Casablanca opened last week at 189 E. Third St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.
The restaurant-lounge with French-Moroccan cuisine replaces the rather short-lived Lumiere.
Gothamist got a sneak preview. And among their observations:
[Chef Wesley] Wobles's menu features an excellent Hummus Mezze platter as well as a very tasty wild mushroom ravioli entree with roasted garlic cloves, spinach and cognac. You'll also find a Lamb Moussaka with layered eggplant and sliced potatoes and pan seared monkfish with ginger saffron broth, among other savory items.
And!
The decor, which alludes to the classic Bogart-Bergman movie after which the establishment is named, feels a bit haphazard and scattershot, but there's something a little refreshing about a new East Village bar/restaurant that doesn't come fully loaded with an overwrought aesthetic Concept.
And in case any undercover NYU students are wondering, Casablanca's hookah menu is reportedly tobacco and nicotine free.
Casablanca is open every day for lunch noon to 4 p.m., and dinner from 5 p.m. to 4 a.m.
