Recently, I had the pleasure of having lunch with Lévana (of the late, lamented, Lévana’s Restaurant fame) at Grill 212 (212 W. 80th Street; New York, NY 47455 – Tel: 212.724.7455) – a quaint little restaurant, with only 14 seats – in the Upper West Side. We started the meal with my favorite soup… Yemenite Beef Soup…
It came with Kubana bread and Hilba Schug. The soup was flavorful, with lots of beef, the Kubana bread – straight from the oven – moist and buttery in taste, the Schug was the perfect spicy complement to it all. We followed it with a juicy, all around perfect, Hamburger and Fries…
We segued into a Falafel, Moroccan Cigars and Fries…
Again, a complex amalgam of flavors came trough making this platter truly unforgettable. The fries were just crispy enough, the cigars and falafel balls revealed subtle nuances I had never experienced in American eateries. But the pièce de résistance was about to come…
Molten Chocolate Coke, oozing with all the goodness and sweetness of that superb, melting, burnt amber substance. There were more desserts ranging from chocolate cake to baklava and more; each unforgettable, each a tribute to a king’s palate!
I went back for lunch, this past Tuesday. I ordered their Lamb Shish Kebob and the Kubana, while Lévana ordered Pargiot; the portions were large enough not only to fill me up, but I took home enough leftovers to feel filled up at dinnertime. And the Elephant cookies – that I took home – were undescribable delicious, of course!
The place is small and unpretentious, the presentation could use a few pointers, but the taste… ahhh, the taste… more than makes up for those perceived shortcomings.
I guess I’ll just have to keep going back again and again…
CS
The Kosher Scene 
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