Casa la Femme is an Egyptian restaurant on Charles Street that has been there for 5 years. That does not begin to explain the exotic and surreal journey you can take just footsteps from your own casa. I have walked by the place previously, never being quite sure what happens inside. I now know, what happens is an adventure which includes carefully prepared middle eastern food served by a very multi-ethnic good natured staff.
Open to the street, looking like a Mediterranean nightclub with more than a touch of baroque, the front area is a bar that feels very clubby. Curiously, carpeted each week this summer with real grass, it is a bit Alice in Wonderland. Some tables are low to the ground, and they play movies at the bar so it feels like you are somewhere between Foreign Cinema (the great San Francisco restaurant) and Cinema Paradisio. The back of the bar has some tables, with larger tables a few steps up. We dined there. Just behind that is a large tented area, that is generally opened on weekends and when they are busier and is right out of Arabian Nights. In that area they only serve a $60 prefix which incorporates many of the dishes we tasted, and is a good value especially considering you feel like you are oceans away from the West Village. And did I mention the bathrooms?
Egyptian food is slightly tweaked Middle Eastern food. The mazzas or small plate dips included the usual: a hummus spiked with a bit of harrisa, a particularly good fava bean dip called Fuul Medames. They all had a fresh taste and are $8 each. Next the appetizers include many traditional choices, nothing overly stood out but you could make quite a good meal of all the small plates. The entrees which range in price from $20-34 are less exotic and included lamb chops and whole grilled shrimp which both were done well, maybe the prawn stood out more. An Egyptian Moussaka was a vegetarian version finished with a bit of cheese. Cooked to order, eggplant tomato and peppers, it was simple and healthy. More sinful and surprisingly good were the french fries, freshly prepared and nicely crunchy, dusted with sumac. They stood out. My dinner companion thought the grilled octopus was also a stand out.
The desserts were OK. The coffee could use some improvement but the belly dancer who performs once or twice an evening, performed very well and nicely worked the room. The restaurant has been reincarnated three times in three different parts of Manhattan. This one seems to be the charm. It is owned by two men, Medhat Ibrahim, an Egyptian, and Anastasios Hairatidis who is Greek. It is truly a unique dining experience that also includes good and traditional Middle Eastern food.
Casa la Femme 140 Charles street near Washington 212 505-0005
