With beautiful decor and a delicious menu, Miriam is your next destination for a good night out.
A new food staple has just been added to the Upper West Side. Miriam, the popular Park Slope Israeli restaurant has opened up a new location on the Upper West Side, bringing its flavorful menu to a new audience. While this new location mirrors the menu of the Park Slope location, Miriam UWS is the first location with a full liquor license. The wine list of Miriam UWS has been expertly curated by Chef/Owner Raphael Hasid and the cocktail menu created by Anne Castaldi. Both wine list and cocktail menu features bold and exciting flavors delivered straight from the Middle East. And fortunately, we had a chance to sit down and experience these flavors for ourself.
Upon entering Miriam UWS, we could not help but notice some of the bright and beautiful décor (our favorite being the bold blue velvet booths that were extremely comfortable). With the décor being bright but also chic, it creates an ambiance that feels exciting and trendy. The staff at Miriam were all very friendly and extremely knowledgeable about the menu. We often asked our server for recommendations on the menu and she was able to provide a lot of useful insight on the flavor profiles of the dishes we were considering.
We had to try some of the cocktails to start. We ordered the Guava and the Fig, and both were extremely tasty in their own distinct way. The Guava is made with Gin, guava, fresh lemon, and sweet cardamom. Upon first taste you immediately get a freshness and lightness from the drink. The flavor of the drink has this subtle sweetness to it, all while having a very pronounced guava flavor profile. What really took this drink to the next level was the inclusion of the sweet cardamom pods in the drink which added a more developed sweetness to the drink as well as a beautiful hint of spice. It was a drink that was so tasty and inviting that you keep going back for more sips. The Fig is definitely more for someone who enjoys darker liquor. Made with bourbon, rye, fig syrup, and cardamom, this drink has a deep and dark sweetness to it. The oakiness from the bourbon plays beautifully with the sweetness from the fig syrup. But, unlike the Guava, the Fig is definitely meant to be sipped lightly and the flavors are much more bold.
To start our food journey, it only felt right to try the dipping plate that they offered. This plate features a variety of dips including tahini with parsley, roasted eggplant, butternut squash chershi, tzatziki, and a beautiful piece of fresh flatbread topped with za’atar. Each dip was so unique and had very distinct flavor profiles. We first tried the butternut squash chershi and this was definitely one of our favorites. The dip was sweet and had a burst of flavor with each bite. Definitely a perfect seasonal dish that you must order for the table. The tahini was delicious as well. Usually tahini feels a bit heavy but the addition of parsley was a great move since it adds a bit of freshness and lightness to the dip. The eggplant is a dip that should definitely be the third stop for you since it has a great meatiness to it while still adding a nice umami flavor. And the tzatziki was refreshing and bright making it a great palette cleanser dip in our opinion. The flatbread itself was crisp and flavorful making it the perfect vessel for each dip.
We then transitioned into the Meze portion of the dinner. Miriam has a great deal where you can get 3 Meze dishes for $30 which almost felt like a steal for how great they were. We started with the falafel which is paired with pita croutons and crushed tomatoes with tahini and parsley. In our opinion, the quality and flavor of a falafel weighs heavily on how we rate a Mediterranean restaurant. Miriam’s falafel was exceptional. The falafel balls had a crispness to it that if you stroked the exterior with your fork, you would hear beautiful crisp sounds back. With the first bite, you are met with the crunch of the exterior, and immediately after you are enveloped by the warm, tender, and moist interior of the falafel. The pita chip crouton is a great vessel to carry the broken up falafel and we also recommend pairing it with the tomato for an extra bit of brightness and acidity to each bite.
Another favorite was the pomegranate meatballs which were paired with labneh and pistachios. The meatballs were incredibly moist and packed with so much flavor that you almost become stunned that such a little meatball had so much hidden inside. The dairy from the labneh compliments the umami from the meatball while also serving as a great palette cleanser with each bite. And the pomegranate topping on the labneh adds a wonderful acidity and sweetness to the dish which helps to break up some of the heaviness that might come from the dairy and the meat. Lastly, we had the brussel sprouts which were paired with a honey chili sauce and topped with sesame seeds. The sprouts itself were perfectly charred without being on the burnt end of things. The honey chili sauce added a great sweetness to the dish while leaving you with a budding heat coming from the chili itself. The sesame seeds added a nice variety of texture as well as adding a hint of nuttiness to the dish.
As for the main course, we decided to try the grilled branzino dish. This was made with a branzino filet and paired with a celery root puree, grapefruit and fennel salad, and drizzled spicy harissa sauce. Our server mentioned that this was definitely one of her favorite dishes, especially since the branzino is shipped directly from the Mediterranean. The branzino itself was cooked perfectly. The skin was crispy and the meat of the fish was flaky and moist. With each bite the fish practically melted in your mouth, leaving you wanting more and more. We loved the pairing of the spicy harissa which added a little heat to the fish, but not so much were it overwhelmed the natural flavors of the branzino. The grapefruit and fennel salad was a nice addition to it where the grapefruit’s sourness and acidity helped reinvigorate your palette.
For dessert, we tried the Malabi. This was made with rose water milk pudding, almond and rose syrup, topped with slivered almonds and baklava. The milk pudding was simply amazing. The texture was silky smooth and light and the rose water flavor came through so nicely. Each bite you are initially met with the burst of sweetness from the rose water and rose syrup which is then contrasted with the nuttiness of the almonds. And any dessert topped with baklava is a plus. The baklava was flaky but not too sweet were it overpowered the rose water flavors.
Our lasting thoughts is that Miriam UWS is definitely going to be a go-to. The chic interior, bright energy, and amazing food and drinks make this an obvious Upper West Side staple. We highly recommend trying out Miriam with your friends, family, and/or other loved ones.
