Maha's

One of the saddest things to witness in the fair city of New York is the passing of a restaurant. It's no mystery that this happens all the time... It's a very tough business to make money in. Sometimes you can see it coming from a mile away: empty restaurants with menus the length of my arm, disastrous concepts, hideous spaces, etc. Other times it's the real estate market turning on people who have been around and been successful. There have been a couple of high profile losses recently: Florent in the Meat Packing district for one. I was particularly discouraged today when I learned that my falafel joint, Maha's (69 6th Ave. between Flatbush and Bergen) has lost their lease and will be closing on August 31st.
Maha's is about as small of an eatery as you can get. There can't be more than 4 tables. The kitchen, such as it is, is made up of a small preping area, an electric stove and a toaster oven. It looks like grandma's kitchen. The woman in charge is Maha Ziadeh, who, with one helper works all day and night, 6 days a week. She's extremely pleasant, and her falafel is awesome. This was one of the first places I ate when I moved to Brooklyn, so it will always have a special place in my heart and stomach. I wish the best for her and hope that her new place (if she finds one) is still close to my house.

Wish List: Places Where I'd Like to Eat

If wishes were fishes...
Here are a couple places I'm looking forward to eating in the coming months; wind, tide and funds allowing.
James, in Prospect Heights www.jamesrestaurantny.com
The Good Fork, in Red Hook www.goodfork.com
Peaches, in Bed-Stuy (do or die) no website yet.
The Grocery, in Carroll Gardens thegroceryrestaurant.com
Lupa, Manhattan www.luparestaurant.com
Ali's Kebab Cafe, Astoria, Queens, no website.

(Dive) Bars where I want to get my drink on:
Farrell's Bar and Grill, Windsor Terrace
Montero's, Atlantic Ave.
Sunny's Bar, Red Hook
Hank's, Atlantic Ave.
Frank's Cocktail Lounge, Fort Greene
O'Connor's, Park Slope