As much as I hate admitting this, I will for the sake of this post: I don't possess a very adventurous palate. When I was younger I couldn't stand dairy products, white meat, bread, raw veggies, eggs, and any form of pasta - in other words, public school lunch staples. Nowadays that category has thankfully narrowed and includes only most varieties of cheese and butter, although that still leaves me with the occasional cheese-less paninis. Trying a medium-profile cuisine like Lebanese wouldn't have even crossed my mind but recently it's been on my to-do list. Restaurant week was just another incentive.
At last I can say I've eaten perfect fries. The Phoenecian fries was recommended to us by our server and dusted with parsley and chili, were aromatic and almost completely greaseless - in a good way. Each thick-cut fry contained a fluffed potato center. The whipped garlic dip was subtly garlicky and buttery although I wouldn't have protested against a disk of cool, tart ketchup.
With the familiar fry came something I'm very used to seeing in display cases at delis but never thought twice about - stuffed grape leaves. Normally these look like shriveled up bandaged fingers but Ilili's resembled like petite delicate pillows. It was a little minty for my liking, but the aromatic oils made a nice tipping sauce for the pita.
The savory braising juices, by the time the lamb shank sandwich arrived at the table, had completely soaked into the bun, resulting in a soggy bun and dry shredded lamb. The dollop of dill labne (yogurt cheese) did little to combat the dryness of the sandwich. I picked the nutty fried eggplant discs and pistachios out and ate them separately.
I was amused by, almost annoyed at, my entree, which seemed more like an appetizer. With an umami cream infused fish consomme and summer vegetables, it was a good although tame fish dish.
Desserts were delicious.
Sweet brown butter crumbs countered the tangy, impossibly smooth labne cheesecake. It cut like whipped greek yogurt! The hibiscus gelee cubes didn't add much flavor or texture.
Sweet brown butter crumbs countered the tangy, impossibly smooth labne cheesecake. It cut like whipped greek yogurt! The hibiscus gelee cubes didn't add much flavor or texture.
This "candy bar" was revelatory; it's everything a mass-produced candy bar wishes it could amount to. Candied pistachio dust topped a small but appropriate slice of layered fig caramel, velvety chocolate ganache and buttery crust. It may sound overly decadent on paper but wasn't aggressively sweet like one would imagine.
Ilili
236 5th Ave
New York, NY 10001
