The opportunity to try Mediterranean cuisine in NY is plentiful but admittedly I usually go for what I know or am more comfortable with when trying to plan a food outing.
Recently I visited a place in Brooklyn that offers Middle Eastern cuisine in a casual setting. We are all familiar with hummus but they offer quite a variety of food and drink choices. They have indoor and outdoor seating as well as the whole back patio (where I decided to sit). The tables inside are spaced apart accordingly but there are not too many. The seating in the back is actually quite nice and the covering does protect from elements such as rain. At one point I forgot I was outside.
I was greeted by a very enthusiastic and polite employee named Jonathan when I arrived. He was packing orders to go as well as taking care of dine in customers. All the staff, including the ones I saw prepping food were all wearing masks and taking proper safety precautions.
The menu is available online via their website or through a QR code on the tables. I was originally planning to get a few things to try along with the hummus of course but they have such an extensive offering of things that I have never heard of or have not ordered in a while. So I asked Jonathan for the best recommendations of dishes that represent Hummus Market. He went above and beyond.
For the drink, I usually shy away from alcoholic beverages unless I am with a guest or friend. Even though I was dining solo this time, the cocktail menu had some intriguing sounding items. I decided on the "Moroccan" Spiced Gold Rush which consisted of bourbon, spiced honey, lemon and a cinnamon stick. I drank it slowly as the food started arriving at the table but this would certainly be a good HH drink.
Now onto the food! The first wave consisted of appetizers - Moroccan Cigars (mushroom, eggplant and cilantro "spring rolls" served with tahihi and harissa), Market Mezze 3 (you pick three items out of at least 6 or 7 choices for a set price) consisting of roasted cauliflower, falafel and lebnah along with pitas. The cigars were quite unique and I think I ate those up pretty quickly. The cauliflower and falafel I was familiar with but it was the first time I had heard of or seen labneh. It differs from the yogurt we are all familiar as it is thicker. It worked well as pita spread.
The next thing was their hummus, as you cannot go to a place called Hummus Market and not try their signature dish. It was a platter consisting of garlic, tahini, mushroom and white. The pita was definitely utilized for the hummus dipping.
For the main entree, Jonathan brought out the chicken schwarma, which was one of their most popular dishes. The chicken fillet is on a bed of tahini and amba with peppers, cilantro and paprika oil. I just stuck with the pitas instead of getting rice. I finished this dish off as well. So tasty but I would recommend to eat it quickly as the chicken tends to dry out fast. You can dip in hummus or labneh as an option. Another dish that he recommended was the Siniya, which is another one of their top dishes. This one consists of roasted vegetables cooked in spicy tomato sauce and baked in tahini. It is topped with warm chickpeas, mint cilantro and pine nut. This is served with rice on the side. This is something I would have normally stayed away from but I am glad that it was recommended for me to try. Very flavorful and a nice dish to have on a cold night.
Now for dessert. I was looking at that portion of the menu earlier out of habit. I was almost at my food limit. It was decided that the classic baklava would be one choice (three modest sized pieces of flakey filo and crushed pistachio). So very good. I took some home with me for later. The other dessert that caught my eye was the Chocolate truffles (walnuts and coconut flakes). Jonathan informed me that all desserts were made in house. The chocolate was very rich. As I write this review the memories of all the good food almost make me as sad as looking at an empty plate. My compliments to Mr Idan and his staff who prepared all the food and came out at one point to check on me and bring out the food.
If you get a chance to travel to that part of Brooklyn, definitely check this place out. read more