Dinner at Zaytoon's

The Zaytoon's in Prospect Heights (594 Vanderbilt Ave., at the corner of St. Marks Ave., 718-230-3200) is almost the opposite of it's sibling on Smith St. in Carroll Gardens. It's spacious and brightly lit, but offers the same great food at incredibly affordable prices. The best is to go with a couple of friends so you can get a bunch of things and share everything. At least, that's how I like to do it. Of course you have to start with a Combination Plate - your choice of five of the 9 or so salads and dips available. We picked the Foul, Cucumber Yogurt Salad, Hummus, Babaganouj and Lentil Salad. Everything is fresh tasting, tangy, hearty and wonderful to scoop up with warm, right-out-of-the-oven pita.



I love the Pitza with Beef Bacon too. The meat is tender and perfectly salty, although I feel like there's too much scallion. Lots of melty cheese makes up for that though.



My boyfriend ordered the Kafta Kabob - charcoal grilled ground Beef & Lamb with onion, parsley & spices with a side salad, rice, green salad and pita bread with your choice of hummus or babaghanouj. It was flavorful, tender and plentiful. The hummus is creamy and zesty too.



My friend ordered the Shrimp Kabob - grilled Shrimp served over couscous with sauteed vegetables. I was surprised at how tender and juicy the shrimp were; and nicely flavored. I'm not a fan of couscous, so I'm not a fair judge and the veggies were mostly peppers, but good.



The Zaytoon's in Prospect Heights was great, and is a better choice for larger groups than the Carroll Gardens branch, but the food was just as good.

Dinner at Mimi's Hummus

The people in Ditmas Park will be glad I finally made my way out to their hood for dinner! I met a friend who lives nearby at Mimi's Hummus, a cute little sliver of a place at 1209 Cortelyou Road (between E 12th St. & E. 13th St., 718-284-4444), a few blocks from the Q train. I immediately felt like regular when, standing near the door listening to the waitress tell us about the specials with another woman who had just walked in, she and I oohed & aaahed upon hearing the description of a lamb dish which resulted in a conversation about visiting meat-eating land vs. living there.

My friend and I were quickly seated (the other woman got her food to go) and began consulting each other on what we wanted to get. We started with an order of hummus, of course! There are a few types served, but we got the classic - made with chick peas, drizzled with olive oil and whole roasted chick peas on top. it was garlicky, creamy and delicious with warm pita bread.



We also shared an order of a Phyllo-wrapped beef dish with a side of beets. This was spicy and earthy, the phyllo was soft and delicate and the beets were bright and refreshing.



I went with lamb from the specials list because it sounded so good. Ground lamb kebab served on a bed of basmati rice. The lamb was perfect - lightly grilled, excellently seasoned with aromatic herbs and topped with a cilantro sauce. The rice was a little dry or something. It wasn't whole grains of rice, more like a fluffy version of basmati that I didn't like. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't as good as it could have been.



My friend ordered the chicken meatballs which were served in a really tasty tomato sauce, but which were too salty to finish. That was disappointing, but it didn't color my overall experience of the meal.



Both of the meat dishes came with tabouli and a tomato salad which were both tangy & acidic and cut the heavy meatiness nicely. Even though we were pretty full from all that food, we couldn't help but get an order of these Chocolate Balls for dessert. The were like chocolate cookie dough, dense and rich, sugary in a good way, moist and intense. I loved them and wish I wrote down what they were called and how they were made. They're on the regular menu, and you can't miss them.



I really liked Mimi's Hummus and am excited to explore other spots in Ditmas Park. Suggestions???

Dinner from Bedouin Tent

Bedouin Tent (405 Atlantic Avenue, between Bond & Nevins, 718-852-5555) is a consistent stand-by for my family when I'm over at their place visiting, we're all hungry and nobody wants to cook. They deliver pretty quickly and the food is quite good (and if you'd rather dine in, there's a sweet little 'tent' in the backyard that elicits the feeling of being part of a caravan that has stopped for the night, all warm tones and coziness.

We started with the Combination Plate, this time with Hummus, Babagaouj, Tabouleh, Yogurt Sauce and Green Salad. The Baba is smoky, earthy & amazing, the hummus is creamy yet substantial, the tabouleh is fresh & bright, the green salad is crisp & cleansing with green peppers and cucumbers and the yogurt sauce is tart & thick. This all comes with a huge, warm pita for scooping, dipping & dunking.



We also ordered a Spinach Pie, which is as big as a calzone but flatter, stuffed with spinach and warm, melted cheese and just delicious. It's savory, slightly salty and so good, you can stop tearing off pieces despite all the other good stuff in front of you.



We always get the Green Pitza made with mozzarella, scallions, leeks and fenugreek. It's one of my favorite flavor combinations and is SO tasty. The toppings are spread on generously and are cooked to perfection. There are other pitzas made with lamb or chicken or sun-dried tomato, but this is hands down the best!



Of course there were orders of falafel sandwich too, cuz they make 'em really good! I get mine with extra hummus added, and even though I ask for just a LITTLE bit of hot sauce, they don't really listen to that and put more than I prefer. Oh well, it's OK since the falafel balls are moist and tender and there's enough of everything - lettuce, tomatoes & tahini - in every bite of the warm, flaky pita. Yum!

Middle Eastern at Zaytoon's

The other night I went with a friend to Zaytoon's, (283 Smith St., at Sackett St., 718-875-1880), a most reliable restaurant for Middle Eastern food. It's great, and I never have a bad experience going there. It's small and cozy, the staff is friendly and the kitchen is amazingly efficient. There's hardly a wait for your food, which is delicious, and sometimes amazing.

I usually get the Combination Platter (any five of the appetizers and salads), and try to mix it up a bit, but I have my favorites. The Babaganouj is smoky and thick and the Hummus is creamy with a definite zip; both are a must have. On this trip I also ordered the Tabouleh (which is well balanced with parsley, tomato & cracked wheat and tart with lemon), the Cucumber Yoghurt (which is SO good; tangy and slightly sweet, with lots of slices of fresh cucumber - it's refreshing and delicious sopped up with fresh, hot pita bread), and the Lentil and Rice Salad (which is good, but a little on the dry side).



My friend and I shared that as well as an order of the Kafta Kabob Platter. This comes with charcoal grilled ground beef and chunks of lamb with onion, parsley & spices. I have never ordered this dish before, and it was good, but the meat was just the other side of too well done for my taste. I wished the pieces of meat were juicier. They were nicely flavored and slightly charred from the grill, and drizzled with tahini, with more hummus on the side as well as a serving of rice and salad. It was very tasty, but I'm not sure if I'd order it again.



Their other standard fare is great - like the falafel sandwiches, which come rolled up in pita instead of messily assembled in the pita's pocket. Their "pitza" is also delicious - the one with Fenugreek is amazing, as is their Goat Cheese Pitza with beef bacon which has got to be one of the tastiest meats out there.

Even though I was ever so slightly disappointed with the Kabob dish, I do love this place and would recommend it for a casual night out or for delivery. If you do go, remember that it's BYOB. With locations in Clinton Hill and Prospect Heights as well.