Recently voted BEST FOOD nabe in New York (by Time Out New York), Hell’s Kitchen has to be one of the most gastronomically diverse neighborhoods in the country.  Each May, more than a million people wander along the mile-long smorgasbord that’s known as the Ninth Avenue International Food Festival, where nearly all of the world’s cuisines are represented.  Yet, apparently, it wasn’t until this past year that New York was able to claim a restaurant preparing what’s known as Druse cuisine.  That would be Gazala Place, a shoebox of a restaurant (much like many of the best ethnic restaurants along Ninth Avenue), where the front window often showcases a tray piled with white-and-black sesame seeded bourekas.  While these bourekas look deceptively like bagels, they’re as light as a feather, thanks to the phyllo pastry that encases a pilowy filling of goat cheese and sun-dried tomatoes—and while it’s tempting to grab one of these delectables for the road, take proprietor Gazala Halabi’s advice and let her warm one in the oven for you—or better yet, return for dinner, where you’ll be soothed by Israeli Druse specialties.

A small religious community, the Druse inhabit the mountains of Syria, Lebanon, and Israel, and their cuisine highlights some of the best of the Mediterranean.  There’s pita, for example, but it’s closer to a crepe in texture, thanks to being handmade on Ms. Halabi’s sajj, a Druse griddle that appears to be an upside-down wok.  And there’s baba ghanouj, smoky and creamy with tahini, and falafel that feels light, and fried pita cigars filled with potatoes and spices, and foule moudammas, a fava bean spread with garlic, pepper, and lemon. 

With its dark wooden chairs and tables, pillows, and upholstered benches (seating just eighteen), Gazala Place has the feel of a small village home, high in the mountains of Israel—where the cook wants nothing so much as to insure that you eat well for the night ahead.  You’ll want to return the favor—and return, often.