Eastern restaurant and have the cashiers and cooks speak to each other in Spanish. It actually made me a little concerned about the autenticity of the falafel at Ba’al Cafe. Based on my research, this …
My search for the best falafel in New York continues…. SADLY, OLYMPIC PITA IS NOW CLOSED. Many people consider Midtown to be the worst food neighborhood in Manhattan. Even Zach Brooks has been trying to disprove his own declaration of it being a “food wasteland” on the well-known blog Midtown Lunch. At first look, yes, …
My search for the best falafel in New York continues…. You can’t find a New Yorker alive today who remembers a time when this city didn’t have pizza, bagels, and hot dogs on every corner. But there are plenty of people who remember the days before falafel. Today, it’s a pretty ubiquitous and iconic New …
My search for the best falafel in New York continues…. SADLY, HOOMOOS ASLI IS NOW CLOSED. Unless you’re from a Middle Eastern country, you shouldn’t pronounce the word for chickpea puree as “hoomoos” with the long “oo” sound. In this country, we say “hummus.” But the Israeli-Yemeni café, Hoomoos Asli, on the border of Soho and Nolita …
My search for the best falafel in New York continues…. New York City is the city that never sleeps, but certain neighborhoods are definitely more nocturnal than others. Williamsburg, Brooklyn is one of those neighborhoods that’s up all night. Back in the day, it’s where I would meet up with my friends starting at 10 …
Every week, I document another dish that impressed and satiated me during my food adventures around New York City Walking around Bay Ridge, Brooklyn really got me nostalgic for when I used to live in Queens. The streets are lined with independently owned shops and an intoxicating smell of spices emenating from ethnic restaurants and cafés. …
My search for the best falafel in New York continues…. The neighborhood of Cobble Hill really brings the new and the old together. Some residents (mostly of Italian and Syrian descent) have been in the neighborhood for more than 50 years. More recently, new families from other parts of the world (many are French or …
My search for the best falafel in New York continues…. SADLY, ALFANOOSE IS NOW CLOSED. Upon entering Alfanoose, I thought I’d get something you don’t usually get with falafel: table service. The large dining room is unusual for a falafel joint in NYC, tying into its old history of being traditionally a street food.
Now that I’ve eaten my way through somebody else’s list (Time Out New York), I’m ready to compile my own 100 spectacular things I’ve tasted in 2012. Look for another five dishes every few days. NUMBER 25: BABA GHANOUSH from DAMASCUS BAKERY New York is loaded with great restaurants and cafés, but that’s hardly the …
Now that I’ve eaten my way through somebody else’s list (Time Out New York), I’m ready to compile my own 100 spectacular things I’ve tasted in 2012. Look for another five dishes every few days. NUMBER 90: THE YETI at BIEN CUIT Bread has never gone out of style, but some food artisans are doing …
For the third year in a row, I’m going to attempt to eat every single item on Time Out New York’s annual 100 Best Dishes list. In no particular order, here’s my take on their Top 100. Let the gluttony continue… Flavors are something I usually associate with ice cream parlors – certainly not with falafel …
I’ve devoured Time Out’s 100 Best dishes and now, once again, I’ve been inspired to create my own list. These are the 100 dishes I have continued to think about since tasting them at some point in 2011. Look for another five dishes every few days. These are in no particular order. NUMBER 60: DUMPLINGS …
If Time Out New York can do it, so can I. I’ve been inspired and satiated by Time Out’s 2009 Top 100 list and look forward to conquering their 2010 list very soon. But from now until the end of the year, I present my own Top 100 Dishes of the year in reverse order. …