Taim, which means tasty in Hebrew, opened a few years ago on a quiet back street in the West Village. Owned by Israeli chef Einat Admony and her French husband, Stefan Nafziger, it serves what is consistently the best falafel in New York. This pita sized storefront on Waverly has a few stools and a couple of benches outside to be used during the milder weather.
The falafel are crisp on the exterior and moist inside. They are expertly fried to order in canola oil and come in three flavors (green, harissa and red pepper), but I would highly suggest sticking to the traditional, or green (chickpea, parsley, cilantro and mint). You can get your falafel in a sandwich of warm, super fresh, white or whole wheat pita, or on a platter. The platter is served with israeli salad, tabouli, and hummus with three sauces (s'rug, amba and tahini) and your choice of pita with toasted zahatar spices (an ancient arabic spice mix made traditionally of several sun dried herbs, such as thyme, oregano and marjoram ground with sesame seeds and salt). The sandwich includes hummus, israeli salad, marinated cabbage and tahini sauce. My favorite way to order the sandwich is green on whole wheat with everything, which includes yemini hot sauce (s'rug), amba (fenugreek and pickled mango sauce) and house made pickle slices.
The thing that sets Taim apart is the freshness of every ingredient. The s'rug, made with thai red and jalapeno peppers, cilantro, garlic and oil, is quite hot, while the amba has a nice cool refreshing effect and the pickles add a nice crunch. The result, like a composition of the great Estonian composer Arvo Pärt, is a beautiful layering of texture, color and flavor.
Taim has several fruit smoothies, house made lemonades and iced teas for cold drinks. Mint tea and house made Indian chai are available as hot drink options.
Taim
222 Waverly Place at 7th Ave
New York, NY 10014-2404
(212) 691-1287
Open 11:00am-10:00pm everyday
Cash Only
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Israelis stole our land and now they are steeling our food. Falafel is an authentic Palestinian meal along with Hummus and Shawirma... Culinary enthusiasts such as yourself need to be conscious of such realities before they declare anything that makes the word "israeli" synonymous to "Falafel". This restaurant may indeed make good falafel - but it would be nice if you had acknowledged that this food is authentically Palestinian.... just for the record!
ReplyDeleteMy post about the best falafel in NYC has no mention of its origins. It is widely believed to have originated in Egypt, not Palestine, with the Copts (the Christian minority), who call it ta'amiya, which by the way is local Cairo dialect.....just for the record! I have never had a decent Palestinian made falafel, although I have had many superb Lebanese versions.
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