If you’re looking for a noteworthy Lebanese dining experience, look no further than Balade. Located in the East Village, this cozy establishment is by far one of the best Lebanese restaurants I have tried. Upon entry, you’re greeted and seated by their extremely welcoming and polite staff. The lighting is perfectly dim with a clean, quiet interior filled with pillows and traditional artwork on the walls. Balade’s dark and snug atmosphere is perfect for your next night out, catching up with friends or even an intimate solo dinner.
This traditional Middle Eastern cuisine restaurant truly outdid themselves with their restaurant week. During my visit, my friend and I selected their three-course dinner for $45. From their restaurant week prix fixe menu, we ordered the baba ghandouj and the warak einab for our appetizers. The baba ghandouj is a dip made out of chargrilled eggplant puree with tahini and fresh lemon juice served with warm pita bread. It was insanely flavorful; a beautiful balance of warm and cold when paired with the pita bread for dipping. As someone who enjoys dips, baba ghandouj is my go-to at any Middle Eastern restaurant, and I was certainly not disappointed this time. Our other selection, warak einab, is a homemade style of grape leaves stuffed with chickpeas, tomatoes, parsley and rice. This was my first time trying warak einab, and it lived up to my expectations. Perfectly warm and skillfully wrapped in grape leaves, the rice was soft and generously seasoned.
Moving on to our entrees, we ordered Balade’s beef shawarma platter and their sheikh el shawarma platter. The beef shawarma platter consisted of shredded marinated beef, topped with tomatoes, onion and parsley, served with rice, pickles and tahini sauce on the side. The beef was extremely juicy, savory and crispy exactly where it needed to be. The sheikh el shawarma platter, on the other hand, featured shredded marinated chicken with toum served with pickles and fries. This platter came with two sauces, and when paired with the handcut fries, we were hit with a perfect amount of light spice and sauciness. Both of these entrees were a generous size for leftovers after satisfying our hunger. Of course, I’m sure you’re wondering what we ordered for our sweet treat, so I decided to save the best for last.
As our final course, we ordered two of their traditional desserts: mouhalabie and ashta. Both of these desserts are puddings, but prepared and presented in different, unique ways. Mouhalabie is a milk pudding topped with ground pistachio and homemade syrup; unlike anything I’ve tasted before, but delectable nonetheless. I would consider it a mix between jello and pudding with the homemade syrup being the best part. This syrup was sweet enough to enjoy in every bite as it was placed under the pudding, so it was the first thing you tasted off the spoon. The pistachio pieces dusted on top added a perfect amount of nutty flavor to balance out the milk pudding with the syrup.
As for ashta, this delectable dessert also incorporated pistachio, but with different toppings. Ashta is a homemade white pudding with honey, pistachio and fresh fruits. This pudding was more of a soft consistency and was certainly a little more runny, unlike the mouhalabie, giving it that pudding feel. The combination of fresh honey atop the bananas and strawberries was a nice surprise. You don’t often see these fruits paired with honey and pistachio, but this dessert brought them together in the most unexpectedly pleasant way, balancing flavors of natural sweetness without overpowering each other. My friend and I concluded that the ashta was our favorite of the two desserts. For any dessert lovers who prefer a more balanced, less in-your-face sugar fix, these are the treats for you.
To say I recommend Balade would clearly be an understatement. For a $45 three-course dinner that leaves you utterly satisfied and incorporates so many aspects of Lebanese culture, I would say it’s worth it. The combination of distinct flavors and a homey, tight-knit environment truly allows you to unwind and not only enjoy the food, but the company of others. If you’re looking to broaden your culinary repertoire, Balade should be at the top of your list.