Several dishes from Mumbai Dreams.
With both winter and the COVID-19 pandemic continuing to rage, there’s not a lot to do in and around Nyack. But if you’re feeling the winter doldrums, there is one thing that might cheer you up… FOOD. Even as the Rockland area has lost some of its greatest culinary establishments, the local dining scene remains rich, with plenty of inventive, diverse options. Here are 5 dishes from local restaurants we love and recommend for those looking for a pick-me-up this weekend.
Grub’s Massaman Curry
If a better massaman curry exists, show it to us. Please. Grub’s achieves the perfect spicy-sweet combination, and the beef and potatoes are cooked so they’re perfectly tender. NYC has a lot of great Thai restaurants, but none that we’ve sampled delivers anything close to Grub’s massaman.
Art Cafe’s Sabich
Art Cafe has a long, impressive menu. But it’s hard not to continuously return to the sabich: a warm, soft pita stuffed with boiled egg, diced onion, cherry tomatoes, hummus, and A+ pickles. Word to the wise: order it with the eggplant add-on.
Karenderya’s Shrimp Adobo
Karenderya does everything extremely well–which is probably why it made Esquire’s Best Restaurants in America list a few years ago–but one dish it does particularly well is the Shrimp Adobo. The sweet yams offset the saltiness and complex acidity in a way that’ll have you coming back for seconds.
Kavos Grill’s Moussaka
Moussaka is more or less Greece’s take on lasagna. And as in any great lasagna, each layer of Kavos’s moussaka complements the last, both in texture in flavor. This one features eggplant, potatoes, ground beef, all topped with a creamy bechamel. It’s a little mushy with a little crunch. A little sweet with a little acid (courtesy of the tomatoes). Very heavy and very delicious.
Mumbai Dreams’ Dal Makhni
Rich, spicy, and hearty–if you don’t love lentils this dal will make you a convert. Especially great paired with a lamb shank.