Taim

Taim
222 Waverly Place (Seventh Avenue South)
(212) 691-1287

GREEN FALAFEL

Working as a chef, Einat Admony sharpened her palate at Danube, Bolo and Tabla before turning her attention to her own “home food” in 2003. “There are a million falafels in New York, not to mention in Tel Aviv,” she said, referring to the Israeli city where she grew up. But, she said, to make a great falafel sandwich, with its many components — hot and cool, crunchy and soft, spicy and smooth — is exacting. “It’s all these small things that you taste and taste and taste every morning,” she said.

Taim’s version is transformed by the fresh herbs that go into the dough: typically a golden mass of chickpeas but bright green here from quantities of cilantro, parsley and mint. That breath of fresh herbs, along with the crunch of the hot crust and the earthy cream of the tahini, pulls the Taim falafel to the front of the pack.

“There is something about the taste here, like each thing has more flavor than it does anywhere else,” said Anna Stojanowska, who lives in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, but journeys to the West Village for lunch sometimes. “There’s actually a great falafel place at my subway stop in Brooklyn, but this one is just that little bit better, you know?”

Julia Moskin
NY Times
April 30, 2008