Much has been written by the press about the Yemenite yeast bread, kubaneh, and rightfully so, at Timna.
The bread comes served in clay flower pot (like something you’d find for sale at Home Depot for $2), and puffs out like a proper chocolate souffle. It comes with crushed tomatoes and tahini, but it’s much better savored on its own.
It’s got the texture of good brioche, a hint of sweetness that reminds one of Hokkaido bread or maybe King’s Hawaiian bread, and is as addictive as Olive Garden’s garlic bread rolls. Probably more addictive.
After feasting on that pot of yeasty goodness, everything else that followed was like doing burnouts in a Prius after trying the ludicrous mode in the Tesla.
Grilled octopus was rubbery, and almost fishy. The Mediterranean sashimi was vapid and oily. The lobster polenta was fine, with the exception of a fried egg that covered the entire dish.
Good place to go in preparation for the NYC Marathon. Easy to carbo-load.
Timna
East Village on St. Marks Place