NY eats: Hummus Place

In my opinion, the best meals are spontaneous. That way you have no expectations, and you're usually hungry and stumble upon the most wonderful little places. I knew of Hummus Place, which has 4 locations in Manhattan, since my cousins had eaten there before, but I wasn't actually intending to eat there.
My mom and I were wandering around on 73rd and Amsterdam when I spotted, below street level, the door to the restaurant. It was freezing cold and we were starving, and ecstatic to find some Middle Eastern food. And talk about cheap!
Lunch special included your choice of hummus plus pita and one appetizer. You could also get a special deal with 3 appetizers.
We ended up ordering the classic: hummus tahini, which was served warm, generously drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with sumac, a citrus-y spice.
We requested whole wheat pita, which ended up being the right decision: It was warm, doughy, and chewy, so unlike those flat, tasteless pitas served at most places.

As for the hummus, it was UNBELIEVABLE... honestly the best hummus I have EVER had, Israel included, and I don't say that lightly. The perfect smooth texture without being completely liquid. The rich, bitter tahini blended with the slightly grainy chickpeas... I'm trying my best to do it justice, but until you experience it, you won't fully appreciate all that I'm saying.

I also ordered falafel-- there were six, perfetly crispy and served on a pool of either cilantro or parsley sauce and tahini. The second my teeth into it, I was in heaven. I hadn't had falafel this good since Paris this summer. The inside was a tiny bit gummy, but that could easily be ignored. Sandwiched into a hunk of pita and dredged with gobs of creamy hummus, I stuffed my face.

But don't think that this is all! Quinoa taboulleh was a classic, with the quinoa adding a feathery, light texture.

My mom ordered the most WONDERFUL dish that I've never seen before on a restaurant menu, an Israeli dish called Shakshuka-- overeasy eggs in a sauce of tomatoes, onions, and peppers.
In the past, we've tried baked eggs with mushrooms and breadcrumbs, but they were much too dry. I usually hate runny egg yolks, but combined with the silky texture of the tomato sauce, they bleded into the dish. It was so overly simple, but the kind of wintry dish that warms you from the inside. It would be great over rice, with bread, or even as a pasta sauce. We will DEFINITELY try recreating it at home.

On New Years, we also ordered hummus, labneh (yogurt cheese), and roasted eggplant with tahini from them. Unfortunately, I had already eaten, so I didn't try them :(
The atmosphere of the place was great: exposed brick walls and small tables, all concealed and away from the cold. Their salt shakers even had dried chickpeas inside!

To conclude the meal, my mom ordered turkish coffee, which I had never had before and promptly fell in love with. According to her, it was a little watery, but to me, it was amazing: not nearly as sweet as I had been expecting, with a strong cardamom flavor. If I could have this every day, I would become a coffee addict.

So, in conclusion, I would be happy to eat here every day until the day I died.
Locations:

Upper West Side 212.799.3335 305 Amsterdam Ave. (Bet. w.74th and 75th st.) Delivery available from 84th st. to 64th st, from West End Ave. to Central Park West

West Village 212.533.3089 99 Macdougal St. (Between West 3rd St. and Bleecker St.) Delivery available from 10th st. to Broom st., from Hudson st.to Broadway

East Village 212.529.9198 109 Saint Mark’s Place (Between 1st Ave. and Ave. A) Delivery available from 14th st. to Houston st, from Broadway to Ave. C.

IT'S BREAK!

I'M FREE!!! and my mom comes back tomorrow!!!! I must say I haven't been doing exercise these past few days, but it's been too awful outside to run, and I couldn't get into the workout room at school :( tomorrow, definitely.

Thursday
Breakfast was a fabulous oatmeal creation: Blackberry cardamom oats!
These had 1/2 cup of oats, a cup of oat milk, 1/2 banana, blackberries, cardamom, ginger, nutmeg, Greek yogurt, and a drizzle of cashew butter, which made the entire bowl!

Snack: Carrots (plus some leftover Kashis)

Lunch: I actually went out for lunch and didn't take a photo :( But I went to the Medici and got a great veggie sandwich on olive ciabatta with goat cheese, roasted red peppers, hummus, pesto, and a ton of spinach. I got cole slaw but didn't really eat it... meanwhile, I ate an entire HUGE sandwich... it definitely kept me full till dinner.
Dinner: We had a fast, simple, LIGHT meal, which was exactly what I wanted. It was a group effort: my dad cut up all the vegetables and I made the omelettes. We had green pepper and mushroom omelettes with Trader Joe's butternut squash soup that I doctored (sauteed some sage in butter, added half a pear and some ginger) and salad.
And toast, of course.


Dessert: an apple
HA, this looks like the Twilight cover!


Friday

Breakfast: Strawberry banana oats
1/2 cup oats, 1/2 cup skim milk, 1/2 banana, lots of overripe strawberries, stevia, vanilla, cardamom (can't get enough!), almonds, Greek Yogurt, peanut butter
Snack: chopped up apple (turned down lots of yummy looking holiday cookies :()
(ignore Luna bar picture)

Lunch: Sandwich with hummus and tempeh mole (I can't believe this is still good but I guess it keeps really well...) and watercress
Carrots and pepper strips
Grapes

I really wanted to work out after school, but like I said, complications arose. I went and hung out with the swim team... so many memories. I really miss these people. They were having pizza and lots of junk food, but I decided to come back early so I can greet my mom in the morning. I was STARVING and ate a ton.
My dad made stir-fried broccoli and a tofu dish with corn, peas, and celery.
Later: a tangerine

Monday and Tuesday in a Nutshell

SORRY I HAVEN'T BEEN POSTING! Now I can post to my heart's content because all my final papers, tests, projects, etc, are OVER! This calls for a celebration... anyways, last night and the day before I was working on my English project, which was actually a research paper on the history of the whale as food-- it included lots of weird recipes, as well as some politics and social history. I really liked the way it came out, so I might even post it on the blog, if people don't find it too boring. Anyways, I'll do Monday and Tuesday before I blog today.
Monday
Breakfast-- gingerbread, blackberries, a tangerine, and Greek yogurt with a sprinkle of grapenuts.

Lunch-- A Caprese sandwich with spinach and hummus to get the spinach to stick... unfortunately, I also added some balsamic, and since this wasn't sturdy bread, when I unwrapped it it kind of fell a part. Guess it's a good thing I take my lunch photos in the morning.

Snack-- A sliced apple, some Greek and Black's, another tangerine, some graham cracker sticks, and a spoonful of peanut butter, with some chai and soy milk. This was incredibly satisfying, but actually pretty light.

Dinner-- Good old comfort Chinese food:
Bok choy and mushrooms
Spicy eggplant, green peppers, and smoked tofu
With nutty brown rice.
Dessert-- grapes


Tuesday


Breakfast: can't get enough gingerbread! This time with this new "skyr" that I bought at Whole Foods-- it's basically Icelandic yogurt... I think the only difference in ingredients is some vegetable rennet. It tasted a bit more substantial, even though it was fat free... a bit like fromage blanc. It's too expensive to have all the time, but every once and a while would be nice. Also had blackberries and a banana with peanut butter.





Snack: Tuesdays I always need a snack because I have all my classes and thinking is tiring. I had a Kashi bar (Trying to use these up).
Lunch: Leftovers! And an apple
I got a pretty good workout yesterday. In yoga we did a Power Yoga video, and then I went home and ran a mile on the treadmill, then did 40 minutes on the elliptical. Sweating feels so good!
My snack was, of course, cottage cheese and grapenuts with blackberries, strawberries, and almonds.
Dinner: My dad made pineapple fried rice, but the problem with fried rice is every bowl I have, I get hungrier! I don't understand why that is... I always feel like I need to have different components to a meal, because I eat more slowly that way. Either way, this rice was packed with vegetables and protein, but it didn't really fill me up. I tried to have some kimchi on the side, but the flavors totally clashed.
The rice had: a combination of all our leftover rices: white, short-grain brown, and brown basmati
eggs
A tiny bit of shrimp
Green peppers
Fresh pineapple
Red onions
carrots
Flavorings: fish sauce, a kind of Thai seasoning (not curry)

Dessert: 2 tangerines (only 1 shown) and some hot chocolate

Gingerbread, Takoyaki, Eggplant, Oh my!

Saturday:
I've decided to start posting a "lake shot of the day" photo:
I woke up this morning... It was beautiful, as per usual, so despite my aching legs, I set out on a run... nothing fancy, just to the playground and back (about half of what I did yesterday). My pace was faster, but MAN, was it windy! On the way back especially, there was a crazy amount of resistance.
I came back and made a beautifully light yet decadent breakfast:
A slice of gingerbread, heated
The last of the Greek yogurt
Half a banana and a tangerine



I found 4 apples WAY past their prime and decided to make an impromptu applesauce... the problem was I forgot about it and it burned like crazy. The whole kitchen was filled with smoke... and we have no ventilation. I had to open the door to the hallway and neighbors were asking if everything was okay... yes, it was pretty embarrassing.
BUT I could get all fancy and pretend it wasn't a mistake. In fact, I'm calling it caramelized apple chutney, because that's what it is now. I got rid of the charred bits, but I used some of the syrup I made from quince and pear better back on Thanksgiving, and it really did get a gorgeous copper hue and smokey flavor. I didn't puree it... hence, chutney! I also added lemon zest, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and of course, some salt.
This would go REALLY well with poultry or pork, if I ate either.


I went to music school for my quartet at 11:30. I had a break from 12:30-2:00, so I decided to check out a cute little (new) sushi joint around the corner called Sushi Pink. It outdid my expectations! I managed to get three little dishes for 11.00 including tax (not tip, though)!
First of all, the atmosphere was awesome. The whole place was decked out in red and mirrors (why not pink though?). I ended up sitting at the bar, which I've never done, surprisingly.



I COULD NOT DECIDE WHAT TO GET, since I've never gone to a sushi place alone before. Should I get sushi over rice, or a handroll, or mix and match? I decided to mix and match: they said their special was grilled octopus, so I got that, plus 2 pieces of hamachi (my love) nigiri and a seaweed-cucumber salad.
The seaweed salad was just the way I like it: chewy seaweed on a bed of crunchy cucumbers with lots of sesame oil and vinegar.

After that, I waited... I couldn't figure out what was taking so long. Meanwhile, I saw some other people get brought a platter of fancy over-the-top rolls that had FLAMES in the center of the plate! No joke... I couldn't see far enough, but they had obviously put something flammable in the center and lit it on fire for dramatic effect.
When the octopus came, I realized what had taken so long. Instead of charcoaled octopus like I'd been expecting, I got TAKOYAKI! In case you don't know what that is, it's basically balls of egg batter with octopus hidden in the center. It can be baked or fried, and is usually served with okonimyaki sauce (kind of like worchestershire sauce) and a little mayo.
Now, that DEFINITELY doesn't sound like the kind of thing I would normally order, but I'm so glad I got to try it! I remember being at a food court in Singapore, watching them make the little balls and being so curious. Luckily, mine were baked, not fried. They were slightly crispy on the outside, eggy and creamy on the inside, and studded with little chunks of chewy, savory octopus. Almost like a savory profiterole or something! They were actually really light, except for the mayo, which I pretty much wiped off (hate mayo). The sauce was tangy, like barbecue sauce, and pretty addictive. There were 6 little balls, the perfect portion.
As for the hamachi, the fish was really fresh. It was hamachi, which I know and love... not much more to say about it.
Oh! Their bathroom has a 1-way mirror, so it seems as though everyone can see you through a window, but if you go outside it's just a mirror. Freaky! And the water also came out of the faucet like a waterfall.
I would definitely come back! Very decently priced... the only thing is that I heard the staff speaking Chinese... so maybe it's not the most authentic, but who am I to say that? Sushi Pink, you rock!

I went back to music school for theory, then ditched assembly to go get a much needed caffeine boost. I must say, this lunch didn't really hold me over that long... Now that I think about it, it really wasn't THAT much food. So I went to Starbucks for a banana and a nonfat latte that I sprinkled cocoa powder on.

But this is the embarrassing part-- my old music theory teacher and a flute teacher walked in and said, 'hey, aren't you supposed to be in assembly?"
I didn't lie or anything. I just kind of smiled and set "yes."
and they pretty much said "oh, okay."
Me: I usually go!
Theory teacher: Lida, I don't really care. So how's your book?
Ha, awesome.

After assembly was piano duo, and after that was GROCERY SHOPPING! We went to Whole Foods and then Chinatown.
The problem is, now our fridge is so full it can hardly close, what with the leftovers from last night, what we bought, and leftovers from dinner tonight. Goal tomorrow: do not cook at all!!!!!

Dinner was tasty and fast, and my dad is a genius.
Stir-fried mung bean sprouts, my favorite.
Another stir-fry of eggplant, green peppers, and a kind of smoked tofu, which is chewy and delicious.
I was starving and ate a lot.

Dessert? I don't know... we have so much stuff to use up! But I don't know if I'm in the mood. An apple should do for now.