Nanoosh Mediterranean Cuisine in Greenwich Village, NYC, New York

Still looking for cheap places near Union Square, we ended up at Nanoosh, a restaurant serving Mediterranean food. The place was packed so we imagined that there was a reason for it. The dining room was pretty big with high ceilings adding to the impression of volume. They sat us at the communal wooden table. 

The menu is supposed to be on the healthy side, featuring salads (Greek, greens, tabbouleh, quinoa...), hummus plates (with falafel, chicken, beef...), wraps or for an even healthier version, bowls, that are in a way or to simplify this post, a different version of the salads or hummus plates they propose. 

We decided to go for hummus plates. The hummus can be plain (original) or made with roasted red peppers. It is made daily with fresh organic chickpeas. 

Jodi decided to go for the falafel hummus plate. 

And I ordered the chicken hummus plate.

Taboonette, pocket food in NYC, New York

The owners of Taboon, a Mediterranean restaurant located in Hell's Kitchen, decided to open another location in Greenwich Village; a sister location named Taboonette. The concept is pocket food: putting food into a pita or wrap, like a little pocket. 

I was pretty excited as I love Mediterranean food and the simplicity of pita sandwiches. I was also looking for cheap eats in this area (the highest price on their menu is $12).

The place is nice with a simple decor; the light wood gives a zen atmosphere to it.

I also loved the lamps and the old fashion bulb where you can see the filament. For sure it is nicer than those energy efficient bulbs! If they could make them look like that, that would be awesome!

We started off with some hummus with pita chips:

Sandwiches at Bite in the East Village NYC, New York

Continuing our exploration of the cheap eateries near Union Square, we ended up at Bite, a small restaurant that serves Mediterranean / Middle Eastern food.

Their menu offers and interesting variety of dishes: salads, soups or sandwiches, chili (???)...I was surprised however that they did not serve falafel!

We decided to order two sandwiches. The first one was the Middle Eastern mushrooms:

It was composed of sauteed mushrooms, hummus, goat cheese and Middle Eastern salad. The bread was ciabatta. The first bite was good, especially because they put a lot of goat cheese, but I could not get past the texture of the mushrooms that were probably canned. They would have used fresh mushrooms, this sandwich would have been fantastic!

The other sandwich was the Sabih:

Dinner at Courgette in NYC, New York

We went out one evening with my colleagues, to a restaurant called Courgette, located Midtown, next to the Dream Hotel. Courgette: what an interesting name! It means zucchini in French and my compatriots and myself found that it was a funny name for a restaurant and associated it with either vegetarian cuisine or a cuisine offering different variations of this green veggie. We were wrong: not only it was not vegetarian, but there was not even one zucchini on the menu!!!

It is for sure a nice place: the bricks and wood give it a warm and rustic feel. There are four areas to eat:

The bar, wide enough so you can feel comfortable:

and adjacent to the section where they cut meat:

The main dining room with its small communal table and then two different dining rooms, a small one well lighted, where the main attraction is the fish display:

And a dimmer one that can accommodate large groups.

The menu, elaborated by Estonian-born, Michelin-starred Executive Chef Andrey Korobyak is not French, contrary to what the name of the restaurant suggests: the restaurant website qualifies it as New American and for the most part, it is Italian, serving classical Italian dishes such as bruschetta, burrata, pasta...

We started off with sharing appetizers. First were the bruschetta:

Traditional bruschetta with herry tomatoes, olives, sun dried tomatoes, onions and basil:

Mozzarella, Prosciutto and Pesto Bruschetta:

Couscous at Chez Bebert in Paris, France

Couscous and tagines are North African dishes that are very popular in France, not only because they are good, but also because it is the type of specialties that you cannot make easily at home as they require some special pots. For instance, a couscous is made in a double chamber steamer, called couscoussier, that you can also use...for dim sum...Some people cook the semolina by bringing water to a boil and then pouring it on it, but I can ensure you that it does not have the same taste and the grain is not as light as when steamed. There are plenty of restaurants serving couscous and tagines in Paris. One that is popular and has few locations in the city is Chez Bebert.

We went to the restaurant Porte Maillot as it was close to our hotel and therefore very convenient. The place was packed for a Wednesday! I could not believe it! 

The decor was traditional and there was a certain ambiance, although I was glad that no belly dancers popped up and asked me to join them dancing!

After we ordered some nice wine, they offered us some aperitif.

L'Ybane Wine Bar in NYC, New York

I passed many times in front of L'ybane, a wine bar few blocs away from Times Square. So, after seeing Lincoln in the movie theater, we decided to try that place. We then came back a second time. This post is about both times!

L'Ybane is a Lebanese restaurant that has also a location in Nice, South of France. They offer a wide range of Mediterranean dishes in full size or tapas style. I have to say that I love tapas, because it is a good way to try different dishes and sharing a dinner is a wonderful thing.

The decor reminds me restaurants you would find in France and the atmosphere, besides the fact that our waiter was French, was very European.  They have a pretty impressive wine list, that is not surprising when you see all the bottles on the wall, in the bar area. Luckily, we were there couple of days after the release of the Beaujolais Nouveau! They offered a bottle for $28 or by the Glass for $9. I chose the glass that was a very good deal considering the quantity served.

Jodi and I decided to order few appetizers and then dessert.

Press Dinner at Thalassa in Tribeca - NYC, New York

I have been invited to a press dinner at Thalassa, a modern Greek restaurant located in Tribeca that is celebrating its 10 years of existence. Remember when reading this post that it is a press dinner: food is complementary and the staff knows who we are. 

Interestingly, I went to this restaurant 10 years ago. I was asked why I never went back and the answer was simple: New York City has so many restaurants that I was just trying different ones. Do not ask me if I remember the food: it was too long ago. However, I remember that the lights were less dimmed (I always notice the light for my photos)...So, I was really excited to go back and try their food! 

The restaurant's specialty is seafood as the name Thalassa (Sea in Greek) suggests. This also comes through with the decor as you can see in the photo of the bar below (you can see sails on top).

I like the modern and sophisticated decor of this three levels restaurant. The 30 foot long bar made with ivory marble looks fantastic as well as the main dining room with its white leather chairs and huge columns. It is also nice to see that they left space between tables so you do not have the impression to eat with people you do not know...

They also have an impressive wine list and you can have a glimpse to their wine cellar if you go downstairs. Their cocktail list is also interesting and showcases Thalassa's creations. I went for a Greek pear martini (that I asked in a regular glass because I hate martini glasses: I always end up with some of the cocktail on my shoes!!!). It was fantastic! The taste of the pear really came through and it was not strong at all.

The Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia, PA

You cannot go to Philadelphia without visiting the Reading Terminal Market! This place has some incredible food! Not all the food is good, but they have some little gems there!

I love going to this kind of places where there are so many different merchants that you do not know where to go and what to eat! They serve: meat, fish, vegetables, ice cream, pastries... And then, you can eat French (crepes!), Thai, Italian, Middle Eastern...

Each time we went to Philly, we stopped there!

Suspenders in New York, New York - Just bar food...

We had to go to the Financial District over the week end and were looking for somewhere to grab a bite. I saw this place Suspenders, that is not that easy to find and with a weird entrance (you go one story down then open some white doors and then see the entrance)! Going there, do not expect anything than bar food, although with a Mediterranean flair. They serve dishes like grilled octopus, chicken souvlaki (that I tried) or more classic dishes like grilled cheese or sandwiches. The place was of course empty for a Saturday lunch time (do not forget it is a business area). The room is pretty big with first the bar and then the dining room. The service was courteous and efficient.

On the week end, they have a week end special that is a dish with a soda for less than $8. Of course, what they serve is smaller than the regular dish and fortunately we had an appetizer!

We chose the Mediterranean Platter: house made hummus, babaganoush, tzatziki, kalamata olives (3 of them!) and warm pita. Overall very good even if the babaganoush was lacking some eggplant.

I then tried the chicken slouvaki: a marinated chicken skewer served with tzatziki sauce and greek salad. The chicken was good, especially dipped in the tzatziki sauce. However, I could care less about the greek salad: the tomatoes were not of great quality and there was only one cube of feta!

I also tried the Grilled Cheese made with sharp cheddar cheese and fresh mozzarella grilled with crispy bacon and tomato. It was pretty decent despite the cheap processed cheese....It was also served with a greek salad, similar to the one with the chicken.

Suspenders is probably not the best restaurant in the area and seems to be more an after work gathering place. The food was ok for the price. It was this or Subway next door...

Enjoy (I barely did)!