‘Middle Eastern Food’ Articles at Sweetnicks

Review: Ephesus Restaurant

May 21, 2012 · Narrative

It’s no secret that I’m a fan of Middle Eastern food.

Amongst other, not-yet-documented moments.

So when my friend Beth and I needed a quick snack to fuel us during a recent Saturday of errands, we went by way of falafel.

A quick duck into a semi-new Middle Eastern restaurant gave us the opportunity to check out their menu, and power up to … power on. (Although to be completely accurate, this restaurant is designated as Turkish Mediterranean)

A non-descript restaurant in a blink-and-you-miss-it strip mall, Ephesus is about seven months old (new owners, new menu, taken over from the previous Bosphorous), and our takeaway on the place can be summed up in two sentences.

The chef needs to find the salt shaker.

Weirdest.ice.cubes.ever.

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Review: Beyond Pita, Montclair, New Jersey

February 28, 2012 · Narrative

Over the weekend, we were watching an episode of Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. One of the restaurants profiled were serving up falafel. And all of the sudden, it was all I could think about. I suggested to Mystic that our Sunday outing includes a stop at a falafel place.

I can’t say he was completely on board for a first taste of falafel, since chick peas are on his weird and wonderful little list of things he doesn’t like, but he was more than willing to help me satisfy my own absurd needs for it.

A few early morning text messages with friends to find the best place to go, and we were on our way to Montclair to get my falafel fix. Beyond Pita is a little blink-and-you-miss-it place on Church Street; small doesn’t begin to describe it, but isn’t that how some of the very best places are? There is a little one-person-wide counter where you can place your order, and a tiny spot for about four people to wait comfortably for their food. No place to eat there, so this is a grab and go type of joint. Or grab and sit in your car across the street, which is what we did.

Not knowing if he was going to like falafel, Mystic went with their beef kebabs to play it safe. These are not your traditional kebabs on a stick, though. The meat is stuffed into a pita, along with a dressing, lettuce, tomatoes, and onions. In fact, as we were opening up the packages, I actually thought his was mine, because aside from the main component, they look pretty much the same. The beef was pretty tender (even though he gets his meat super well done, nothankyou), but although the meat was not high-flavored, it had a slight hint of something sweet. The most ridiculously messy sandwich to eat, it was one of those that once you pick it up and start, you’re not setting it down until you’re done. The pitas are soft and fluffy, but really do fall apart too quickly.

My falafel was stuffed into a pita with the same dressing/veg combination that Mystic’s kebab was, as well as the addition of crisp pickle pieces. The fritter was crispy on the outside and warm and soft on the inside. So.very.good. I could have definitely gone back for a plate of the chick pea fritters on their own after that.

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Review: Mamoun’s Restaurant, Hoboken, NJ

April 11, 2011 · Narrative, Restaurant Review

Reality has a way of quickly biting you in the arse sometimes, doesn’t it? A quiet but swift reminder that it still very much exists. Last week was Spring Break. For Nick. For me. Not so much Madeline, because her life is like a never-ending Spring Break. We all had a great time. I came back replenished, very clear-headed about a lot of things, and ready to conquer the world. Well, small parts of it that are mine anyway. But I also came home to a house with no power.

Power has since been restored, but unfortunately a messy wrath was left behind. So far, no computer, phones, tv, printer, and, unfortunately, the list is growing, including a fridge that I sadly had to empty.

Luckily I had a few posts that I wrote before I left, so I was able to quickly post this at lunch time today, but unfortunately no new pictures until everything is righted in the O’Malley household. Until then, bear with me.

I love Middle Eastern food. Falafel. Tabbouleh. Hummus. All of it. So when a new Middle Eastern restaurant opened up in Hoboken, I couldn’t wait to try it. Although new to Hoboken, Mamoun’s is not new. They have a location in Greenwich Village in New York City, a falafel restaurant that first opened up its doors in 1971, and the oldest falafel restaurant in New York. They also have a second location in NYC (on St. Mark’s) and another one in New Haven, CT. If you’re lucky enough to be near one of their restaurants, do grab a bite. You won’t be sorry.

Our dinner was take-out, and when we got back, we had an assortment of little foil-wrapped mystery packages to sift through.

It took me forever to decide what to order. It all sounded so good. And truth be told, the prices are so inexpensive, you could order half the menu and still not break the bank. I went with their falafel veggie sandwich combo. It has chopped fresh vegetables, falafel and their special sauce. I had no idea what some of the ingredients were, but it was so good, it didn’t matter.

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