Israeli Breakfast (two eggs any style, w/ labneh cheese, home fries, Israeli salad & pita)

by Celia Sin-Tien Cheng
February 28, 2008

MIRIAM
79 5th Ave
(St Marks & Warren Sts)
Brooklyn, NY 11217
718-622-2250

Do you sometimes forget to give credit to those consistently solid neighborhood restaurants and just take them for granted? I think that’s what I’ve done with Miriam. After reviewing Gazala Place, I was reminded of a recent brunch at Miriam, and so while I’m on a roll, let’s talk about another restaurant that serves great Israeli fare.

Miriam is about four times the size of Gazala Place, but even so, its popularity exceeds the number of seats available. On weekends, crowds amass outside, eagerly awaiting their turn to enjoy the scrumptious brunch.

With plenty of windows and light yellow and green walls, Miriam has a bright and cheery atmosphere. In contrast to Gazala’s more demure homemade feel, Miriam is modern and hip. It’s not just the Park Slope location, but the philosophy behind the food emphasizes the cross pollination of modern Jewish culture and cuisine rather than strict adherence to heritage and tradition.

At brunch, I most enjoy sitting at the bar and sipping fresh squeezed orange juice while I wait for my Israeli breakfast. It includes two eggs (my order: sunny side up, extra crispy), labneh cheese, home fries, Israeli salad and pita.

The eggs arrived perfectly cooked as I specified, with the yolks runny, but the edges burnt to a crisp. The labneh cheese has the consistency and taste of yogurt; drizzled with olive oil, it’s irresistible with the piping hot pita. Miriam’s pitas come from Pita Express, but these thick, meaty but fluffy pitas are so good I assumed they were homemade. The Israeli salad of tomato, cucumber and onions was finely diced and provided my serving of vegetables for the day. And no brunch would be complete without home fries. These are cooked soft with juicy onions. I also asked for Miriam’s tahini sauce, which I call “the green sauce,” on the side. Green with a fragrant scent of fresh herbs, it’s tahini blended with cilantro and parsley. I add it to everything on my plate.

The original Miriam on Fifth Avenue in Park Slope (the one I visit) opened in 2005, but given the success of the restaurant, another one opened last year in Cobble Hill.

While Gazala Place and Miriam are stylistically quite different, both offer delicious fare in very diverse neighborhoods. Hurray for good Middle Eastern food in New York.

Also in Brunch, Israeli, Park Slope