Santorini Restaurant & Café

EGYPT 🇪🇬

[COVID-19 UPDATE: With outdoor dining now legal, Santorini has set up quite a few tables. In addition, takeout and delivery are available as always.]

While the website of Santorini proclaims they have been "making delicious Mediterranean food since 1990" and is directly followed by some Lorem Ipsum text, it was only sometime after the summer of 2019 that they took over the space from a nondescript bakery named Mon Gateau. Hardly any work took place outside besides swapping out the name, and a new casual Egyptian café was born.

The casual passerby might be led to believe this is a new Greek restaurant given its reference to one of the most famous islands on the planet, but a closer look reveals an Egyptian fascination with that island rather than the island itself. In Egypt you can actually find a beach on the coast west of Alexandria named "Santorini Greek Beach," outfitted with blue umbrellas to simulate the tops of houses.

Regardless of any confusions that delayed trying the food here for over a year, it is nice to have a place in Bay Ridge specializing in feteer since the closing of King Tut back in early 2018. As with Hemo's Spot Juice Bar a bit further north on 5th Avenue, they also add different kinds of coffee, western breakfasts, and fast foods to cater to a younger generation of kids that have mostly grown up here and want the mixture.

Middle Eastern and North African couples will be seen here ordering the feteer, often times getting one of the massive pies per person. This phyllo dough layered Egyptian pastry is enjoyed in both savory and sweet versions, the medium version of which comes out around 12 inches in diameter.

The sujuk feteer ($13, above) is stuffed with stringy melted mozzarella, onions, green peppers, olives, and tomatoes. While the skill is not quite that of what King Tut possessed, you can never go wrong with this type of dish. They can also make different types of feteer with a variety of cheeses, different meats, tuna, and shrimp, or a mix of most everything.

Santorini is set up like a fast casual restaurant, and you can walk to the counter and order, but if you plan to dine in, take a seat and the friendly staff will come to you with menus and everything you need.

Another great order here is the mix mahashi ($18, above), an assortment of vegetables and grape leaves stuffed with rice and spices. The chef must have thought meat was fine given the feteer order, and threw on some mombar as well, the red "links" at the bottom of the plate. These have the same stuffing, but use the thin lining of sheep intestine to contain everything.

The combination of these, stuffed peppers and grape leaves is a wonderful plate to share between a group.

As the younger employee and older manager fight between upbeat pop music and more traditional sounds, respectively, other diners are moving on to satisfy their sweet tooth with either one of many crêpes or an order of feteer meshaltet, the same phyllo crust drizzled with honey.

A next visit might also try the loukoumades, deep fried dough balls soaked in honey and the Greek flag-bearer of the menu. These are of course also enjoyed throughout the Arabic-speaking world, but just another fun quirk of the menu that they go by their Greek name instead.

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BAY RIDGE Brooklyn
8101 5th Avenue

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Zööba

EGYPT 🇪🇬

There are a lot of cultures currently offering their "street food" in New York City, but until this past Friday Egyptian was not quite one of them. You will find many Egyptians on the street serving great food at the city's halal carts, but these generalized menus do not really show the diversity of what you might find in Cairo, where Zööba started in 2012.

In its first move outside of Egypt, one of the co-owners has chosen his mother's home city as the popular chain's first stop. In a colorful, modern space the team here were all super busy on day one preparing foods for all the curious New Yorkers and homesick Egyptians who had had their way here for the opening.

If you have ever been to Cairo, you need no explanation about their most popular item ta'ameya. Often referred to as "Egyptian falafel," it is impossible to avoid but very unique because it is made with fava beans rather than chickpeas. Fava beans make each ball a bit denser and moister than your average falafel, and the taste you can judge for yourself. Each portion is fried to order and matched with various sauces and fresh greens depending on which you select.

Both the ta'ameya and the hawawshi (below) are inside of Zööba's freshly baked baladi bread. Travelers will also remember smelling this iconic bread around every corner in Cairo or Alexandria, each circular disc is made with whole wheat flour, has its top cut off after baking, and is stuffed with the contents of choice. The bread is a real treat.

Often a hawawshi is ground or minced meat combined with vegetables and spices, but here the beef is made of larger chunks which they claim are 45% vegetables. The cheese hawawshi ($8.50, above and below) adds an Egyptian roumy cheese along with arugula and tomato onion relish inside the baladi.

The bread holds up much better than your average hand held pita, making these options very good for takeaway meals during good weather. Don't worry though, there is seating inside, and once the initial crowds die down (this sandwich took about 25 minutes to obtain) the dining room should have a standard level of comfort for fast casual.

Zööba also serves a beef liver sandwich, koshari on the weekends, and a whole array of side dishes, dips, and freshly made teas and limeades. With this kind of spread available, grab a group and plan to eat at their large communal table in the back.

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NOLITA Manhattan
100 Kenmare Street

Map of Eat the World NYC:

United Nations African Mothers Association Annual African Buffet Luncheon

PAN-AFRICA 🌍

With only one stomach at my disposal, and one short meal to eat, the only trouble at this year's United Nations African Mothers Association annual luncheon was that I constantly had to decide what not to each much of. Everything was so delicious, as always, and a few new countries were on the menu. I could not have asked for much more.

This year's event took place on the 21st floor of the Consulate of Nigeria near the UN. Sun was pouring in the windows and the atmosphere was generally festive especially once the music was on. I arrived on the early side and took a seat at an empty table waiting for some other folks I knew that might want to join me, but was quickly joined instead by two Egyptians, a lady from Cape Verde, a South African, and a Libyan. No need to reserve seats when new friends could be made!

A modest $40 donation to the association was all it took to be a part of the meal.

In the program it is said that the foods are prepared by the wives of diplomats. I counted thirteen nations amongst the available cuisines this year, with two more items going unidentified despite trying.

Here are some photos of the buffet feast. I think this is everything except the ndole from 🇨🇲 Cameroon, the seswaa from 🇧🇼 Botswana, and the koshary from 🇪🇬 Egypt. Things got a little frantic as the attendees got hungry and started attacking the buffet line:

🇳🇬 NIGERIA - Puff puffs and meat pies

🇧🇫 BURKINA FASO - Bean Cake

🇧🇫 BURKINA FASO - Chicken

🇨🇮 CÔTE D'IVOIRE - Chicken (on right)

🇨🇻 CABO VERDE - Grilled Salmon

🇷🇼 RWANDA - Boiled orange sweet potatoes

🇹🇿 TANZANIA - Pilau

🇱🇾 LIBYA - Couscous with lamb

Unidentified chicken

🇧🇯 BENIN - Bitter green stew with fufu

🇰🇪 KENYA - Baked potatoes and boneless chicken

🇩🇿 ALGERIA - Dates

🇩🇿 ALGERIA - Baklawa

🇨🇻 CABO VERDE - Sweet rice

🇩🇿 ALGERIA - Griouech

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UNAMA Luncheon

The Consulate of Nigeria

Map of Eat the World NYC:

Tic-Tac-Toe Bakery & More

EGYPT 🇪🇬

Located in a tiny sliver of space almost at the end of Brooklyn, a little Egyptian bakery has arrived and somehow retains the look of being around for many years. This is partly due to the fact that its owners have moved the operation here from Cedar Rapids, Iowa in mid-2017, where they were in business for 15 years. The small sign over the entrance has the pyramids and sphinx, and calls itself a "Middle Eastern American Fusion Bakery."

How true to form then that the main offering fatayer, a baked pastry popular in Egypt and the Middle East, is used as a vehicle for beef stroganoff or broccoli and cheese. In Egypt the dumpling or empanada-like pastries might be stuffed with meat or feta or perhaps spinach and use some local spice to enhance, but in Iowa I would assume that this fusion was born to offer something more palatable to a newcomer to the cuisine.

You can stick to the classics here as well, there are lamb and spinach options. Most of them are depicted in emoji-like form on the walls, which are covered with the same picture of one fatayer and a new description of what is inside. Best to just walk straight to the case though and see what is fresh.

During lunch, the $4 that it costs to purchase two pastries also gets you a salad and drink, and if you are eating in a chance to chat. There is one stool at the window and a small counter if you come in alone, otherwise conditions will be a little tight. If you do get the seat, listening to and watching the comings and goings is a pleasure. The owner is kind to all his guests and again it feels like he has been taking care of customers here for decades.

A greek mashup similar to spanakopita (below) is also available and tastes great. The dough of all is chewy and nice, and has a pleasant way of soaking up any moisture from the insides.

Yesterday's unused pitas are turned into today's crispy chips, great for dipping in the tahini that accompanies the salad. Little bags of these are for sale daily if you can think of other uses you might have for them back home.

Tic-Tac-Toe also makes their own sweets, and single portions of walnut or pistachio baklava ($2.75) are also available, as well as cookies and coffee.

It could be imagined that the most popular of his Midwestern fatayer creations are also desired here at the end of 3rd Avenue in Bay Ridge, far from the main strip of Middle Eastern eateries and shops on 5th Avenue further north. For this crowd, they also make bacon egg and cheese sandwiches and burgers, neither of which were sampled.

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BAY RIDGE Brooklyn

9303 3rd Avenue

El-Omda Restaurant

EGYPT 🇪🇬

The block of Astoria's Steinway Street between 28th Avenue and Astoria Boulevard is often rightly called "Little Egypt" because of its concentration of Egyptian restaurants and hookah lounges. A few restaurants there are now part of a well-trodden tourist trail, having received sweeping and almost unanimous praise. For an alternative to this, a few blocks west on 28th Avenue is a quiet spot that sits out of the limelight. This however seems to be fine with them. El-Omda, with a spacious room and about 12 two top tables, is a great place to bring a big group. It even has an area with cushions in the back for sitting on the floor while eating. This seems to be well-suited for hookah, although I did not see any and the smells here do not indicate that this is practiced.

The decor is reminiscent of a residential interior, the odd color combinations of old highrise building hallways. The dining area is extremely well lit with a dozen or so tin lamps that you see across Northern Africa but most prominently in Morocco. The TV is tuned to a drama or Egyptian music videos, and might need to be turned down a bit as I think the chef is trying to listen from the kitchen.

Order a pot of their very strong tea, served with a side cup of mint leaves. The intensity of bitterness is high, and even people who normally do not sweeten their tea are most likely going to do just that. The sweet mint creation is superb.

The cooking here is described as "authentic home style Egyptian" and seems to focus more on ground animals than seafood. The owner immigrated to the United States in 1980 and started immediately in the restaurant business, working his way up the ranks until ultimately opening up a place of his own serving the cuisine of his homeland.

We briefly caught glimpses of the chef as she was preparing our large meal. At first we mistook our server for her daughter, but she laughed this off when we asked.

Baskets of puffy Egyptian bread (baladi) and a salad of cucumber, tomato, and parsley comes to the table with any order.

Our excitement was kickstarted with the arrival of the falafel ($5, below), which here is made from fava beans. This difference in taste is very interesting, and the little balls also hint of cumin and garlic. A small cup of hummus is served with the dish.

The missaha ($6, below) was a favorite, a cold eggplant and pepper appetizer. The flavors are full, and this is the only dish the table had that was spicy.

Never miss a chance to enjoy ful medames ($5, below), listed as "fava beans" on one of the menus. Break off pieces of baladi to scoop up this "dip." Besides fava beans, there are oils, cumin, garlic, onion, lemon juice, and hints of chili pepper.

Makaroni bshamil ($8, below) is a pasta dish (using penne, not macaroni) and a bechamel sauce, wildly popular in Egypt. Underneath the creamy white sauce are layers of pasta and ground beef, while the whole dish is baked. It becomes a very nice comfort food for winter.

In the mid-1800's, Egypt was doing quite well economically and even the cabinets of the lowest classes of people were filled with various ingredients from various places. Koshary ($8, below), became a way to use all of these ingredients in one dish, and is now as popular in Egypt as anything else we associate with Egyptian cuisine.

With a bed of rice, lentils, chickpeas, and macaroni pasta, it is topped with a tomato sauce and fried onions, perfect for the vegans in your group. Roadside stalls serving only versions of this dish are very common in Egypt, but you can also find it on menus in more formal restaurants.

With so much excitement before main dishes came out, it was almost easy to forget about them. The lamb chops ($20, below) quickly reminded us though, the tender pieces were great. The five small chops are served simply with a half moon of rice, no sauces or extras needed. Foil is placed on each piece for easy holding, no fork and knife formalness necessary.

At different times, two members of the table expressed excitement over the rabbit ($20, below), so it was also ordered. Rabbits not served in stews tend to be dry, but this one transcends this quality and is quite delicious.

The marinade seems to be baked on, the skin takes a slightly hard character. With bites of rice and the mulukhiyah soup (in the background of makaroni bshamil photo), there is nothing missing.

Unfortunately, no one had room for dessert.

ASTORIA Queens

33-10 28th Avenue