Straying From The Tried And True:Taam-Tov, Summer of Love And More

We often spend our NYC days doing our favorite things, Union Square, City Bakery, playground. It was time for a bit of a change so I hatched a plan and hoped it would work.

I couldn't stay away from Union Square altogether so I had to stop there first to pick up some of Sprout Creek Farm's highly coveted Doe-Re-Mi cheese before it sold out. I'm glad I did because the vendor told me that the season for that cheese is ending. I may need to stock up in the next few weeks.

With cheese, bread and eggs in tow, Izzy and I took the subway up to Bryant Park to meet our friends. A., E. and baby L. The first order of business was a ride on the old-fashioned carousel which plays French songs. Izzy wanted to go on alone but the carousel operator insisted I stay beside him. For the second go round he agreed to allow Izzy to go solo and he and E. rode joyously around together.

The carousel meeting place was key to part two of my plan which was lunch nearby at Taam Tov, a Bukharian Jewish restaurant in the diamond district. We ambled on over there, braving the 47th Street throngs and three flights of stairs with three toddlers. At the top we found ourselves in a cramped noisy, space, crowded with diners enjoying heaps of kebabish looking foods and more unusual fare.

We ordered a bunch of things to share, including Manty (bukharian meat dumplings) and Samsa (meat pie), Golubtsy (stuffed cabbage) and Israeli pickled vegetables. The Manty and Samsa seemed to contain the same filling which was a spiced beef with tons of onions. Izzy loves onions so he was content with both dishes but his friend E. eyed them rather reticently and required more coaxing to try them, though to her credit, she did manage a few bites. Izzy seemed to enjoy the odd pickled vegetables more than A. and I. Nobody but A. touched the hot peppers but the mini-eggplant (if that is indeed what they were), small, dark pink and sourly squirty were a good accompaniment to our meal and Izzy couldn't stop chomping on the pickles.

The homemade bread, warm from the oven, was hit with everyone. Overall, this is hearty, ribsticking fare and I felt stuffed hours later. We had an enjoyable, well-priced meal ($30 for everything) and I would recommend this place if you are in the neighborhood and in the mood for filling food with a touch of chaos on the side.

Sufficiently stuffed, we made our way by bus uptown, to the Whitney Museum, for the Summer of Love exhibit, which surprisingly featured interactive, psychedelic amusements for the toddler set. Turned out to be just the way to spend a gray NYC afternoon.

After having spent a record amount of time inside a museum it was time for some fresh air. Once outside, Izzy heard the word gelato and I had to deny his request so we could get back home in time for dinner. The boy certainly has willpower because, arriving back at Newport, he suggested we buy a gelato and bring it home for dessert! I agreed to this plan and lo and behold, he ate his dinner and only managed a few bites of dessert before bedtime.

It was a long day for everyone. Or so I thought.. Once under the covers, as we recounted the day, Izzy said, "We didn't really do that much today. We didn't even get to go to the park."