Balaboosta
214 Mulberry St., Nolita, NY
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Dudes, if you’re looking for a place to scout out lady prospects, look no further than Balaboosta. Never have we felt so outnumbered at a restaurant – it honestly felt like we were alone among fifty females…long hair, big bags and funky jewelry everywhere. And the noise level…holy sh*t. Earplugs are most definitely required. Balaboosta is a small place, and noise bounces off the walls like an elementary school gymnasium. After a couple glasses of wine, not only are the ladies getting loud, but they’re getting hungry; hungry for hummus, hungry for falafel and hungry for a man.
Balaboosta is the recent offshoot of beloved West Village falafel joint Taim Falafel & Smoothie Bar. It’s upscale Israeli and Mediterranean flavors in the heart of Nolita. The food is just south of ok, but this place is right in the Sex and the City crowd’s wheelhouse. Is this the kind of spot we want to hang out on the regular? No chance. But, it’s definitely something we’ll recommend to our female co-worker who’s always looking for a fun Girls’ Night Out or any single guy looking for a potential Drunk Hook Up.
Food Rundown:
Hummus “Mortar And Pestle”
You can’t really slip ordering up a plate of hummus for the table. Balaboosta stays traditional and makes theirs with tahini, lemon and roasted garlic. It’s damn tasty.
Taïm’s Falafel Wrapped Meatballs
On paper, this was an obvious order, but it turned out to be a mistake. Plain and simple, these just weren’t good.
Honeydew & Cantaloupe Gazpacho
We couldn’t resist the urge to see what this was all about. As a big fans of both honeydew and cantaloupe, this gazpacho just sounded like something we needed to try. Well, we tried it, and one spoonful was plenty. Too sweet, too cold, and not something we’d mess with again.
Sardines Blackboard Special
This was a pleasant surprise. We don’t often eat fresh, whole sardines. These were seared and served over a bed of Israeli bean and veggie salad, and tasted nothing like the stinky kind that come out of the can, that’s for damn sure. Good stuff.
Lamb Two Ways
Reading the description had my mouth watering – roasted chops & swiss chard wrapped loin, persian lime sauce, fennel purée and tzatziki. The meat was juicy, there was definitely serious flavor, but sadly it was missing that special something to put it over the top. Also, for $28, the serving size was too small.
Boneless All Natural Half Chicken cooked “Under A Brick”
Best thing on the menu, order it up.
