In one of my earliest posts on March 23, 2006, I wrote of Babbo, the restaurant of celebrity chef Mario Batali, and my pending reservation for April 22 of that year for myself and family (who were coming in from out of state). Unfortunately, that and two other reservations were canceled for a variety of unavoidable circumstances, including a hurricane and a blizzard. So it was with great anticipation that last night, my family, a friend, and I finally did get to eat at the famed establishment. One of the hallmarks of a good restaurant is service, of course, and our waiter immediately put us at ease by anticipating questions regarding menu structure and options regarding antipasti, primi, and secondi. He translated any problematic menu item words and proposed a number of sharing ideas, along with specific recommendations.

We found Babbo a fun place, not stuffy in the least, which can frequently be the case with restaurants of this caliber. The place was packed, even at 6PM – normally a quiet time at such an early hour for NYC weekend dining. The food was excellent with many exotic touches (see their menu here). In addition to the waiter, our table was serviced by a large crew of individuals who made serving and busing a very quick and painless process. We give the food and service a very high rating. Click here for a New York Times review. And no, we did not see Mario. However, I have met him twice before – sitting on the steps of a townhouse across the street on a summer evening, taking a break from the kitchen with a glass of wine, chatting…

This is Marumi at 546 LaGuardia Place – my favorite Japanese restaurant. It’s kind of a cliche – have you ever noticed how everyone in NYC seems to know “a place for great Japanese” or “the best Japanese restaurant”? Apparently it’s a necessary credential for being a New Yorker. I won’t make any comparative claims here; when I found Marumi, I essentially stopped looking.

One thing I really like is that the owner, Takashi Sando, is on site (that’s him in the back left of the photo). He is no-nonsense and runs this place very efficiently and like a well-oiled machine. Everything is very consistent and fresh (of paramount importance with raw fish). The service is excellent – in several years of going there, I don’t recall one mistake. Marumi is reasonably priced (inexpensive for Japanese) and in the heart of New York University country, so students abound. The ambience is very social, pleasant, and casual. The place gets crowded; most nights there are lines (which move fairly quickly). Much of the clientele is Japanese and local regulars – a good sign. It has been in business for 16 years.

On a refreshing note, this place is about the food. Alcohol is available, but never pushed; dessert is typically not even offered. Get there before 7:15. Try a Bento box or broiled salmon. Best kept “secret”? Their spicy sashimi salad…

The typical impression of Middle Eastern food is falafel and hummus. And for the average New Yorker, the knowledge extends to perhaps baba gannouj, tabouleh, kebabs, or shawarma on a spit. But there is much more. The true cognoscenti know of things such as zatter bread, ouzi, ful mudammas, labne, moussaka, Merguez sandwiches, lahambajin pitza, rahib, loomi, and more. And they know of places like Moustache. There are two locations: 90 Bedford Street and 265 E. 10th Street, both owned by Iraqi chef/restaurateur Salam al-Rawi from Baghdad. Salam also owns Mamlouk at 211 E. 4th Street – a unique, very upscale Middle Eastern restaurant with a fixed menu.

I have only been to the Bedford Street Moustache. This is a little gem of a place, hidden on quiet Bedford Street, with copper-topped tables, an open kitchen with a brick oven, and a very cozy atmosphere. But be forewarned – this place has frequent lines, long waits, and slow and spotty service. But their food is excellent, and in fairness, many of the dishes are made to from scratch (such as ouzi and their pitzas) and take time. Their tag line (proclaimed on T-shirts the wait staff wears) is “slow food establishment.” My favorite is ouzi – chicken, carrots, sweet peas, onions, raisins, almonds, basmati rice, and spices enclosed in filo pastry dough and served with a yogurt sauce (it can be had vegetarian). They are best known for their Pitzas – brick oven-baked pizzas made on their own pita breads. No credit cards, no website, no email address…

When you have population density, you can support the unusual. At 240 Sullivan Street in the Village, you will find the Peanut Butter & Co. Sandwich Shop, an entire restaurant concept built around the peanut butter sandwich. When this shop opened, I was sure of its imminent demise. After all, how could a business like this survive, even in NYC? How could you get enough customers to sit down in a restaurant and order peanut butter sandwiches (at $5 – $7 each)? But succeed they have – the restaurant is in its 10th year. The business was started in 1998 by Lee Zalben, Vassar College grad and former advertising exec (read the story here). Since then, they have expanded to Brooklyn, where the Company now manufactures its signature line of handmade gourmet peanut butter (they also have an online store).

The shop offers much more than the basic peanut butter sandwich – there are 10 classic sandwiches (Fluffernutter, Ants on a Log, etc.) and 6 gourmet ones (such as the Cinnamon Raisin Swirl, White Chocolate Wonderful, and Dark Chocolate Dreams). The emphasis here is retro, comfort food, so the menu also includes Homestyle Fare (such as tuna melts, grilled cheese, or baloney and cheese). Of course, there’s a dessert menu including peanut butter cookies, chocolate peanut butter pie, and a range of ice cream sundaes. Wash it down with milk, sodas, milkshakes, smoothies, hot chocolate, coffee, or a New York Egg Cream…

One of the great joys of living in the city is the street life. This offers the type of experiences virtually nonexistent outside, such as sidewalk dining. There are over 10,000 food vendors in NYC selling from street carts. Most vendors’ fare is quite ordinary – pretzels, hot dogs, ice cream, and/or beverages. But there are those vendors who rise above the pedestrian and make really excellent food. Many feel that some of the best authentic cuisine can be had on the streets from these vendors, some of whom have achieved near-celebrity status and are known throughout the city, with individuals making trips to sample their food. In fact, street food now has its own culinary prize: The Vendy Award. This annual award is a fundraiser sponsored by the Street Vendor Project – it takes place in the courtyard of St. Mark’s Church in the Bowery in September of each year. Visit the website, where you can read about their goals/efforts and the award with past winners.

One of the finalists for 2006 was Sri Lankan chef Thiru Kumar, who for the last 6 years has run a cart called NY Dosas (seen in the photo) with vegan cuisine on the south side of Washington Square (he has received many excellent reviews and won numerous food awards apart from the Vendy nomination). His specialty is dosas, a south Indian type of crepe, which he cooks on site. In addition to the dosas he makes uthappam, idly, vada, sambar soup, Pondicherry masala, pattu, and many other exotic-sounding specialties. On a busy day, there have been as many as 60 people waiting in line, many of whom are students from neighboring NYU. I found Thiru to be extremely avuncular – part of his popularity is the feeling that he is taking you under his wing, making suggestions, and helping those unfamiliar with his food decide what to order. He is open Monday through Friday and occasionally on Saturday. Thiru even gives out a card with his cell number and email for those wanting to check his schedule…

I had heard a lot about the Jackson Diner over the years, including recommendations from Indians as the place to go for authentic Indian food. Living in Manhattan, however, we have available two major Indian restaurant districts – the row on East 6th Street and the area on Lexington Avenue in the 20s – so there was little incentive to travel to Queens. I recently made the pilgrimage to Jackson Heights and have done three posts on the neighborhood: Jackson Heights, Indian Gold, and Patel Brothers. Along with the Jackson Diner, they are all located on the same block (74th Street), the primary shopping area in Jackson Heights.

The diner, with its primarily North Indian cuisine, was opened in 1983 by owner/chefs Bobby Chhikara and Gian Saini. A few years ago, it moved to its current location, into a much larger space with a modern decor – the space is quite roomy with high ceilings. It now has much more the feel of a cafeteria than of a diner. There is a $9.95 lunch buffet, which is what I had on my visit there. I particularly liked the fresh made dosas (upper right photo), which are included. Most reviews are very good, however, there are the naysayers who say it is not like the original. But that’s what they always say…

One of my favorite dishes, Ful is not only difficult to find, it is also difficult to get accurate information about the beans and is difficult to spell, owing to transliteration from the Arabic. You will see Ful, Foul, Fool, and Fuul in combination with Mudammas, Medames, Medammas, Moudammas, and Medammis. Wikipedia is just as confused – it has two separate entries with no cross reference: Ful Medames and Foul Madammas (update 2/17/12: these two keywords now link to the same article). Commonly called fava bean salad or Egyptian bean salad, the dish is known as one of the national dishes of Egypt -“the rich man’s breakfast, the shopkeeper’s lunch, the poor man’s supper.” It is also made in many other parts of the Arab world with a myriad of variations. Keep in mind that although it is frequently called fava bean salad, there are three types of fava beans (ful hammam, ful rumi, and ful baladi). The broad beans commonly available in super markets (ful rumi) are NOT the ones used. The smallest (ful hammam) are the ones used for this dish. For the best synopsis of the history, ingredients, and regional variations, click here.

Even with its popularity in the Arab world and all the restaurants in NYC, there are only a handful of places in all of NYC that make this dish – most Middle Eastern restaurants do not even offer it on their menu. The photo was taken at First Oasis restaurant in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, where I travel to get ful. The owner, Said Albahari, previously owned Magic Carpet Restaurant on Carmine Street in Manhattan, where I first became acquainted with this delicious meal. This version is Lebanese style – prepared like a stew with olive oil, tahini, tomatoes, garlic, and other spices and served warm. Perhaps its lack of popularity is due to two popular spellings: Foul and Fool 🙂