Friday, September 18, 2009

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???

Mimi's Hummus on Urbanspoon

10 comments:

A Bowl Of Mush said...

You ordered some really great things! I always order the normal hummus and the phyllo wrapped beef...aren't the beets on the side amazing?!
I always get their tabbouleh on the side, its so fresh and delicious!

But anyway, I'm totally besotted over this place, I crave their fresh, warm pita's and amazing home made hummus everyday!

Annmarie said...

Welcome to my neighborhood! There's an amazing authentic Mexican place "Cinco de Mayo" on Cortelyou that i really enjoy. The tap water tastes a little chemically (i guess that makes it even MORE authentic mexico) so opt for the rice milk - it's delish.

Erica said...

You should definitely try Farm on Adderly. I've only been for brunch, which is cheap and delicious, but I hear it is also amazing for dinner.

Rachel said...

if you haven't been to the Farm on Adderley - you must check it out... It's definitely the best in the hood or anywhere else nearby.

Chris Kreussling (Flatbush Gardener) said...

Mimi's will soon be expanding into the adjacent storefront space to accommodate more patrons and offer more take-away options.

Two other places to check out in Flatbush: The Farm on Adderley, across the street from Mimi's, and Pomme de Terre.

Steve said...

They're called "punchim"

Next time try the Lamb Sinya special if they have it...one of the best things I've ever eaten.

Eat It Brooklyn said...

I knew the Ditmas Park folk would be happy to see this post! Definitely have the Farm on Adderly on my list, and will add the other places as well. Thanks for the comments and suggestions! Keep 'em coming!

Lolo said...

Great post! How great is Ditmas Park?
I Fork New York went to Purple Yam and had a blast. It is newer and very delicious. www.iforknewyork.net/2/post/2010/01/purple-yam.html
Check it out!
Cheers,
The I Fork Ladies

Eat It Brooklyn said...

Thanks for the comment, Lolo! I'll definitely check out I Fork New York. I know, DP is very cool. People keep recommending the Purple Yam to me - I gotta get over there!

scrabblers said...

Purple Yam gets a lot of press -- Sifty's Fifty, the White House chef visit, etc. You need to try it out.

For my money, one of the best places on Cortelyou is Castello Plan, just over from Mimi's Hummus. We wandered in one morning because brunch at Qathra was too crowded. All we wanted was some coffee/tea, and we ended up having a 3-course brunch. It was amazing. The chef there is doing wonderful things.