Traditional Lebanese Food on the East Side

It’s been almost a month since our last post!  But we’ve been eating as much as possible to make up for lost time.  Today we post about a great Lebanese restaurant recommended by a Lebanese consular officer; last night we ate at the Egyptian restaurant recommended by an Egyptian diplomat; and we have recommendations to try out for Northern Italian, German, Czech, and more Vietnamese. Look for the Egyptian posting in about a week, and the others to follow soon thereafter.

One reason we haven’t posted in a month is that we had a nice vacation in early July, visiting relatives in northern California and Oregon.  We ended the trip in Seattle, where we ate with great friends at what is alleged to be the best Spanish restaurant in all of the United States (Taberna del Alabardeo).  But that is a story for another day.

During our stay in Portland, we had excellent Lebanese food at a favorite restaurant of our nephew Tyler, and decided then that we had to check out Lebanese food in New York.  Upon our return, Murray asked a Lebanese consular official which restaurant serves the most authentic Lebanese food, and the answer was immediate and emphatic: Naya is the best and most authentic Lebanese restaurant in the city.

Lebanese food shares many characteristics with other Middle Eastern cuisines, and is the ultimate example of the Mediterranean diet.  We enjoyed this meal with our friends Carole and Wayne, who have been frequent partners in our diplomat dining adventure over the years.  With four of us at dinner, we were able to try out a number of different dishes.

We started our meal with a selection of mezze, small dishes offering a variety of flavors, textures and aromas. Unlike some of the South American restaurants we have blogged about, Naya would be an ideal place for a vegetarian; there are 15 different vegetarian mezze to choose from on the regular menu.

Based on the recommendation of our waiter, we ordered four mezze: hommus, allegedly the best in New York City; falafel, which were far more delicate than any I’d previously sampled; loubié, green beans sautéed with tomato and garlic; and sujuk, a spicy beef sausage.  The loubié was our favorite dish of the night, and seems like it would be simple to make – The secret spice is cinnamon.  I haven’t tried to prepare it myself yet, but intend to do so as soon as we have more green beans from our garden.

Since we had so many mezze, we ordered only three entrées.  These also were chosen based on the waiter’s recommendation:

•    kibbé sayniyé, baked ground beef and cracked wheat, stuffed with minced meat and pine nuts, and served with a yogurt-cucumber sauce

•    kafta sayniyé, ground lamb in a red sauce with tomato, onion and potato

•    chicken molokhia – the special that night, chicken served with a green sauce and rice-noodle pilaf

Chicken molokhia, according to our waiter, is traditional in the Lebanese household, and was, for us, probably the most unusual of the foods we tried.  I’ve now done some research on this dish, and found a recipe and explanation of the main ingredient at growcookeat.com.

All of this great food is served in a stunningly designed environment – lots of white, mirrors, and careful lines.  According to the Naya website, this design is the work of SOMA Architects.   The restaurant is rather small, and the design attempts to enlarge the space visually.  Certainly we did not feel cramped here.

We drank wine – and stayed with the Lebanese theme for this – choosing the Massaya Classic 2006 from Bekkaa Valley, which at $36 for a bottle was the least expensive red wine on the menu. Even so, it was the perfect accompaniment for our meal.  Beer, including Almaza, a Lebanese beer, is also available.

We were more than satiated by our mezze and entrées, but we had to order dessert – one shared among the four of us – and selected ashta, which is a pudding topped with bananas, honey, almonds and pistachios.  Eating even just a couple of bites of this pudding pushed me beyond a comfortable level of fullness, but I’d do it again – Ashta is a wonderful combination of honey, cream and nuts, and a nice ending to a good meal. 

Luckily, we had a pleasant walk after dinner.

Our waiter was extremely helpful and friendly, and, even though at the end of our meal we learned he is Jordanian, not Lebanese, the authenticity of Naya was underscored by the other clientele – many of whom were Lebanese and clearly regulars.

The bill for the four of us totaled just under $200, including tip, worth it for this memorable meal.  All major credit cards are accepted.

Where and When

Naya
1057 2nd Avenue (between 55th and 56th streets)
New York, NY 10022
(212) 319-7777

www.nayarestaurants.com   (Be forewarned; the site is quite beautiful but also very slow to load)

Monday - Friday
12 noon – 3:00pm
5:30pm – 10:30pm

Saturday
12:30pm – 10:30pm

Sunday
12:30pm – 9:30pm

  

Comments

[Rob]

Thanks for the review & the diplomat series. Naya is great & now I'm eager to try the Indonesian and Cypriot restaurants you've covered. I'm wondering what Egyptian restaurant you tried? I'd love to know.

[Janet]

Thanks for your comment, Rob. Definitely try the Indonesian and Cypriot places ... They are two of my favorites in this adventure. I'm planning to post about the Egyptian restaurant later today, so you won't have to be in suspense much longer. Check back this evening.

[website design New York City]

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