Azuri

It's been almost 2 years since I've spoken to my friend, Marsha Cottrell. No bad blood, just preoccupied. Marsha is a kick ass artist and foodie. We met up one time at a place that is now one of my favorite places to eat in town.  Marsha described Azuri Café (465 W. 51st St. bw 10th & 11th) as a hole in the wall run by a real NYC character named Ezra Cohen not unlike the soup Nazi in that Seinfeld episode. Apparently he can be a real grump, but you know he must be a good man-how else could his food taste so great?
 
The falafel is always freshly fried and the side salads served on a platter or stuffed in a pita are fresh and delicious. No brown iceberg lettuce in sight! Each mound of salad has its own distinct flavor: red cabbage slaw, tabbouleh, eggplant, pickles, tomato cucumber. My favorite is the eggplant.  I'm not sure how it's prepared, either roasted or braised, but it has a meaty texture with a delicious sweet flavor. Azuri's sandwiches go beyond anyone else's because of the array of salads they stuff into a pita. 
 
Azuri's pita bread is also excellent. This is no thin Damascus Bakery pita. It's a thick, wheat-flecked round that has to be cut with a knife to make a pocket. The thickness ensures that the juices from the salad and/or meat don't sog the bread. If you get a platter, you'll use that bread to clean every last morsel off the plate. It's just that good. 
Everthing at Azuri is great. It's kosher, so it's not open on Saturday, but it is open on Sundays. The food is not only delicious, it's also healthy. Well, maybe not the fried cauliflower, but at least that's cheap! Sandwiches are $4-7 bucks and large platters which are perfect to share are $9-13. Just thinking about the Azuri flavors makes me hungry. I think I'll call Marsha up to meet at Azuri Café.