Courtesy of 19 Cleveland
East village, Greenwich Village, West Village. These are some of the most famous village neighborhoods in the world. So famous, other major cities following suit. Calgary now got a quirky East Village as well. But have you heard of Sabra Village, the smallest of the four villages? My guess is that you never heard of it, because it doesnt exist. Yet! But we are in the early stages of what looks like an Israeli invasion of Nolita, a made-up real estate name which stands for North of Little Italy. Little Italy is slowly vanishing and is now essentially one block. Its a matter of time.
I often said that NYC lacks casual, no frills, but smart Israeli food. A place I can bring a group of 4 to 10 on a whim. They are either too refined (Taboon, Nur, Miss Ada), or not refined at all (Nish Nush, Ba’al, Taim), without much in between. Our real estate market has something to do with it, but deep in the outer boroughs there’s no excuse. There’s a place on Avenue P in Brooklyn called “Pita Off the Corner” serving awful Falafel, and barely eatable Shawarma. But the sprawling space serves as a constant tease to what could have been. Brooklyn is home to half a million Jews, half of NYC’s Jews. I’m certain that not all are kitchen challenged.
But in Manhattan at least, it looks like the newest Sabra are on a mission to change all that. Two of the three I’ll focus on below feel like you are transported to Dizengoff. Not Philly, but Tel Aviv. Sabra btw, has nothing to do with hummus. Its an old term that essentially means Israeli born. “Sabres” is the Hebrew name for prickly pear, a fruit that is rough on the outside, but soft on the inside. And by rough I dont mean Harvey Weinstein, but as in direct, to the point.
Here are some of the early settlers of Sabra Village…
Taim – Yes, Taim is now a local chain, but a very important one. Perhaps after X’ian Famous, the most important, and a good representation of fast food in NYC today. Owner Einat Admony certainly knows her Hummus and Falafel. And while I give the nod to Nish Nush as far as Falafel sandwiches go, Taim’s platter is as good as it gets. And dont be the lame one that pronounces Taim like “lame”. Its Tah-eem.
Shoo Shoo – If there’s anything these places need to work on is the names. Its not clear to me what Shoo Shoo means exactly, other the sound my wife makes when the blind neighborhood cat mistakenly comes to our door instead of the next one where he normally gets his food. The name may not sound inviting but the bright decor is, and the menu brings much freshness to the area. Very solid hummus even when topped with boiled chickpeas that can use some texture (minor quibble). And a legit sesame ladened Tel Aviv style chicken Schnitzel.
19 Cleveland – Continuing the questionable name theme with probably the most important Sabra on the block. This is the first serious brick and mortar by the EWZ fave Nish Nush team. A menu that respects tradition but at the same time playful, and elevated. We already know they can dish out killer hummus and unmatched Falafel sandwiches. But at 19 Cleveland (also the address) you can also find a nifty, well balanced Falafel burger, along with fish and vegan Shawarma, and a slew of other healthy eats. Looking forward to checking out the rest of this menu.
You know what they say. Two is a crowd, three is a village! Nolita is a very small area, and the sudden Israeli pop is noticeable. I’ve seen some call it Little Israel, and some call it Little Tel Aviv. Less than a year ago there were five actually. There’s also a branch of Cava, a kinda Israeli, fast-casual national health focused chain. And then there’s Dez which shuttered a year after opening. Did we reach saturation?
I won’t lie to you people. I rarely do. When I first saw the new Essex Market, it felt like I just discovered a new Foodie paradise as the 
While I was sitting out on a bench on Grand and Mulberry 
July 20, 2019 Update:
Wind Sand Chicken at Pinch Chinese (Soho)– A tasty rendition of a Hong Kong classic. The whole bird is cooked like Peking duck. Two days of Marinating (cinnamon, star anise, other herbs and spices), drying, spanking, repeating. The skin gets thin and crispy, and the flesh redefines moist. Garnished with the sand like fried garlic which gives it the name. Update: Just made resvs for 4 this Saturday night to have this again
Pollo alla Diavola at Maialino (Gramercy) – In the sea of Roman pastas and other Italian classics, this is possibly the unsung hero. Heck, after all those years, I needed some help from a reliable insider to discover this gem. The peppery ultra moist beauty comes with a tangy sauce you’ll want to scarpetta the heck out of.
“What, no Seafood?!? No problem, I give you Octopus!” No, I didnt crash a Greek wedding, nor have I actually heard this said before. It was simply the pre-trip imagination at work, anticipating yet another seafood heavy leg. I imagined after 10 fishfull days, we stumble onto a small family Konoba somewhere on the Istrian coast, begging an English speaking baka (a Croatian Babushka) for some meat. But luckily for us, not only we never really got tired of those Adriatic c
Evidence of the “Pierogies/Vareniki Belt” can still be found on 2nd ave in East Village, dating back to the late 19th century when Ukrainian and Polish immigrants started flocking the area. Less than a quarter of the 100,000 at the peak, still remain, and the percentage of the Pierogi shops dwindled even more. We are down to Little Poland near east 12th, the Pierogi speakeasy of Streecha on 7th, and the Pierogi kingdom of Veselka, arguably the most famous and popular Ukrainian in the country. I may be forgetting one or three.
Eating With Ziggy 