Restaurant Week in NY...hits and misses so far

I'm getting thru the second week of Restaurant Week, yes, it's not weeks, which is where restaurants try to drum up new business by offering a prix fixe 3 course limited menu at a reasonable price. Usually $24 for lunch and $30 for dinner. The point of it is to serve delicious food with great ambiance so diners will spread the word and also return with all their colleagues, friends and family.

Here's my summary so far:

Ilili.I give it 5 stars. http://www.ililinyc.com/

Fabulous Middle Eastern fare. Lovely, modern decor. Attentive, helpful staff. it had to be close to 100 F last Monday when I exited a taxi and walked in to a cool, spacious entry as gentle Middle Eastern music wafted thru and made me feel at home immediately. The sweet waitress suggested a refresher: lemonade. Sure. It had a hint of mint and a spear of cucumber. Out of this world! I'm going back, if I can just have this.

Actually, I've dined here before and couldn't resist the special pricing and an excuse to to go to another spot on earth and in my soul.

I had a beautiful green bean salad topped with pickled baby onions and sprinkled with sesame seeds. Lovely with a hint of lemon and olive oil. Next was a lamb sip with au jus and pink horseradish sauce. Simply divine. Tender, shredded lamb piles high on a tasty bun. I spread the sauce then dipped each bit. This hit the spot. Funky, old world flavours eminated throughout the sandwich.


These were sublime. The mix of flavors lingered on my palette and was soothed by the magic lemonade.

A tiny bit of bird's nest baklava was the dessert. Typical and lovely.

I said I didn't have to go...

...far for material. But this time the material came to me! I'm still smiling about this one. Jewel, derived from Jew Al, Jew-al, hence: jewel, said he was stopping by to work on the lawn mover. Another project that has taken weeks. Not finished yet. So, I was at a meeting off the grounds and he picked me up and as we were coming toward the barn I saw 2 purple latrines, or port o sans, on a small trailer sitting in the driveway. If that's not bad enough, the police were circling. I counted three times within a half hour as I watered the plantings. I waved and smiled. I think a yenta neighbour called them, guess which one, to find out if we were doing demo/construction work without a permit or having a gypsy family reunion under the tent.

Then, to make it even sillier, Jewel said while he worked on the mower he had to relieve himself. He wouldn't venture into the house alone. A sissy boy is afraid of Zazoo. So he said he went to the studio above the barn. I said, "why didn't you use the facility in your little wagon?" "It smells," he said matter of factly. Sweet baby Jesus, this Wanker drives around all day with these things, move them around when they're full and scours them out with a hose. Smelly? Oy vey.