Of course you know this! What do you not know?
I’m a big fan of canned tomatoes, particularly from October to May. But fresh is always nice.
In the end, does it taste good? I’ll say this: I don’t like Hasiba’s shakshuka. I love it!
I visited Toast Cafe for the first time last week and ordered the malawach. Surprisingly, I have never had malawach before and didn’t even know exactly what it was (and the waiter did a poor job of explaining it). It came out looking like a flat pupusa. While it had a somewhat interesting flavor (a hint of sweetness), it was just a greasy mess of a thing— and I generally avoid fried foods. It also cost like $12 and the only other things on the plate were one sliced, hard boiled egg, some sliced green olives, and an inedible tomato salsa.
The Ziva was an interesting and tasty bit of cheese-filled pastry though (served with the same incomprehensible sides). Cute and modern cafe compared to the usual kosher establishments, I wish their food offered more.
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For a variation on the whole traditional shakshuka thing, Revolutionario makes a “shakshuka” taco (red pepper, tomatoes, onions and egg scrambled together), and while not particularly a showcase dish to look at - it’s a scramble! - tasty. They also do a brik with sweet pepper and egg that was wonderfully light and the egg white done inside with the yolk almost firm. Both go up a notch with a bit of the green harissa.
How did this become such a fad? Italians have been making eggs in purgatory for a very long time
Also what about this place beyond shakshuka… worth a visit apart from OP’s bad time?
Wow, I’m glad I didn’t order the malawach at Toast, as I had considered doing. It never occurred to me that they might be using the frozen stuff they sell at kosher markets, but now that you mention it, it would not shock me to learn that that is exactly where Toast’s falafel came from.
We asked for Zhug at Toast and they brought this stuff that (1) had no parsley or cilantro; and (2) tasted straight from the jar.
So much for Eater referring to Toast as a “gem” and “incredible.”
I can’t comment on the other food at Hasiba beyond the shakshuka, the meh Israeli salad and the bread, but I think people should know that it is extremely expensive for a fast casual place (I spent $27 for lunch) and that the seating is extremely uncomfortable. If you don’t mind paying a lot for fast casual food and don’t need a comfortable dining environment (I was more comfortable today having lunch at cheap mini-mall fast food restaurant Green Olive than I was at Hasiba), then give Hasiba a try and report back. I do think Hasiba is using low quality olive oil though, but then I am very particular about olive oil, probably more than most people.
As you can see from this thread, there is a wide range of opinions regarding Hasiba. I found the food to be lackluster and the prices to be quite high. I had hummus, pita and Israeli salad. I like the hummus I make better. I thought the pita had an off putting fluffy texture. I thought they should be embarrassed about the salad. It was big, uneven chunks of vegetables with a dressing that had no flavor.
For the record, I don’t like Lodge bread so maybe these chefs and my tastes don’t line up.
I love Hasiba.
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Just went to lunch at Hasiba and wanted to try the Shakshuka that is shaping up to be the most controversial dish of 2018 on FTC!
I came away with mixed feelings about the shakshuka. Definitely thought it was quite a bit too sweet and very one note in flavor, mostly tomato. I wish there was more nuance or depth to the flavors. I found the pita to be very spongy and chewy, not in a good way. The only saving grace was that when the pita was soaked in the tomato/egg mixture it was a very effective vehicle for the sauce to cling to and the wetness changed the texture a bit. Kind of reminded me of injera bread being used to scoop a stew.
On the positive side I thought the eggs were cooked perfectly (not overly runny and not hard set), the temperature of the dish was perfect and stayed hot throughout my meal due to the properly heated cast iron skillet. I personally enjoy piping hot/scorch your mouth dishes. The hot sauce on the side was also delicious, maybe tahini mixed with garlic and blended peppers?
Definitely didn’t hate it but surely didn’t love it either.
I think you put your finger on what is wrong with the shakshuka – it is way too sweet and one note in flavor. A good shakshuka should be like a symphony and explode in your mouth. To me, this shakshuka was kind of like drinking Manischewitz wine – all sweet and no depth or discernable acidity. By the way, I received no hot sauce on the side, which definitely might have improved things if I had dumped it into the shakshuka.