Desperate the escape the chaos in Watertown, on Saturday morning I drove to New York to spend the weekend with some of my best childhood friends.
My friends recently bought a home in Oragenburg, NY and after I arrived we hopped in the car to nearby Nyack to enjoy the sunny spring weather and have a little lunch.
We ventured to Art Cafe on Broadway in Nyack. The weather was absolutely gorgeous!
It's a bit hard to tell from this picture, but Art Cafe has a beautiful gate out front with lush green plants snaking their way around each post.
Art Cafe has a great outdoor patio with plenty of space for big parties, strollers and dogs.
As we walked through the patio I couldn't help but look up at the bright blue sky above the restaurant's sign.
There was a long wait for an outdoor table so we decided to sit inside. Art Cafe's walls are covered with paintings, each one for sale.
Our waiter arrived and handed each of us a menu. I love the blue Twitter bird sitting atop the logo and the tattoo-like design swirling down the cover.
As we perused the menu we were delivered a pitcher of ice water garnished with a lemon wedge and two fresh mint leaves. Why have I never thought to put mint in my water?
My friend (and hostess for the weekend) suggested we order the mezze platter which is a smorgasbord of Mediterranean delights. The platter comes with hummus, labane, borekas, tahini, stuffed grape leaves, shakshooka sauce, olives, Bulgarian cheese and whole wheat pita bread.
I was excited about the borekas. The platter comes with one cheese boreka and one spinach boreka.
I would have been excited to eat pita no matter what, but this pita was served warm! We used it to scoop up generous heaps of hummus, feta cheese and labane.
The mezze platter is a meal in itself. We probably didn't need to order anything else, but hey, you know how we do.
For the next course, my friend ordered the Israeli cous cous. It came topped with green peppers, juicy tomatoes, feta cheese and portabello mushrooms marinated in a tomato-based sauce that had a little kick.
I don't normally like cous cous, but this version had larger grains than I've ever had before and was seasoned perfectly. I could have devoured the whole plate.
I ordered a toastini which is a sandwich pressed into a giant, flat bagel. It comes served with a side salad. Everything in my basket was topped with sesame seeds!
My toastini was gruyere cheese, mozzerella, mushrooms and chopped red onion.
The cheese was so gooey and stringy! I have never seen cheese stretch like this!
Though Art Cafe has amazing food, they have even more impressive desserts. A whole case in fact.
Look at these delectable confections!
We didn't have enough room to eat pastries right then, but we happily ordered a few items to take home.
If I lived in Nyack, Art Cafe would be my weekly brunch spot. I would bring a book or a magazine, sit on the outdoor patio, order their fresh, flavorful Mediterranean dishes and then sneak chocolate treats in my purse for later that night.
Visit Art Cafe at 65 South Broadway in Nyack, NY.
