By Laura LaVelle, Wonder Shuffle Culture Editor:

Georgian On My Mind

I recently visited Ubani, a Georgian restaurant in the West Village, with a family party.

We appreciated the cozy atmosphere, the helpful staff with good advice about Georgian food and wine, and the delicious cuisine.

On the recommendation of our waiter, we tried some khachapuri, which is a most excellent combination of bread and cheese--we had the Megruli version, and there were several others we'd like to try on another visit.

We also had the appetizer platter (eggplant rolls, vegetable ragu, delicious cheese, and more--a very nice sampler). Our entrees included lamb stew, slow-cooked beef, and a shrimp dish--all hearty and tasty meals. We didn't try the khinkali (soup dumplings) but they looked fabulous--another time, I'm sure!

My favorite by far, however, was their Georgian salad with walnuts.

A fresh salad is one of my favorite lunches -- and I've had many of them in NYC over the years. Some in sad plastic takeout containers from lunch counters, some at Italian restaurants (the tricolore combination of raddichio, endive, and arugula is ubiquitious for good reason), sometimes Caesar salads when they were the only green thing on the menu (I do like pub food, but not every day), sometimes beautiful microgreens with little dots of fruit sauces (very nice, but a generally a bit steep).

The Georgian salad with walnuts just may be the salad I've been searching for, however...and I'm pleased to say, Ubani's open for lunch. Go check it out!

Contact

Website: https://ubaniny.com/

Address: 37A Bedford Street, New York

Telephone: (646) 678-5595

Hours: 11am to 9:15pm daily

About Me

Laura LaVelle is Wonder Shuffle's Culture Editor. A fan of the great indoors, you can find her in her native NYC, her home in Connecticut, or at a concert, play, library, bookstore, or museum just about anywhere in the world.