Toni T.
Yelp
Stopped in after walked around the neighborhood following an Underground tour, and was so glad I did. The place is awfully cute: a front room with the kitchen/counter area and a window side dining counter (bathroom behind the counter, up the stairs), and more traditional seating in the room off to the side (probably once in a separate apartment) that itself has a main dining area and two small tables up a few stairs. The decor is a bit of a jumble, with musical instruments strunk from the high ceilings, and more Mediterranean artwork hung on the walls. The divider between the spaces has tea sets and other small collectible-type items on the shelves. All-in-all, it felt cozy to me on a (surprise!) cold damp day. the space is in an older building by the water, s it has that lived-in feeling that can lend a place the nice welcoming bohemian vibe of Paloma (or a less appealing unkempt, slightly dirty vibe that we saw in a few places we passed by on the way to settling on a spot for lunch).
I ordered the half soup & salad. My lentil soup was the thinner soup versus my mom's more stew-like recipe. It was full of vegetables and lentils and served at the perfect temperature. My salad was pretty, with red beets and a variety of lettuces; pita on the side. The portions were good for lunch but would have been too small for a dinner. My husband's baba ghanouj was a generous sized "appetizer" - large enough that he didn't feel the need to decide on and order a main course. The eggplant was smokey and really tasty - but served with about 1/2 the pita it needed so I ended up having to share mine. Based purely on serving size, our meals should have cost the same. As his was billed as an appetizer, I get the reason for the price discrepancy; we both left full, though.