Kubeh refers to a Middle Eastern dumpling that I had read about being offered in my hood at a restaurant by the same name. We stopped by on the way to the Lucille Lortel to see one of our favorite actresses Jayne Houdyshell (who had won a Tony nomination for Dolls House 2, and a Tony for her Humans performance). This time she was an angry feminist in Relevance.
The noise level at Kubeh was deafening once we passed the bar and into the dining room. We ordered some drinks and a couple of items from the meze part of their menu. The chunks of chilled roasted eggplant, pomegranate arils and fresh mint leaves drizzled with tahini ($7); the lentil salad with charred scallions, acorn squash slices and a soupçon of yogurt ($6) and the zaatar sprinkled pita bread ($2) were served before we even got our drinks. Not the way I like to enjoy my meal.
At least the kubeh made it worth the trip. First, you select the filling: beef, mushroom, codfish or lamb. We chose the lamb with rice and mint. Then you select the broth; we chose the tomato, fennel and mint one. You get three meat-filled matzo-ball-like dumplings in that intensely flavored broth. We ordered an extra ($3) for easy splitting. That tasty dish made the noise dissipate — at least for the moment we were eating them. I would come back just to have the kubeh, but only if I could grab a seat at the much quieter bar.
Kubeh
West Village
464 Ave of Americas
New York, NY 10011
646-448 6688
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