Balade: Lebanese Redefines Comfort Food

January 24, 2010 10:07 pm

Balade: Lebanese Redefines Comfort Food

I think it's fair to say that the Lebanese taught me how to eat. Before meeting Jill, my best friend in high school, I ate the way any self-respecting white person on a heart healthy diet would: bland and measured. After becoming a pseudo-member of her family, however, my food world was expanded to include the joys of abundant, flavorful food, and the love that goes into making each dish. After attending the opening party for Balade, an East Village Lebanese Pitza and Grill, I am happy to report that I found a little of that love right here in the big bad city.

Balade, which means "fresh" in Lebanese, was started by Roland Semaan and Youssef Said, two childhood friends from Beirut, Lebanon. Both bring years of restaurant and hospitality experience to the table, and it shows. The space is cozy and inviting, with low, beamed ceilings, exposed brick, and a pillow-laden banquette. Tip, this little gem would make a great early date spot: good food and seductive ambiance.

And then there's the food. Oh, the food. It was plentiful, delicious, and clearly a labor of love. I started at the buffet, filling my plate with Tabouleh, (a parsley salad with onions, tomatoes, olive oil and fresh lemon juice) Hummus, Baba Ghanouj (eggplant puree with tahini and lemon juice), and Grape Leaves stuffed with chickpeas, tomatoes, parsley and rice. The hummus had more lemon in it than I am accustomed to, while the Baba Ghanouj had an intensely smoky flavor. Both were delicious.

Amidst platters of spinach, cheese and beef-stuffed pastries, one of the standouts was clearly the Kebbeh, for which I immediately went back for seconds. From the menu: "Lebanon's national dish; a mixture lean beef and cracked wheat, shaped into shells, filled with a mixture of seasoned ground beef, diced onions and pine nuts, and then served with a side of laban (Lebanese yogurt)." I remember having Kebbeh with Jill's family, and while nothing beats homemade, this Kebbeh made me pine for it, in a good way. All of Balade's meat seems like it is marinated in cinnamon, and the resulting effect is beef that tastes light and tender, lamb that is out of this world.

Another unexpected standout was one of the Manakeesh, or Lebanese pizza. This particular variety boasted a mixture of wild dried thyme, sesame seeds, sumac (a spice that comes from a wild berry bush) and olive oil. The flavor was intensely satisfying. Trick, next time you crave a little comfort food, skip the diner and go for Lebanese. From amazing pizza to hearty dips, you'll get that homey feeling, and in much healthier doses.

We finished off the evening with two insanely rich and wonderful desserts, along with a cocktail of flower water and white wine that had been steeped in rose petals (yes, it's as good as it sounds). For dessert, they have Mouhallabie, a silky rice pudding, and Halwet el Jibn, a sweet, soft cheese steeped in syrup and sprinkled with crushed almonds. So basically, heaven on a plate.

To wrap up this love fest for Balade, a little nostalgia. While enjoying a platter of marinated lamb, rice and toasted pine nuts, I was instantly transported back to Jill's Grandma's kitchen, where we would go every Friday after whatever shenanigan's we had gotten into that night. We would break open the fridge to have leftovers of lentils and rice, chicken and rice, and macaroni. In this present-day incarnation, the lamb was a little dry, but still flavorful, tender, and enough to make me miss those nights spent giggling and gorging ourselves on Lebanese home cooking.

Balade
208 1st Avenue
(between 12th and 13th Street)
New York, NY 10009
212-529-6868
www.baladerestaurants.com