Archive for 'Middle Eastern'

Alfanoose Finds A Way To Make Cauliflower Deliciously Unhealthy

It seems that sometime since I last ate at Alfanoose on Maiden Lane (btw. Broadway & Nassau) the restaurant has started playing up the fact that they serve Lebanese food rather than generic “Middle Eastern cuisine,” or coasting on the fact that at some point they were once named as having the best falafel in the city. I’ve never been wowed by the falafel, but they do have a pretty extensive selection of vegetarian items on the menu (a french fry sandwich!), including fried cauliflower. I figured this could either be a very good, or very bad way to pretend I’m being healthy.

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Spicy Chicken Man-Ushi At Baba Ghanouge Is A Wrap You Can Be Proud To Eat

There are days that some specific food sounds really good, and it becomes a mission to find exactly what I’m craving. The other day this happened and it was falafel that sounded good, but I also wanted to go for a little bit of a walk since it wasn’t raining outside for once. Baba Ghanouge popped into my head because I remembered a sign in their window for a $3.99 falafel sandwich. When I took a glance at the menu, though, something else caught my eye: The man-ushi sandwich section. How had I missed this before?

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Investigating Ambizza Cafe Truck’s Claim Of Kofta Greatness

When lofty claims such as “the best kofta kabab in NYC” emblazon the side of a food truck, I feel they must be investigated through eating. After asking you all if Ambizza Cafe truck was worthy of a review, a few of you said it was so I headed over for a kabab platter ($8), although there’s a wide variety of meats cooked on sticks available as well as a couple of burgers and some vegetarian options such as falafel and a vegetable sandwich. Really, though, this trucks seems to cater to the carnivore.

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Have Any Of You Tried The Ambizza Cafe Truck?

I’ve walked by the Ambizza Cafe Truck that’s been parked at Old Slip & Water, but haven’t had the chance to try it. There was a substantial line there yesterday and a glance at the menu shows they do meat kebabs and “the city’s best kofta” as well as a lamb burger & fries for a cheap price. Has anyone tried food from this truck? I might have to check it out, simply because I don’t want to miss out on the best kofta this city has to offer.

Hoomoos Asli’s Schnitzel Sandwich Gets A Boost From Some Fries

Across the street from perpetually mobbed La Esquina you’ll find Hoomoos Asli on Kenmare St. (at Cleveland Pl.) which is the area’s answer to Crisp (that is until Taim opens its new flagship shop in Nolita) or a go-to falafel cart. The restaurant serves Israeli takes on pita sandwiches and platters and although the falafel and other vegetarian sandwiches are the cheapest options on the menu that’s often over $10, I zoned in on the chicken schnitzel sandwich and decided to make an fried addition for an extra $1.

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Alfanoose’s Kafta Sandwich: Worth The Nearly $10 Price Tag?

If you’ve worked in the Financial District, chances are you’ve heard of Alfanoose on Maiden Lane (btw. Broadway & Nassau). It’s something of an institution in that it’s been there since 1999 and at some point earned recognition for having some of the best falafel in the city. I am not really into their falafel which is in a long cylinder rather than the usual orb, offing the ratio of fluffy inside to crust, and is a couple of dollars more than you’re going to pay at any street cart.

That was the only sandwich I’d eaten there, but then a couple of weeks ago Lunch’er Deep once again recommended the kafta kebab sandwich tweaked to include fried onions. Ground lamb and beef cooked over charcoal sounded pretty great, but would it redeem Alfanoose?

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Halal Gyro Express Adds Afghani Food, Including Real Lamb

Do you like gamey meat from a cart that does not come from a factory-formed loaf of gyro? If you’re like me, the answer to that question is yes. There are a few places in the Financial District that serve actual chunks of goat or lamb, but Halal Gyro Express is the first cart I’m aware of that sells it in the form of Afghani food. The cart got a face lift a while back after toiling away on William St. (btw. Maiden Lane & John) for many years as an Xpress Power Lunch selling the usual trinity of chicken, lamb gyro and seriously good  falafel. In fact, just after I tried their street meat combo (which they still sell) was when they revamped the cart, put new pictures on the side, and added four new Afghani specialties to the menu including lamb and chicken tikka, lamb chops and chicken kofta. Check out a little lamb tikka over rice action after the jump.

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