TDG: Comfort Me with Falafel

[Fat Guy]

Zora O'Neill takes us inside Ali's Kabab Cafe.

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[Pan]

That was a terrific article! I feel an impulsion to go to this restaurant now, but heck if I know the next time I'll be in Astoria. For an East Villager, it's sort of like going to Ohio.

(To put things in perspective: I take a much, much longer trip to and from Bayside twice a week, though that's for work.)

[zora]

Thanks, Pan!

And it's not _that_ far to Astoria. I live at the Ditmars stop (farther than the KC), and I used to work in the East Village, and that didn't kill me. (OK, I felt like killing myself when I got up at 6 am, but...it was 6 am.)

Anyway, you could make a night of it--go to Ali's (or his brother's, Mombar, if Ali's is packed out), then have a little tea and shisha at one of the coffeehouses on Steinway. Or just cut straight to boozing, at the Irish Rover.

[bpearis]

The Kabab Cafe is a real treasure and I always regret not getting out there more than I do. Ali makes you feel so welcome. Though those paintings in the bathroom are disturbing.

[Jason Perlow]

The Kabab Cafe is a real treasure and I always regret not getting out there more than I do. Ali makes you feel so welcome. Though those paintings in the bathroom are disturbing.

Why? What are they pictures of?

[bpearis]

The Kabab Cafe is a real treasure and I always regret not getting out there more than I do. Ali makes you feel so welcome. Though those paintings in the bathroom are disturbing.

Why? What are they pictures of?

There are these surrealist paintings of a brothel (I think that's what it is) with grotesque ogre-like Johns and tiny women. They're funny but unsettling. But cool. I just remember thinking "that's a very odd print to have in a bathroom." All part of the charm of the place I guess.

[zora]

They're prints of Botero paintings--lots of very fat people having a good time. Seems fitting to me!

[eatpie]

Ali used to be a hot topic on the other board and I don't recall many posts about him on EGullet. That said, Im going on the record - I would take a night at Ali's over any dining experience. Bold words, yes. Kabab encompasses all things I love about restaurants. No one makes me and/or my guests feel more at home in his restaurant than Ali. When he cooks, it is always from his heart. There are no shortcuts at Ali's. He always takes the long road. When he's on, his food is euphoric. Overall, a meal at Ali is more than just food, its an experience. Sorry, I'll jump off my soap box now.

[zora]

A-men. Every time I go in there, I feel like I can happily live the rest of my life in Astoria. But I guess I've already raved plenty.

By "other board" do you mean Chowhound?

[eatpie]

Yes, Im meant Chowhound...a not-so-subtle dig at their policy of not mentioning EGullet on their site.

[bleudauvergne]

I loved this article.

[danyoung]

Zora's article is just terrific. You may notice that the falafel at Ali's place is green. That's because it is made with fava rather than chickpeas. Chickpeas, I've been told, were introduced as a substitute for fava in Middle Eastern countries were much of the population has a congenital intolerance for fava. Another distinguishing characteric is that the falafel is pan-fried rather than deep-fried. I can only assume (hope? pray?) that trans fat or palm oil is not used. Speaking of which, could you imagine the collective horreur if it were learned that L'As du Falafel in Paris used trans fats to fry theirs?