• Taïm

  222 Waverly Pl.; 212-691-1287

  What does one look for in a falafel? To be cheap and filling, obviously. To be fried-to-order, naturally, crisp and greaseless, nutty and earthy and nicely spiced. Taïm, a bright and cheerful West Village falafel shack, takes the chickpea-croquette conceit even further, purveying three different flavors, best sampled in a mixed platter with tahini-dappled hummus, tabbouleh, and Israeli salad. Taïm means tasty in Hebrew, and these specimens are—one streaked with roasted pepper; another infused with harissa; and the third (and best) tinged with cilantro, parsley, and mint. Savor them individually, or do what we do—stuff them into warm rounds of oil-and-herb-touched whole-wheat pita with some pickled baby eggplant and a healthy dose of the Yemeni hot sauce called srug.

From the 2006 Best of New York issue of New York Magazine