Balaboosta

214 Mulberry St.  New York, NY

www.balaboostanyc.com

Price: $$$

Favorite dish: Patatas Bravas 

A few weeks back, my parents, my uncle, my cousin Allison and I went out to dinner the night before my parents went back home. This was the night after we visited Smorgasburg in Brooklyn, so I have no idea how I was hungry. But I was, so why not go out for a great meal? My parents had wanted to take me to Balaboosta, which means 'perfect housewife' in Yiddish. If the food is being prepared by a Balaboosta, we should be in good hands. The food is Mediterranean and has Israeli roots. Absolutely my kind of restaurant!

Here is what we got:

For a starter and pre-dinner treat, we were served little crisps that were well seasoned, as well as crunchy, light, and airy. They were extremely addictive, and to add extra flavor, we started adding a little bit of the black salt, because why not?!

Some black salt for the table to pinch and drizzle over everything.

For a starter, how could we resist the Hummus, served with a mortar and pestle. It came along with straight out of the oven pita bread covered with an amazing amount of seasoning (which I'm sure you can tell from the photo).  The hummus was really really good, and super fresh. The pita was my favorite part though… so warm and flavorful.

For another starter, we got the Burrata... always a classic. It was local burrata cheese, with Challah toast, a wonderful whole roasted tomato, and a hint of basil. The cheese was really fresh and creamy, and the tomato was awesome.

Probably my favorite part of the meal was our last appetizer: the Patatas Bravas, which was chunks of crispy potatoes, with za'atar and a roasted garlic aioli. The potatoes were SO HOT…I burnt my tongue twice, but that's probably because I was so obsessed. I think it was the aioli that really made it so good. The Za'atar was amazing (a blend of herbs, sesame, and salt), and all in all, the potatoes and the dip made a heavenly couple.

Allie and I both ordered the Boneless Half Chicken, cooked "under the brick," served with Israeli couscous with dried apricots and green leeks, and a gremolata sauce. We decided that we definitely should have shared had we known the actual size of the chicken, but it was really really good! The chicken was juicy and had a nice skin. I really liked the sweetness of the couscous along with it. 

My dad got one of the specials of the evening featuring a fresh fish selection, with roasted vegetables and a tomato sauce.

My Uncle got an amazing Grilled Spice Rubbed Skirt steak. The steak was bursting with flavor. It was absolutely delicious. I hadn't had steak in a while which made it all the better. The meat was tender and juicy and perfect.

My mom was still full from Smorgasburg earlier in the day, so she ate light. She got the appetizer portion of the Ceviche, which was made with a white fish, bulgar, cilantro, orange, chili, and lemon. I am a huge fan of ceviche, and this one was really fresh tasting and had a really good flavor combinations.

I was really excited to eat at Balaboosta because it was my first really good full Mediterranean meal of the summer! It was totally worth visiting and, having browsed through their lunch and brunch menus, I definitely see another visit in my future (Shakshouka here I come!)

XOXO,
Danielle

Fig & Olive

420 W. 13th Street.   New York, NY
**there are several locations**
www.figandolive.com

Price: $$$-- Although the items on the brunch menu weren't way too pricey, the dinner menu becomes a bit more expensive. However, not too unreasonable.
Best dish from this meal: Fig and Walnut Pancakes


After searching the web for a great place for brunch with my family and our good family friend, Sami, I stumbled upon Fig & Olive. I knew this name seemed familiar, and it turns out its one of my best friend's favorite restaurants (shoutout Arleigh). The menu seemed absolutely amazing and right up our alley, with all the great flavor combinations and interesting dishes that are offered. The brunch menu looked so good that I was reading through the lunch and dinner menus, already trying to figure out the next time I could come by and try it out without having even trying it yet. Turns it out was just as good as I was hoping!

Here's what we ordered:

My dad's (half eaten) housemade granola bowl with fresh fruit and mint, served with yogurt (or milk, if you prefer). Simple, but delicious.

My mom and I both ordered the "South of France" poached eggs with salmon. The eggs were served inside a toasted olive oil bread "bowl," with marinated salmon on the inside, and oranges. It also came with ricotta cheese, avocado, scallions, tomato, and potato wedges. AKA the perfect breakfast combo. The eggs were poached perfectly with a runny yolk, which was great with the bread, and a bit of everything on the plate. I really enjoyed this dish!  

My dad's truffle mushroom fontina scrambled eggs, with cremini and black trumpet mushrooms, mascarpone cheese, fontina, scallions, and white truffle oil. YUM. 

Sami's fig and walnut pancakes. I have to say, she definitely ordered the best dish out of all of us. These pancakes had to be some of the thickest, fluffiest looking pancakes I had ever seen before, and they tasted just as fluffy. They were filled with walnut and fig pieces, topped with a perfect coating of powdered sugar, and of course, more figs. Even the syrup was fig-infused (what else can you expect from a restaurant called Fig & Olive?) I couldn't help myself and I just had to try them, and they were so good...

Jaynie's goat cheese gnocchi with poached eggs. The gnocchi was mixed with chives,  gorgonzola fontina cheese, and covered with poached eggs. I was debating ordering this too, so I was so glad Jaynie ordered it. I loved the concept of having gnocchi served with an egg on top, so I definitely had to try it. I thought it was really good, however I think the gnocchi could have gone a little lighter on the gorgonzola and a little heavier on the goat cheese.

I cannot WAIT to head back to Fig and Olive in the future. There are so many dishes on their menu that sound unreal, so I am looking forward for my next excuse to eat here. I highly recommend this restaurant!

XOXO,
Danielle