Mmmm... spinach and feta hummus

Maggie brought this positively addictive dip to Mark's bbq.

Spinach and Feta Hummus
1 can (15 oz) of chickpeas / garbanzo beans
2 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
2 cups fresh spinach (I bet you can substitute 1 cup frozen spinach, defrosted and squeezed-out)
½ cup feta cheese
2 tbsp tahini
6 tbsp olive oil
salt, pepper, red pepper flakes for some heat - all to taste

Drain the chickpeas. Add the beans, half the spinach, half the feta, and all the other ingredients into a food processor. Process until smooth. Add the rest of the spinach and feta, and process to your desired consistency (I think it's nice when it has a little texture). Thin with water or more olive oil (or lemon juice or chicken stock) if necessary.

Refrigerate for one hour before serving. Great for parties!

Cafe Orlin

Occasion: Post-movie (Battle LA - absolutely execrable) brunch
Location: Cafe Orlin on St Marks between 1st and 2nd (cafeorlin.com)
Edibles: salmon omelet with dill, cream cheese, cucumber and red onions - came with salad, home fries and toast

Musings. In short - long wait; close quarters; exotic menu; great coffee.

My omelet had WAY too many onions, but it was fine after I removed them. In retrospect, I should have ordered something more adventurous. I'm sure there's something amazing on the menu that they don't serve anywhere else. Like maybe the Middle Eastern Eggs? The Tunisian Eggs? It's worth a few more exploratory visits.

[Side story: Josh brought me some layered marzipan squares from his favorite bakery. I gamely tried one, even though sweets like that aren't really my thing. I should probably have been more diplomatic - still, he seemed to take it pretty well when I told him I thought it tasted like toothpaste. Something like 30 seconds later, he had inhaled the three remaining pieces in the box - and those things were not small. It was very cute. I don't think I've ever met anyone who likes marzipan quite so much.]

Ali Baba

Occasion: Low-key birthday dinner for my brother
Location: Ali Baba on 34th betweeen 2nd and 3rd (alibabaturkishcuisine.com)
Edibles: small mixed appetizer; I had the doner kebab; he had the Mediterranean salad with chicken (though he ordered it with lamb)

Musings: My brother didn't feel like a night out, so instead we ate takeout at home and watched the new episode of House. As he said, simple pleasures. It occurs to me he's actually pretty smart for a young'un. Happy 21st, kid!

Despite its cringe-worthy name, Ali Baba serves some pretty awesome food. I love their mixed appetitzer. I get it all the time - it's the perfect warm weather dinner. It's got hummus, patlican salatast (a smoked eggplant dip), another eggplant concoction with tomatoes, ispanak (sauteed spinach) and lebni (yogurt with walnuts and dill). It comes with half a wheel of bread for dipping, and there's usually enough food to last me for two meals. They do have a heavy hand with the garlic, so be forewarned.

If eating with a friend, it's nice to get one of the meat dishes to round out the meal. The doner kebab is a classic, of course. I also like the iskender kebab, which is the shaved lamb over a bed of fried bread, doused with tomato sauce and yogurt. It's sloppy and hearty and wonderful - a little lasagne-like even. Their adana is decent too, if sometimes a tad dry.

Halal food truck

Location: the southwest corner of 53rd and 6th Ave, just south of the Hilton - look for the guys in the yellow shirts [Note: there's another food truck with guys in yellow shirts on the southeast corner. I haven't tried it, but there was also an insane line for that one.]

The thing about this truck is that there's a long line. Always. Always. On a sunny day, bring reading material. At lunchtime on weekdays, there are a fair number of folks in business dress. I've passed this truck at night, post-theatre and close to midnight, and the line is just as long. Cabbies come in droves, and eat in their parked cars.

(On this particular day, while waiting in the 30-person line, I was forced to listen to fifteen minutes of a very loud conversation the guy behind me was having with his girlfriend on his cell phone. They were discussing their.... er, physical relationship.... and it sounded something like this: "We're two f**king different people! I deal with sh*t my way! You deal with sh*t your way! Why do you expect us to f**king think the same way about sh*t!" Oh, New York.)

I like the chicken and lamb mixed grill on rice with white sauce and just a squirt of hot sauce (it packs a punch). The picture above is a fairly artsy rendering. In reality, it looks like a sloppy mess but it tastes as good as that picture makes it look. It's $5.00 and it's a big enough portion that it routinely lasts me for two meals - perks up just fine in the microwave.

Mamoun's Falafel

Occasion: Pre-theatre (Othello) snack

Location: Mamoun's on MacDougal at W 3rd (mamounsfalafel.com) [Note: there's a second location on St Marks]

Edibles: the lamb sandwich with some falafel thrown in (sometimes called a "shawafel")

Musings: A dude I knew once cited Mamoun's as his favorite restaurant in the city. I wouldn't go quite that far, but I love it too. Their famous falafel is a recession-friendly $2.50. My shawafel cost $5.50, but the meat-tooth must be satisfied.

I took my snack over to Washington Square Park and spent fifteen glorious minutes completely engrossed in the juicy slivers of lamb, crunchy falafel and velvety tahini sauce. (It was a close-fought battle, but I successfully defended my gray tweed dress from incursionary dribbles of said sauce.) Yum.