We’ve stumbled upon another East Village gem.  Back in January, two childhood friends from Beirut, Roland Semaan (formerly of Atlantic Grill) and Youssef Said (exec chef), opened Lebanese restaurant Balade on 1st Ave. b/t 12th & 13th.  We met Roland at The Taste of Success event at City Winery last month, and after sampling the homemade manakeesh (traditional Lebanese pitza), we knew we had to pay the restaurant a visit.  The space, itself, has a warm and inviting old country feel to it with exposed brick, pillows strewn about the benches and other Lebanese touches that make it perfect for a date or small group.  It was quiet when we walked in at 7:15 PM on a snowy Friday night, but by the time we left there was a full house.  Balade has a moderately priced international wine list with some great value Lebanese wines.  Lebanon has an up and coming wine industry, and you should definitely give one of their wines a try.  The hot, gooey, doughy bread they bring you right off the bat together with some zaatar oil (blend of salt, sesame seeds, sumac and olive oil) is delicious.  But save room.  The specialties of the house are the Lebanese pitzas and the manakeesh (little bit thicker than the pitza w/ more olive oil), and trust me, you’re gonna want to try a couple of them. 

We started with the Vegetarian Mazmeez mezze platter of falafel, hummus, and zataar-blended cheese, which while good, we would skip in the future in favor of Balade’s more unique and adventurous offerings.

We ordered a Kafta Manakeesh, which is like a flatbread pizza with a layer of a spiced ground beef, chopped onions, parsley and lebanese spices on top.  After my first bite of this kafta pizza, I knew Balade was on to something different and delicious with its manakeesh.  There are several layers of spices and flavors that just pop on your palate.  This is a must-try.

They also have specialty pita pizzas (or pitzas) that are a bit thinner than the manakeesh.  We tried the Sultan El Shawarma pitza.  It’s basically a gourmet shwarma pizza with thinly sliced beef, onions, cucumbers, tomatoes, tahini and basil.  I strongly recommend asking for some of their house made hot sauce to add a little more pop to the pitzas.  I liked this pitza a lot but not sure it rises to the “must-try” level.  I think I would go with a different pitza next time, like the Greek Pitza or the Malak El Falafel.

Balade is one of those restaurants that is only going to be as good as your ordering. If you order properly, you’ll walk out talking about the meal for days and all the glorious flavor combinations.  For those for whom Balade will be their first Lebanese dining experience, it makes sense to split several things on the menu, as opposed to ordering your own stuff.  That way you can figure out what flavors and styles of Lebanese food you enjoy.  We happened to enjoy everything we tried, though the Kafta Manakeesh was the hit of the night.

Granted it was on the quieter side when we ate at Balade, but the servers were extremely friendly and attentive.  Not sure how the service plays out when the place is packed.  The meal was only $75 pre-tip for a bottle of wine and more food than we could finish (cold Kafta Manakeesh is better than cold Pizza Hut by the way).  Add Balade to the long list of affordable gems in the East Village.

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