Time after Taim

Sometimes, in our compulsive Food Network-watching sprees, we come across a chef who specializes in neither Pillsbury Bake Offs nor Texas BBQing. Her talent is so pronounced that Bobby Flay himself declared her the champion of her art. Whats with all the suspense? Add some Israeli roots and you have yourself the best Falafel in New York City. Though its no surprise to me that a 5 foot tall woman working out of a 10x10 kosher cardboard box in the West Village could have customers lined out the door, the versatility of her falafel ball does seem to shock us. Serving up three types of falafel (Red- with roasted red pepper, Green- with parsley, cilantro, and mint, and Harissa- with Tunisian Spices) Taim has redefined Israeli standards, adding a downtown twist for those self-professed health conscious of us who can't resist deep fried chickpeas.

Having done a couple of things right, Taim's claim to fame is their seemingly oily-free falafel ball. Raising the temperature of their cooking oil to a degree that shocks the falafel- crusting it over without allowing any oil to seep into the dough, Taim produces the most sumptuous fritter inside that I have ever tasted. Soft, flavorful, melt-in-your mouth herby goodness matched with the crunch of freshly julienned cabbage, homemade hummus and tahini sauce on a bed of Israeli salad. The combination can do know wrong, but served upon your choice of whole wheat or white pita made me rejoice in a way no falafel joint has done before.

Needless to say, our apartment search will have to narrow its range to a 5 block radius of this restaurant. Who cares about a subway when you could a falafel-to-go for your daily routine. Though we had a suspicion Taim would be a winner, it has incited us to introduce a spoon-rating system in our reviews. What does this one deserve... you ask? Four and a Half Spoonfuls of greatness.

Rating: (Out of Five Spoonfuls) 4.5 Overflowing Ones.

Taïm

222 Waverly Pl., nr. Seventh Ave.

212-691-1287