Karam

If you've ever spent extended time in Los Angeles and then moved away, there might not be much you miss. But if you are a sentient, self-aware being, I bet I can name at least one thing you long for: Zankou chicken garlic sauce.

I have found the closest thing to it in NY and it is at Karam, an insanely affordable Lebanese joint in Bay Ridge.



Look at this huge fucking pile of garlic sauce!


Jeez it is so good. Sharp, tangy, sinus-clearing, I'm happy to say this sauce hangs with Zankou.
The scent of garlic will ooze from your pores for hours, or days if you coat your food as I do.



Your first choice shall center on Rotisserie Chicken or Shawerma (this is not a choice for me as I shun chicken at nearly all opportunities for meat with actual flavor). Second choice is platter or pita sandwich.

You are provided with fuchsia-colored pickled radish and spicy little hot peppers, just as in LA. The shawerma is top notch. Oh my god, I want some right now.

Another bowl of extra sauce and homemade sweet lemonade:

Oregano saturated cheese bread:

Fantastic and uber-cheap. Go!
Info: 8519 4th Avenue

Grubby: Rafiqi's Halal Cart

Everyone has their fav lunchtime halal cart. Mine: Rafiqi's in midtown, corner of 31st and Broadway . When I worked at the Empire State Building I would grub on it weekly. It was the New York Times reviews proudly pasted to it's exterior that first drew me in.

Not the best photo, but what you see above is my order: lamb and chicken sandwich, lotsa of spicy red sauce, lotsa creamy white sauce. It KILLS. The chicken, mostly dark thigh meat, is covered in a red spice marinade. The lamb, superior to the chicken in most everyway, is cooked until almost crispy. I really love it and its greasy goodness.
It's only $3.75 too. If you are in Midtown looking for lunch on a weekday, you can do a lot worse than this