Taim and Birdbath: Flavors in trios and cookies in crumbles

On a rainy night several weeks ago SYB and I had dinner at the wee West Village joint Taim. Falafel isn't something I have often, despite what a previous post might have led you to believe; in the past four or five years, I've probably only eaten them a handful of times. They're just not something I crave. But after reading about this place over and over again on these two blogs and others, I figured I should give "the best falafel in New York" a try.

We both ordered the same thing, the mixed falafel platter. The falafel came in three varieties: roasted red pepper; harissa; and parsley and cilantro. The falafel was definitely good—moist inside and crisp and greaseless outside—but somehow I didn't find their flavors that exciting. I liked the red pepper one (maybe because of its slight sweetness?) but the other two didn't really blow my mind.

Each platter came with fat, fluffy pitas that had been drizzled with olive oil and za'atar (we had both asked for whole wheat); hummus; tabouli; Israeli salad; and a trio of sauces (tahini; amba, a sauce based on pickled mango; and a spicy, cilantro-y green sauce that I don't know the name of). Everything tasted really fresh and well-prepared. If I go a next time, I will try the sabich.

Afterwards we went to Birdbath Neighborhood Green Bakery, where I got a small, flaky "Green Power" cookie, studded with four little squares of candied jalapeño. Unfortunately by the time I got it home, the delicate pastry had broken into pieces in my bag. I tried some reconstruction, but there was no saving it.

Alas, that's just the way the cookie crumbles.