For those who aren't observing religious customs, you can still enjoy the quality of the meats that have been handled with such care and attention.
But don't look for butter on your bread or cream in your coffee - there's no dairy.
One of my favorite Middle Eastern dishes is Shakshuka ($5.75), and this one met my expectations perfectly. The eggs were poached to a just-set yoke in a spicy tomato sauce.
Esther Cohen says the secret is in cooking the tomato sauce very slowly.
It's a dish that will start the day with a kick.
For appetizers, the taster thumbs-up went to the Imam Bayildi ($5.95).
Perfectly roasted eggplant was stuffed with sautéed onions, green peppers, tomatoes, garlic, pine nuts and tasty little morsels that Esther Cohen describes as very tiny grapes.
All this is topped with a beautiful preserved lemon slice, and freshly grilled bread made the perfect accompaniment. Minor complaint is that the dish should be served room temperature - taking the chill off will bring out these fabulous flavors even more.
We also tried the Bourekas ($4.75), a pastry filled with your choice of spinach or potatoes. My tasters and I loved the idea of starch on starch and opted for the potato. Lightly seasoned and crispy, it was a good side for sharing.
The Hummus ($4) is billed as the "Best in Town." Of course, almost every Middle Eastern restaurant calls its hummus best in show. This could be a contender, though, with a rich earthiness that I found surprising and welcome.
The Split Pea soup ($3) was the soup of the day. It was filling, but lacked the richness I crave in split pea. Still, it would satisfy on a cold day.
The platters ($10.95) all come with a salad of chopped greens and a side of rice flecked with toasted orzo.
