Four-star(ch) dining

Our fearless leader, Madame Mumtaz, loved to take us on "discoveries," to increase our understanding of how the other half (or the other 99 percent) lives. One such discovery was a restaurant in Aswan favored by locals where we dined on koushari.

The modest two-story restaurant had the square footage -- and the ambience -- of some of my favorite New York destinations such as Sirtaj, Margon and Tajin. Same decorator, too: Formica tables, fluorescent lights, scarred vinyl tile floors. Like the meals served by the aforementioned faves, koushari is starchy, served in abundant portions and reasonably priced (I'm guessing about the last -- Madame Mumtaz treated).

Koushari is mainly pasta tossed with beans, lentils, chickpeas and other legumes. I suspect the variety and proportions vary according to what the cook has on hand. It's as spicy as you want to make it -- the food is served with lime and garlic sauce and a snappy red-pepper sauce on the side.

There's something about the multiple starches that had a comforting effect. A lot of the food in Egypt somehow brought to mind the cozy food mom used to make, though I doubt that my mother -- excellent cook that she was -- ever heard of baba ganoush or could have gotten away with serving eggplant at virtually every meal.

Rice pudding was offered for dessert. There's an extremely short list of foods I don't eat. I regret to say that rice pudding is on that list. I hated to offend the honor of the chef, but I was so overserved, foodwise, for so many days, I just couldn't go for it. However, the rice-pudding aficionados in the group gave it their stamp of approval.

Dateline: Cairo

As I've probably mentioned before, my idea of a perfect meal is a few bites of a lot of different dishes. That preference means Egyptian dining is ideal for me, though the abundance of choices -- and the delightful seasonings that guarantee I'll want more than a few bites of each -- mean a light meal is almost impossible.

The lunch we enjoyed at Andrea, which we visited on the way to Sakkara, is an outstanding example. We started with multiple "salads": baba ganoush, hummus, tahini, beets, bean salad, cabbage with a tangy mustardy dressing, and baskets of hot pita fresh from the clay oven. Next, french fries and a couple of meatballs -- crunchy on the outside with juicy centers, followed closely by grilled chicken, rice and veg.

The chicken was remarkable. We had seen and smelled dozens of them spinning slowly on rotisseries as we entered the courtyard. The scene would delight the heart of any ace barbecuer. Since I try to be somewhat health conscious, I'm usually a skin chucker. But this skin was sublime: crunchy, seasoned with lots of salt, pepper, garlic and fresh oregano. The meat directly under the skin was crisped to an almost jerky-like consistency -- smoky, chewy and delicious. The spices penetrated the meat down to the bone.

Somehow I had room for sweet green-fleshed melon to end the meal. Or maybe I just wanted to linger a little longer in the beautiful courtyard, surrounded by adobe style buildings. Reed matting overhead shaded us from the sun, as we relaxed amidst the fragrant flowers. Another magical meal in Misr.

Dateline: Aswan

"The better the view, the worse the cuisine" seems to be some kind of unwritten restaurant law. Think of every top-floor revolving restaurant you've ever been to, or any Chart House. If they can pull you in with some other element, they can build a clientele without having to rely on the food.

Nubian Home Restaurant is a stellar exception to the rule. Situated atop one of Aswan's highest hills, Nubian Home has a stunning three-sided view, overlooking the Nile, the city's skyline with its domed basilicas and towering mosques, Elephantine Island, the Temple at Philae, ruins of 11th-century fortifications, Aga Khan's tomb, and even the home of Egyptian pop star Mohammed Mounir.


To spend a pleasant hour or two at this vantage point watching feluccas and motorboats ply the Nile would be reward enough. An edible meal would be a nice extra. But the four courses served to our group at Nubian Home ranked among the best meals we had during two weeks of feasting in Egypt.

As with many Egyptian meals, this luncheon feast began with a selection of cool salads: white beans, chickpeas, and potatoes with a light mustard dressing. Tahini was provided for dipping chunks of light wheat bread, which was dusted with coarse whole-wheat flour. One of our fellow travelers commented that although the bread wasn't warm, it hadn't been out of the oven very long.

The next course consisted of three tagines -- earthenware dishes full of okra, eggplant, and meatballs, each tender and tasty in a different style of tomato-based sauce. I didn't expect to have much interest in the main course: grilled chicken with cous cous and crisp-tender vegetables. However, it was so excellently prepared and attractively presented, I almost ate the whole thing. That left no room for dessert: fresh whole bananas and peaches. I tucked a piece or two in my bag, in case I was ever hungry again.

The staff was welcoming, service efficient and nonintrusive.

As if the food and view were not enough, the Nubian Home even had some scarves and souvenirs for sale. A poly-sensual experiance, as MBTP might say.

Dateline: Giza

In a post earlier this year, I mentioned that it doesn't surprise me that a wonderful feast for two can be had for an investment the size of a week's unemployment check. What's more amazing is to be served a quite good meal that costs no more than an hour or two of minimum wage.

I had an exposure to the extreme end of that spectrum recently at Felfela, a take-out stand practically in the shadow of the pyramids. Falafel with tahini on pita can be had for a single Egyptian pound (exchange rate: 5.62 pounds to a buck).

Egyptian falafel is made of ground fava beans, rather than the more common chickpeas, blended with spices including fresh coriander leaf (a.k.a. cilantro), parsley, lime juice and spices. The crispy-fried Felfela version was drizzled with tahini and tucked into light, fresh pita. Another version Cousin and I tried featured tender, garlicky grilled eggplant on the same pillowy pita.

Madame Mumtaz, our fearless leader, suggested we order our falafel without salad (garnishes of tomato and lettuce). Several people in our group went for the full treatment without ill effect.

We enjoyed a tasty, satisfying dinner for two for less than the cost of the largest Starbucks latte. Cheap at twice the price.

Dateline: Luxor

Libra Zebra reports in from her Egypt adventure, and appears to be eating well:

"We got a 4:30 wake-up call to be ready in time for our Egyption Farmhouse Breakfast. It was still pitch dark at 5 when we took a motor boat across the Nile from our hotel, walked down a narrow gangplank and up a little hill overlooking the river. The area was enclosed on three sides with fabric hangings and the ground was covered with Oriental carpets. We sat on low stools around two round tables were set with crisp linens. A brass tray in the center of the table held olives, cucumber, tomatoes, baba ganoush, feta and tahini. A galabeya-clad gentleman passed two types of bread fresh out of a kiva-style earthen oven, and poured fresh-squeezed orange juice. Cousin compared it to a scene from the Arabian Nights.

As the stars faded and the sky brightened, we feasted on an assortment of cheeses and cold cuts, omelets prepared to order, cereals, fuul (a lentil dish kind of the texture of refritos, which you can season to taste with ground chilis and cumin), sausages, fresh and dried fruit, Egyptian rice, yoghurt, pastries, and more. What a feast! Lots of different tastes and textures to sample. I couldn't begin to try them all, but I could have happily stayed there all day to try.

The sun rose over the Nile as birds chirped in the rustling trees surrounding our little slice of paradise. A meal we'll never forget."

Star Diner, White Plains

The Star Diner puts the grease in greasy spoon. It's a great joint for reasonably priced, well-prepared old school breakfast fare such as corned beef hash and eggs or ham steak and eggs, served with hash browns and toast.

Fortunately, breakfast is available round the clock. I don't recommend the Star for lunch or dinner.

I visited the Star recently. The waitress was very charming, she recommended the daily specials: either the pot roast or stuffed peppers. But I was hoping to satisfy a fried chicken jones. The Star didn't scratch my itch -- the chicken was mostly bone and breading, the mashed spuds were cold and boring, the gravy was why bother. The Grumpy Diner got the pot roast, which consisted of several paper-thin slices of gray meat, with the same dull spuds and gravy and a side of tasteless corn.

None of the meals served to other clients looked appealing either, including diner basics like burgers and sandwiches.

The Star is packed on weekend mornings. But if I ever get a heavy breakfast craving midweek, that will be my destination.

M&M

The six (alleged) contributors to this blog range from excellent cooks to willing helpers. We get together fairly often to eat in or out. Our conversations at one another's houses often include remarks like, "This is better than dinner at (fill in the blank)." When we're perusing menus, one of us is likely to say, "I don't want to order (use your imagination), I fix that at home."

But another phrase I often use is: "The only thing I like better than my own cooking is someone else's." Going to a restaurant isn't about subsistence, it's an opportunity to relax and talk with friends or colleagues or potential clients. It's easier to focus on my companion(s) and the conversation if I'm not involved in cooking or serving, my phone's not ringing, neighbors aren't passing by the window, the dog next door isn't barking, and countless chores aren't competing for my attention. If I notice chipped paint or a spill or a tchotchke that's obviously in the wrong place, it's not an action item, it has absolutely nothing to do with me.

That brings me to our long-running Mexican food and Margarita tradition. For the past five or more years, groups ranging from three to a dozen or so regulars have gotten together periodically to eat, drink and catch up. I don't remember how or when south of the border officially became the cuisine of choice for these gatherings. But these days when one of us says it's time for M&M, nobody thinks we're talking about something that melts in your mouth, not in your hand.

We've probably visited well over a dozen places over the years. Some have been one-shots remembered only by nicknames such as "the slow place" or "the place that charges for chips." Others have have become favorites: We all know by now that what started out as "the place with the backyard" is actually called Paquito's. While other places may have better food (including "the noisy place," a.k.a. Los Dos Mulinos), Paquito's ranks high for being quiet enough for us to talk, and tolerant enough to let us linger long into the evening.

Each of our regular M&M venues will get its due here eventually, but our most recent choice, Gabriela's, is a particular fave. We've been to at least three incarnations of this Upper West Side stalwart, and on our most recent visit Miz Style declared it "probably the best Mexican food I've ever had."

From the fiery and complex salsas to the moist tres leches cake, it's hard to make a bad choice. I usually go for the pollo yucateco, moist, crisp-skinned rotisserie chicken with a subtle touch of orange, served with a flavorful mole poblano or nutty pipian sauce. This time Mean Cuisine and I shared the chicken and an order of carnitas uruapan -- crispy pork served with fresh pico de gallo and a creamy avocado tomatillo relish. Both were very, very good. Miz Style chose cochinita pibil, tender, citrus-y pork, which rated the "best ever" remark. The Practical Joker (she really needs a different name, maybe "she who rocked the outhouse") was pleased with her veggie dish.

It's time to hit this place again!