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Time: 3pm
People: RB, CK and myself
Feelings: When RB and I started dating, we were regulars at Dosirak, a quaint Korean restaurant near Union Square. That sounds like millions of years ago--no wonder my mother tells me I look old, in that bitter Mommy Dearest manner after looking at my weekend family photos. A piece from our good ol' memory lane, Dosirak is now replaced by a "Middle-terranean" sandwich shop, Taboonette, which is an outpost of Taboon in Hell's Kitchen.
Taboonette specializes in what they call "pocket food": proteins like meat and seafood and vegetables in pita, laffa wraps or with rice. They are also open for breakfast and offer breakfast pita (served all day) and homemade cakes and pastries.
Full of diverse and inventive flavors, Taboonette offers friendly counter service. The open kitchen is a nice touch. My salmon and egg pita sandwich ($6.75, sour cream, za'atar, olive oil, roasted salmon, chopped salad and sunny side egg) was full of dynamic flavors. With the soft pillowy pita, this well executed sandwich brought out vibrant, well harmonized flavors of the sandwich. The salmon was fresh, and the combination of creamy sour cream and soft, runny eggs was excellent.
I love Shakshuka, poached eggs in spiced tomato sauce, so much that I could eat this everyday, but Taboonette's version comes in a pita form. RB thought it was well executed. He too appreciated the runny eggs and felt it created a rich and delicious experience.
We also shared the carb-heavy "Golden Potato" with pita. ($7.75, taboon baked potato, black pepper, salt and olive oil with crispy potato skins, red onion, arugula, sumac and sour cream) I thought the flavor would be bland with the combination of potatoes and pita, but the result was on the contrary: quite delectable. The edges of the potatoes were crispy, and I enjoyed the roasted flavor.
All sandwiches were accompanied by home made chips, and at Taboonette, you can expect a well flavored and satisfying meal. If you are in Union Square and looking for a quick lunch spot for under $10, this place would be a perfect. I still miss Dosirak, but Taboonette is a worthy successor. And let's hope my mother's bitter comments will not spoil in this new chapter of my life.
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2 comments:
If you liked Taboonette, you should try the flagship restaurant, Taboon, on 52nd & 10th. Their merguez shakshuka for brunch is really good, but you can swap out the sausage for haloumi cheese. Also. you've got to try their spin on Sambusak. Instead of a empanada-style dish, theirs is more of a stuffed log baked to a golden crust in their wonderful taboon (Arabic for domed oven.)
Thanks! I'll def try it.
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