Tuesday, March 4, 2014

[Updated] On Avenue A, Table 12 is now Au Za’atar



To be honest, we don't know exactly when the changeover occurred here on Avenue A at East 12th Street … a few alert readers pointed this out to us just yesterday … (The first Yelp review is from Sunday.)

In any event, Table 12, the former 24-hour cafe/bistro that served sandwiches, wraps, egg dishes, etc., has been turned over to Au Za'atar. Here's the restaurant's description via Facebook:

Au Za'atar is a Middle Eastern restaurant with a French twist. Our menu offers everything from Lebanon's national dish (Kibbe Kras) to classical Parisian fare with influences spreading from the Arabian Peninsula to the Mediterranean Sea.

To complement this blend of flavors we serve an extensive selection of organic wines, by the glass, and delicious craft brew beer.

For brunch our free-trade organic coffee and espresso comes from a "craft" roaster straight out of Brooklyn.

Our intimate and beautiful interior was designed and built using only recycled materials.

The hours are 8 a.m. to midnight.

Anyway, all this explains why we spotted 50 pounds of Table 12 to-go menus in the middle of East 12th Street one recent day…




Updated 2:41

A rep for the restaurant said that the Au Za’atar menus have not been finalized, and asked for us to remove the menu that we posted.

In addition, the old menus were left in the street by the carting company after they broke the garbage bag. The restaurant apparently cleaned them up after seeing what happened.

29 comments:

  1. A bit expensive for the area.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Did it change owners or just re-brand?

    ReplyDelete
  3. "Table 12 turkey burger" is on the menu... Same owners?

    ReplyDelete
  4. They should have a french pperson going over their menu...it's full of spelling mistakes and most of the the accents are wrong...:-)

    ReplyDelete
  5. A bit expensive for the area? Are the restaurants more affordable under your rock?

    ReplyDelete
  6. I was actually thinking the pricing is relatively moderate for this playground of the 1%. Or is it a rumpus room. Or more like the old outhouse the kids would play around?

    ReplyDelete
  7. "Macaroni au Gratin"

    LOL. Nothing says classic (er, "classical"?) French like good ol' mac n' cheese! Shine on you crazy diamants!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I am dying to know what "foul mudammes" are. Mudammes?" Mesdames? What?

    Also--steak fritters. Eww.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Actually "foul mudammes" sounds like it might be a Travoltafication of something.

    ReplyDelete
  10. That menu is in Franglish, which is the French version of English, a common dialect you might hear in the cosmetics section in Barneys. For example:

    Polly-Vous Franglish?

    Moi? Oui, je taime Franglish. Je suis music.

    Après moi, le deluge.

    Bon. Ah revwah.

    There, now you know Franglish. The Bistrofication of the East Village marches on. Vive La France!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I have been to this location 3 times in the past few months and the each time there was a completely different menu. I was hoping the place would stay with the "nice diner" vibe of 12 Tables but perhaps the location cannot sustain that kind of restaurant. The owner was nice and he asked me and my friend about the changes they were making but I could not help but think he should bring in a professional designer to work on the interior which is kind of all over the place.

    ReplyDelete
  12. They made a gradual turnover into this new concept over the last few weeks. They have been redesigning the interior, and they posted the new menu recently and now the big name change. I wish they had gotten some advice on the interior because it is awful. It would have also been nice if they had properly disposed of those old menus and hadn't been outside with power tools driving the neighbors crazy.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Ha! I love that 10:24 also commented on the interior design. Seriously, my neighbor and I have been checking out the work as it has progressed, and we were both like, "This is bad They need to hire an interior designer!" Cork & Fork next door isn't any better. It's better to spend the money on a pro and make something appealing.

    ReplyDelete
  14. UGH... i accidentally deleted the previous comment about if the owners were responsible for the discarded menus on East 12th Street...

    No! My *guess* is they were in trash bags... and either some vandals/mischief makers came by and tossed them... or the bags broke open during the trash collection...

    ReplyDelete
  15. The super for the building next door is always having to pick up after them.

    ReplyDelete
  16. 8:48 AM Your hostility? Seriously? Thinking $14 is a little high for a burger doesn't place me under a rock.

    The comments on this blog are a bit much sometimes. I always regret even saying anything.

    ReplyDelete
  17. This place and "Cork and Fork" got a serious suburban vibe to me, like those high stools for dining????

    ReplyDelete
  18. Man, I wish they had stuck with the original menu and done the food better. We need a good diner-style place in the neighborhood.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Food's expensive -- very expensive for "diner food" -- but the drinks are cheap. Another dive catering to the happy hour crowd?

    ReplyDelete
  20. Ful (foul, fool) madammas is a spectacular Egyptian fava bean dish, often eaten in the Middle East for breakfast.

    ReplyDelete
  21. A bit expensive for the area? Where do you live? 1988?

    ReplyDelete
  22. I didn't realize they had a liquor license. Did they have one when the place was Table 12?

    ReplyDelete
  23. If the menu was posted outside the restaurant, which it was, you have every right to post a copy of it here. If they make revisions, so be it.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Outside of the realm of lunch specials, these prices are reasonable for a good meal. This is assuming the new restaurant will serve a good meal.

    ReplyDelete
  25. I think they should serve pigs in a blanket and biscuits. Those are the "in" foods in the East Village these days.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Nothing has ever worked there since The Cock left in 2005. Those were the days - Boysroom , Phoenix, The Cock, Brownies, Starlight, Opaline.
    Now what is there ?????????

    ReplyDelete
  27. Don't knock Cork n Fork because of the dumb name! Actually really good!

    ReplyDelete

Your remarks and lively debates are welcome, whether supportive or critical of the views herein. Your articulate, well-informed remarks that are relevant to an article are welcome.

However, commentary that is intended to "flame" or attack, that contains violence, racist comments and potential libel will not be published. Facts are helpful.

If you'd like to make personal attacks and libelous claims against people and businesses, then you may do so on your own social media accounts. Also, comments predicting when a new business will close ("I give it six weeks") will not be approved.