ilili
236 5th Avenue (27th St.)
New York, NY 10001
Phone Number 212-683-2929
Web site www.ililinyc.com
Cuisine Contemporary Lebanese
The Best of Old Lebanon and Modern Mediterranean
Come to Life in New York City with the Opening of ilili
Award-winning website, Punchin-dot-com, features the Walman Report and reviews of restaurants, travel, wine and theater. Old Lebanon and new Mediterranean meet on 5th Avenue with the opening of ilili, a stunning contemporary Lebanese restaurant offering inspired modern cuisine. Not even in Beirut can you get food this inventive. New York’s most exciting new restaurants offer Global, upmarket less familiar (to Americans) ethnic cuisines, packaged for a hip and knowledgeable clientel.
Served within a glamorous ocher dining room, Owner / Executive Chef Philippe Massoud’s menu offers appetizers like a mélange of Eggplant, Garlic, Tahini, Olive Oil and Pomegranate and the famed Manti dumplings, filled with Spiced Lamb, Tomatoes, Mint and Yogurt Foam. Progressive dishes include Mussels with licorice-liqueur, Garlic and Peppers and Kashkawan Cheese, baked with Duck Egg and Desert Truffle, served in a black skillet.
Not to be missed masterpieces include Brussels sprouts, fried w/grapes, fig puree, walnuts & mint (the best version of this mistreated vegetable ever encountered); Amber Jack Raw thin sliced tuna w/wasabi-spiced baba ghannouj;Parchment Filets of Rouget
w/ pita chips, Tahini, and lemon kibbeh Naya and buger-of-burgers: Spiced Beef Kafta, stuffed with flecks of buttery Foie Gras.
There is wonderful seafood as well as kebabs made with tender Kobe beef. For a no-brainer, go for the Lebanese Tasting menu. Complementing the international cuisine, there’s an impressive wine list featuring favorites from Lebanon and the Mediterranean, with a terrific selection by the glass and an interesting Cava Rose, as well as superb cocktails, whether they be a classic martini or the house margarita (an intoxicating mélange of Patron Silver, Grand Marnier, Cointreau, Fresh Pomegranate, Lime and Sumac). Phoenician Lemonade is the runner up. For dessert, stick with the classic Essmalieh. a Napoleon of shredded philo and Achta (like clotted cream) and you’ll swoon. Service is wonderful.
Our first restaurant to review in the new year, ilili, 236 5th Avenue, is uniquely upscale, offbeat, and is not to be missed. That rates "A Major" on the Walman Report.
Other recommended dishes such as the Baba Ghannouj, made with Eggplant, Garlic, Tahini, Olive Oil and Pomegranate and the baby Manti Pasta with Spiced Lamb, Tomatoes, Mint and Yogurt Foam represent the traditional Lebanese background of the restaurant. Highlighting the Mediterranean influences on the menu are progressive dishes like the Mussels with Arak, Garlic and Aleppo Pepper, and the fabulous Kashkawan Cheese, Baked with Duck Egg and Desert Truffle.
Echoing the diverse menu, acclaimed architect Nasser Nakib, the creative force behind the restaurant’s avant-garde décor and design, has set the stage for the tour de force of sensory extravagance awaiting diners. Guests fittingly enter ilili through the building’s original 1907 landmark façade, which has been meticulously restored, bringing back the glory of the building and setting the scene for a grand arrival.
The 110-cover main dining room with an adjacent room for 38-covers, features a deep, rustic color pallet, evocative of an exotic souk, with round ebonized French oak tables throughout the ground floor of the restaurant. Upstairs, a smaller private dining room featuring square tables and accommodating 48 covers, is located, making ilili an outstanding dining experience for small and large parties alike. Throughout both areas, soft amber lighting and candlelight against the rich reds and burgundies of the hand-stitched leather chairs, imbues the spaces with a warmth reminiscent of a Mediterranean sunset.
Adjacent to the main dining area, an alluring lounge and bar area, where up to 110 guests can enjoy a selection of smaller menu items and delectable cocktails, features flamed absolute black granite flooring, copper trimmed mirrors and an oversize bar. Ornate seating booths, which are set within the restaurant’s natural cedar wood structure, will provide cozy seating within the lively, convivial atmosphere.
Most impressive, is a lounge style space situated upstairs for cosier gatherings for up to 24 guests, where those seeking a more private, playfully voyeristic experience, will find themselves enveloped in the warm glow of a sensuous veil of woven copper. This tent like instalation allows privacy to those inside, while inspiring the desire in diners below to wonder what hedonistic delights may lay within.
At night, a DJ subtly sets the mood with music from around the globe, bringing a chic, sexy atmosphere to lower Fifth Avenue. At once, the cuisine, décor and ambience come together to create a unique world for your senses to explore, whispering gently in your ear, "ilili."
Owner / Executive Chef Philippe Massoud
Designer/ Architect Nasser Nakib
Seating Capacity Main Dining Room: 110 Guests
Upstairs Bar: 48 Guests
Auxiliary Dining Room: 38 Guests
Bar/ Lounge: 110 Guests
VIP Lounge: 24 Guests
Dining Room/Bar Hours Dinner
Monday - Wednesday 5:30-10:30
Thursday- Saturday 5:30-11:30
Bar: Open as long as there is business
Signature Dishes Hommus- Chick Pea Puree, Tahini, Lemon & Olive Oil
Brussel Sprouts with Grapes, Fig Puree, Walnuts & Mint
Kashkawan Cheese with Duck Egg and Desert Truffle
Marinated Lamb Kabab
Price Range Small Plates: $8- $17
Main Courses: n/a
Credit Cards AMEX, Mastercard & Visa
Reservations Highly recommended
MENU
Hommus 8
Chickpea puree, Lebanese Tahini, Lemon & Olive Oil
Baba Ghannouj 9
Eggplant, Garlic, Lebanese Tahini & Pomegranate
Chankleech 9
Feta Cheese, Scallions, Tomato & Zaatar
Warak Enab Bil Zeit 10
Grape leaves w/ Rice, Tomato & Olive Oil
Tabbouleh 10
Parsley, Fresh Mint, Tomato & Burghul
Fattoush 12
Lebanese Bread Salad W/ Sumac vinaigrette
Garden salad 13
Arugula, avocado, tomato, tahini vinaigrette
Falafel 10
Fried chickpea & fava bean dumplings
Mujadara 9
Green Lentils Puree w/ Crispy red Onion
Brussels sprouts 12
fried w/grapes, fig puree, walnuts & mint
Tuna kibbeh naya 15
Pearl couscous, garlic-chive vinaigrette
Octopus 13
Sliced thin, hot pepper oil, garlic, lemon
Amber Jack 13
Raw thin sliced w/spiced baba ghannouj
Black Iron Shrimp 13
Cilantro & Garlic
Mussels 12
w/ Arak, garlic & Aleppo pepper
Boutarga 15
Cured Grey Mullet with Garlic Chips & Parsley
Branzini 17
Grilled w/sweet sesame & orange
Black Cod 17
Sautéed w/ dried zaatar, molasses, fennel
Sardines 14
Seared on plancha w/ lemon olive oil
Jumbo Shrimp 15
Seared on plancha w/ butter and lemon
Rouget 18
w/ pita chips, Tahini, and lemon
Kibbeh Naya 15
Steak Tartar w/Burghul, Onion & Mint
Seared Kobe beef 18
Served raw w/mustard-hommus sauce
Lahmajeen 11
Pita topped w/ lamb, onion and tomato
Mekanek 13
Lamb Sausage sautéed w/ Olive Oil & Lemon
Beef Fried Kibbeh 11
Dumplings w/ Spiced Beef and Pine Nuts
Kashkawan cheese 12
Baked w/Duck egg and desert truffle
Manti 14
Lebanese pasta, beef, lamb, mint & yogurt
Lamb chop 17
Seared w/ Zaatar Salsa Verde
Chicken Shish Taouk 14
Chicken Breast marinated in Garlic & Lemon
Beef Kebab 17
Marinated Beef skewered w/Shishito Peppers
Lamb Kebab 17
Marinated Lamb skewered w/Sherry Tomatoes
Tuna Kebab 17
Spiced Rare Tuna skewered w/Red & Yellow peppers
Beef Kafta 14
Spiced ground beef w/Parsley and Onion
Beef Kafta & Foie 24
Spiced beef & foie gras
Kobe Kebab 56
Marinated, skewered w/Shishito Peppers and Tomatoes
Mixed Grill 20
Chicken Shish, Beef Kebab & Beef Kafta
Mezza Sghire Mezza Petite (3 to 5) 60
Hommus, Baba Ghannouj, Falafel, Fattoush, Makanek, Lahmajeen
Mezza Khodra Mezza Vegetarian (3 to 5) 56
Hommus, Baba Ghannouj, Falafel, Fattoush, Moujadara, Grape Leaves
Mezza Kbire Mezza Royale (5 to 7) 123
One of each of all our Lebanese Mezza
Khodra Vegetables Lahmeh Meat
Samak Fish
Meshweh Grill
Kilna Sawa Sharing
Lebanese Tastings $80/pp
A combination of Mezza, Kebabs, Dessert and Coffee (min 6ppl)
Phoenician Voyage $120/pp
A combination of both Lebanese old Phoenician Outpost Mezza, Kebabs & Fish, Dessert and Coffee (min 6ppl)
Chef’s Tasting
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