Let the music play.
Vinyl is on the menu at Einat Admony's Moondog and Jilbert El-Zmetr's Laziza
Happy Monday my friends. Hope the long weekend was restful and fun, and full of long slow meals with folks you adore. 🥰
Today, as we begin to dip our toes into the holiday season, I’ve got two fun and fabulous new Middle Eastern restaurants openings — Laziza and Moondog — that build on the popularity of restaurants like Eyal Shani’s vinyl-forward Port S’aid that put a serious emphasis on DJs, records, and curated “listening experiences.” Get ready for a serious vibe with your kebabs.
Moondog
Moondog is a new Williamsburg listening bar and cocktail lounge from Einat Admony, the 3x James Beard nominated chef, owner of Balaboosta, and founder of Taïm, and her brother, the music producer, Elon Admony. The siblings are producing vinyl-only DJ performances, bespoke cocktails, and elevated Mediterranean-Mexican street food. It’s everything you need for a festive night out.
Since Einat is in the kitchen you know it’s gonna be great. Even on this tidy little menu she delivers with a variety of tacos, including Chicken Shawarma with amba aioli, caramelized onion, and tirchi pickles; Mushroom Al Pastor; and Lamb Molé with Baharat, crispy shallots, and pickled onion. There are also Empanadas in Corn, Feta, and Mozzarella and Argentinian Beef with black currants, olives, and jalapeño. For snacks and sides she’s doing Yucca Fries with harissa aioli, Hummus “nachos” with passionate s’chug, black beans, and tortilla chips, and Esquites with lime, harissa mayo, and cotija cheese.
The 800-square-feet space is wrapped in exposed brick and decorated with lush greenery, a nice contrast to a striking 30-seat white marble bar where Beverage Director Josef Griz (previously of The Beekman, MADE Hotel, Gurney's Resort, Ruschmeyer's Hotel) is doing Mexican-ish drinks. There’s the Manhattan Moon (Mexican Corn Whiskey, Vermouth, and Amaro), the Jaffa Old Fashioned (Añejo Tequila, Chocolate Orange Liqueur, and Date Syrup) and the Figroni (Gin, Sweet Vermouth, Gran Classico Bitters, and Fig Syrup).
Since music is such a big part of the experience, there’s a custom-built DJ booth with Fyne Audio Vintage Classic XII speakers paired with a McIntosh MA-352 amplifier, with Ex Machina speakers with to amplify the soundscape. Elon is in charge of the bar’s listening experience; he brings two decades of experience as a music producer, sound engineer, and co-founder of ReSolute.
He’s lined up a curated list of Vinyl DJs to perform nightly, leaning into a variety of genres, including jazz, funk, soul, house, international grooves and beyond. He’s also planning "deep listening" sessions where entire albums will be played uninterrupted, offering a concert-like experience. DJ sessions on the weekends will feature a mix of genres, focusing on high-quality sound delivery and unique vinyl selections.
There’s also a sprawling 1,500-square-foot outdoor patio set up with picnic tables, benches, and cozy lounge seating, and a tiny tucked away 300-square-foot speakeasy, accessed through the bar’s side entrance that’s going to open in the next few weeks.
Moondog is located at 119 Ingraham Street in Brooklyn, New York. It is open from 5:00 PM to 12:00 AM on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, and from 5:00 PM to 2:00 AM Thursday through Saturday; closed Mondays. For more information, call 718-255-3388 or visit www.moondoghifi.com. Takeout, delivery, and catering services are also available. For more information on upcoming DJs and programming, follow Moondog (@moondoghifi) on Instagram and Facebook.
Laziza
Laziza, which means “good thing” in Arabic, comes from Chef-Founder Jilbert El-Zmetr, the guy behind the viral Williamsburg ice cream concept Republic of Booza. The restaurant, which opened last week in Bed-Stuy, originated as a series of pop-ups. In its brick-and-mortar form it offers craft cocktails and charcoal-grilled mezze inspired by the flavors of Persia, Lebanon, Turkey and the broader Middle East.
As I mentioned, vinyl plays a big role here, with a soundtrack curated from Jilbert’s personal record collection of global funk, soul and boogie, spun at the bar. Guest DJs are also planned, selectors and bring their own vinyl collections to fill the room with music curated for long slow evenings of Persian-ish feasts. The vibe is groovy 70’s, a vintage feel with plush velvet banquettes and a bar adorned in disco ball tiles.
Running food and cocktails with Jilbert is Nima Jahromi, a California native of Iranian descent, who previously worked at Balthazar and Sofreh in New York City, and ran the bar program at Neuehouse Los Angeles for four years.
At the bar he’s doing Levantine-leaning cocktails like the Lavashak with bourbon, an apricot fruit leather emulsion, grape, saffron, and Angostura bitters, and on the menu, you’ll find shareable charcoal-grilled mezze and piles of homemade pide with dips like Hummus with Red and Green Fermented Hot Sauce.
One of my favorite Persian dishes is Kotlet, a sort of fried burger my Bibi used to make from beef, potato and turmeric. (I made a huge baatch for Thanksgiving and they disappeared pretty quickly. Shoot me a note if you want the recipe). Here, they are made with ground turkey, potato and herbs, fried katsu-style and served with an Iraqi Ambanaise sauce made from pickled mango.
Nima is also doing an overstuffed falafel with pickles, shatta, and tarratoor, a Lebanese sauce made with tahini, garlic and lemon, with hand-cut fries with garlicky toum. The Charcoal Grill section includes Sujuk, an Armenian beef sausage served over fennel, mango, and blood orange. He’s also serving crispy Potato Tahdig, which is how I make it too, with thinly sliced potatoes with saffron butter, walnut shatta, and fresh herbs. So good. Check it out when you can!
Laziza is at 306A Malcolm X Blvd in Brooklyn, and is open for dinner Tuesday-Sunday from 5:30pm-late. Reservations are available via Resy. For more information, visit www.funkylaziza.com and @funkylaziza.