A friend recently visited NYC from Washington, D.C. and wanted to grab a weekday lunch. When I asked him for any restaurant or cuisine preferences, he responded that he wanted to try something that you couldn’t find in D.C. After some frantic google searching for interesting restaurants in the midtown area, I found Taam Tov, a kosher Uzbek restaurant specializing in Bukharan cuisine (according to Google and the New York Times).
Although reviews mentioned the limited selection for vegetarians, from my review of the menu, it still seemed like a great place for lunch - lots of salads, breads and vegetable sides, or basically what I eat for lunch (or dinner) every day!
We shared a few vegetarian items, including the baba ganosh, salad Taam Tov, and the big Lepeshka bread.
The baba ganosh was very tasty - extremely creamy with a very subtle eggplant flavor. I think it was my favorite dish, and definitely a very large offering for an appetizer portion.
The salad Taam Tov was a little less interesting - as pictured, it was basically some chunks of vegetables with some herbs and a light sauce. It was fairly bland, but of course a nice light addition to a lunch.
The Lepeshka was a fairly tasty, HUGE bread that I think had I ordered a more stewed vegetable dish would have been a great, light and bready accompaniment.
I can definitely see myself back at Taam Tov again one day, mostly because of the price, proximity to my job and no wait when we arrived. None of the dishes - including the meat dish my friend ordered - were mind-blowing, and the vegetarian options are limited, but overall Taam Tov was a pleasant experience. So if you find yourself looking for a new lunch place in midtown, don’t let the 3rd floor location and narrow steps dissuade you, and check out Taam Tov.
Taam Tov
41 W. 47th Street, 3rd Floor
New York, NY 10036
Easily accessible from the B/D/F/M trains at 47th-50th Streets/Rockefeller Center