I just happened to be in the neighborhood after getting the most amazing massage…read moreOn the Bowery. The Maitr'd showed me to a great table in the dining room. My waiter Aaron came right over and recommended a glass of Montepulciano. Which was amazing. I mean how can you go wrong?? Aaron recommends the lamb chops which I readily agree. It comes and folks it does not disappoint! Perfectly delicious. Three tender chops just enough. Ok so what can i say? This is a five star restaurant!!!

Wonderful neighborhood meal…read more The cocktails are creative and tasty. The plates are well seasoned and nicely presented. The service is helpful and works with you to ensure that you enjoy your meal. The restaurant is larger than you might expect from seeing the exterior. The seating is comfortable.

Amazing staff!! 10/10 service on top of amazing food and drinks! also great music and the lighting…read moremakes everyone look amazinggg

Sunday brunch at the viral Turkish hotspot Foursome in West Village. They've recently dropped a…read morebunch of new menu items, and every dish was both photogenic and absolute perfection. The Pistachio French Toast ($25) is a must--topped with silky pistachio mousse and rich cream sauce. The Simit and Eggs ($27) features toasted Simit with whipped feta and soft-poached eggs, while the classic Çilbir ($23) delivers rich, tangy flavors with garlic crème fraîche and Urfa pepper oil. Finished off with authentic Turkish Tea & Coffee for the ultimate weekend vibe.

Went to Shoo Shoo on a summer evening. The ambiance is pleasant and relaxed with outdoor seating…read moreperfect for people-watching and indoor appropriate for larger groups or to take advantage of air conditioning. The babaghanush was one of the best I've had with just the right amount of smokiness, spiciness, flavor and texture. Hummus was excellent as well. My harissa burger (medium) came out juicy and flavorful with onions giving it additional flavor. The fries were crispy, properly seasoned and enjoyable. I was extremely happy with my wine choice: Galil Mountain Alon 2022 Red. The service was very good, neither overbearing nor neglectful. Kudos to the Shoo Shoo team.

I've been to Shoo Shoo for brunch and a friends birthday dinner, both times with a big group. They…read moreare able to accommodate larger tables, so it's a good option for a birthday! Their food is consistently really good. For brunch, the herby Moroccan green omelet was so flavorful and the shookshuka was great. They have a mint tea pot that is really nice for brunch as well. For dinner, the standout for me was the ShooShoo Kabob by far I am still thinking about it's the Hummus and labneh are both good. The Steak Shishlik is also really good. I wasn't personally a fan of the chicken shawarma or the falafel. However others at the table loved those! One small caveat- I don't love the cocktails. I don't think they are up to the level of the food. However, they're not necessarily bad so I'm OK with it. Overall- I love this place and the food is great

If you're reading this, you are in for a treat. I had the…read moreabsolute pleasure of having dinner here with some cherished friends and the food was delicious but what just took this to the next level was the outstanding service. Our ensemble of Mo, Corey, Mauricio and the rest of the wonderful staff made the whole experience simply magical. The atmosphere alone has its charm, but I would say that this group of individuals truly were top tier. I can go on and on but for the sake of time... The food was delicious we sorted through a few things on the menu. I'm not going to try to pick a favorite because everything was blissfully yummy. (I will not elaborate further, you're just going to have to go and try.) However, the knowledge and experience of our wonderful Mo who's undeniable passion is palpable. Mo truly made the experience so personal as if your at a friends home. his colleague Corey the sommelier was fantastic as well. The only thing i could complain about is that I didn't come sooner.

Recommendations- Chicken Liver Mousse, Breads & Spreads, Wellington (to split)…read more From the same folks as Raf's and The Musket Room, this is their first foray into Mediterranean food. The space itself is absolutely gorgeous, from the seating/plating arrangements to the ceiling and various decorations, while the staff gave good recommendations. The prices are a tad high, even by this area, but in terms of flavor, it was very good, and I would go back for lunch or brunch, or stick primarily with appetizers, even if I loved the entree. To drink, I had a Smokey Robinson, a mix of Japanese whisky, bourbon, smoked vermouth, Cherry Heering, arak, and bitters for $24, which was alright. It tasted like a Manhattan, but on the smokier end, and I wish it had more arak flavor. The drink was also a bit small, but that made a bit of sense as it was quite boozy. I started with the $16 Chicken Liver Mousse, with cardamom, pistachio, arak, and fig on toast. The portion size was quite decent for the price point, and the flavors were nice. The mousse was soft and silky, while the pistachios added some crunch, and the fig added some sweetness. All of this came on two thick pieces of toast. I liked it, with the only previous chicken liver toast I liked more being the seasonal versions from Agi's in Brooklyn. Another few people had two orders of the Breads & Spreads for $21, with the breads consisting of pita, talami, and lavash with za'atar oil, while the spreads consisted of eggplant with coriander and chili crisp and labneh with trout roe. There were also a few other options, including gluten-free bread as well as an add-on for caviar for an extra $50. I had a bit of each of the spreads, with the eggplant being particularly delicious, while I don't exactly see the point of the trout roe, as it was just adding some extra saltiness. For my main dish, thankfully, someone split the $74 Lamb Wellington with me. This was $74 and had grape leaves, labneh, and za'atar, and came with two large pieces with the sauce poured at the table. This was a unique take on a Wellington, with the grape leaves used as the in-between layers instead of duxelles. The other person ordered medium, which I was fine with, though I prefer medium rare, and the meat itself was very tender. The pastry crust was buttery, and the sauce added a bit of sweetness, while the labneh had some sourness. This was delicious, and even at that price point, I probably would recommend it, which is saying something. Other people got the $29 Levantine Dumplings, the $22 Chickpea Balila, the $36 Tuna, and the $48 Half Chicken, along with some Lebanese rice on the side. The portion sizes ranged pretty heavily, with the dumplings in particular being quite small. The person who is a vegetarian liked the balila, which was a stew, and said it had a good amount of heat. The latter people loved the tuna and liked the chicken. For dessert, two of us split the Knafeh Cheesecake for $17, with crispy kataifi, apple, and saffron-arak honey sauce. Regardless of it being spelled kunafa, kunefe, or others, knafeh is one of my favorite Middle Eastern desserts, but this missed the mark. The texture didn't really remind me of either dessert, with the cheese being an odd mix of soft and hard. I liked the apples, the kataifi was not soggy, and thankfully, the sauce was not too sweet, being a bit perfumy also from rosewater or possibly the listed saffron. This was just okay, and I wouldn't recommend it. Others enjoyed the $15 Assortment of Sweets and the $21 Chocolate Pot de Crème. I wish some of the spices were a bit more pronounced, but I would go back for lunch or brunch to avoid some of the sticker shock. Mid/low 4.

Go for the huge portions and gorgeous patio. Wowed by the…read morerestaurant week deal! Ambiance is girls brunch and aesthetic. Menu - highlighting the shakshuka, rich and generously portioned. Also loved the burger, definitely hits the spot!

This is a great vibe and it was perfect to celebrate a friends birthday here. Overall I felt the…read morestarters and dips were great while the main entrees were ok. For drinks I had a Hugo spritz and loved it. Our table shared several dips and apps which I really liked. We had the kofte meatballs, calamari, country salad, phyllo rolls, and various dips including hummus, labneh, muhammara and others. It was a great start to the meal. I ordered the sirloin shashlik steak frites for my main and felt it was ok. The steak pieces were good but a little dry and the fries were decent, and there wasn't a sauce or dip it came with. For dessert we shared the cheesecake and chocolate mousse which were both fine. The service overall was great and we were regularly checked on.

Super intimate Mediterranean food restaurant in NoHo area. Loved the chicken dishes and the…read morewatermelon feta salad. Great for large groups too. Would come back again to try other dishes

One word - Hummus…read more I've been here twice and the only thing I've ordered was the hummus. I had an out of body experience the first time I had it. It was creamy, bold, fresh and the umami flavors were OUT OF THIS WORLD. I also appreciated it the generous serving of pasta and additional condiments/pickles provided. Once you have this hummus, you can never go back. 100000/10

Recommendations below in order. In general, stick with the mezzes…read more Recommended: Artichoke, cauliflower Good: Skirt Steak, hummus, desserts Wouldn't recommend: Pappardelle, tahdig, soup dumplings I went to this pretty tasty and dimly lit Levant/Israeli spot a while back with a group. The service was friendly and gave good recommendations to those who wanted them, knowing the menu well as well as allergens. In general, I would recommend the mezze/small plates much more than the entrees. To drink, I had a Matos, with rye, rosemary Aperol, amaro Noveis, and lemon for $18. It was a creative and tasty cocktail with both the Noveis and rosemary adding a unique herbal flavor. Someone else enjoyed a mocktail, the $10 Yarok with cucumber, fresh ginger, and lime. From the mezzes I sampled, the best was the Artichoke for $17, with pistachio labneh, preserved lemon relish, and dukkah. The portion was large, and the artichokes were well-cooked with a soft texture. Otherwise, there was some nuttiness from the labneh and dukkah, and some sourness from the relish. I would recommend it heavily. Also very tasty was the $19 Cauliflower with chermoula, scallion, pickled raisins, and almonds. I much prefer spots that roast cauliflower enough to burn it slightly but not too much, and they did it perfectly here. Otherwise, there was a mild sourness from the chermoula, while the rest of the ingredients added crunch and a bit of sweetness. The Hummus for $17, with green schug, chickpeas, and pita, was good. It was smooth and silky, but I wish the tahina flavor were a bit stronger. I liked the addition of the schug, which added an herbal heat to it. The worst of the mezze and the worst dish overall were the Yemenite Soup Dumplings with beef and hilbeh for $19. This came with four large pieces, with the dumplings more resembling a Georgian khinkali in terms of thickness, which made them very doughy. While the soup was tasty, there wasn't that much of it. I wouldn't recommend this at all. My main dish was the alright $34 Pappardelle with mushrooms, sweet onion tahini, and bread crumbs. The pasta was a bit soft for my liking, and I found it a bit too sweet overall. The mushrooms had some good earthiness, but I wouldn't recommend this much. I also wouldn't recommend the Tahdig Rice, with saffron, pistachio, and barberries. The side is $16 and is listed for two, which is accurate based on size, but the flavor is lacking. The Persian rice side had a mix of textures, with some of it having the trademark crispiness, but there weren't that many toppings. Unless you're getting a dish with a sauce, I wouldn't bother. I tried a bit of the much better Skirt Steak for $38, with adobo dry rub, leek puree, mashwi salad, and potato chip. This dish had a fun presentation, and the skirt steak was perfectly cooked medium rare with a nicely seasoned rub. The chip was a fun concept and added a bit of crunch. In terms of others, someone else enjoyed the $37 Brick Chicken For dessert, some people ordered the Malawah Churros and the Almond Malabi. Both were $14 and were enjoyed. I was pretty full at that point, so I didn't have a bite of the former, while the latter had a pleasant rosewater flavor. They both seemed decent with a good enough portion. If I had the artichoke and steak, I'd probably give this spot a 5. However, it's too inconsistent with a couple of dishes that both the group and I disliked.

{Overall: 4; Food: 4} Ambiance: 3.5; Service: 4…read more Had a really enjoyable brunch at Balaboosta. *Hummus: Very creamy and smooth, with nice soft bread to go with it. *Shakshuka: One of the better ones I've had. Eggs were perfectly cooked with runny yolks, and the tomato sauce was well balanced, not too acidic or bland. *Steak: Ordered medium rare but came medium well. Not dry though, and the seasoning on the outside was very flavorful. *Chicken shawarma: Very good. Was topped with a curry-type sauce that made it rich, and the chicken itself was moist. Portion sizes were generous. Service was friendly. The ambiance is simple and fine. Great for a casual brunch.

Second time for me at Pierre Lofti Wine Bar, first time for the others in my party. Party of 3,…read moregreat food and drinks and service. The staff went above and beyond both times I've been here. We were hoping to catch happy hour specials on Friday July 3rd, but were told they don't have happy hour that day (on Fridays? Due to the holiday?). If we try to come back on another Friday we will call ahead first to confirm if they have happy hour. We shared a bottle of rosé, the Brie Walnut Fig Honey Flatbread, and the Muammara. We appreciated the warm bread that came with the muammara. One person in our party was vegetarian. Everything was delicious and satisfying.

SERVICE - located in union square near the north side of the…read morepark - small interior with an easy to miss entrance - ambiance suited for a semi formal meetup with friends or a date night - service was quick though wanted to clear out table quickly MENU - small selection of tapas with an extensive wine menu - some vegetarian/vegan options - average price FOOD - muhammara (6/10); roasted red pepper and walnut dip served with pita bread. There were not many vegan dishes on the menu so I got this appetizer dip as my main. It was just okay though i felt like the dip was watery and lacked a strong red pepper flavor. WOULD I GO BACK? Unsure. It is a good spot for wine and charcuterie but not so great for veg options.