The French side of Lebanese eats at Cafe La Maude

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The French side of Lebanese eats at Cafe La Maude

POSTED: Friday, February 4, 2011, 7:50 PM

Filed Under: Food News

You're wandering around Northern Liberties. Maybe you don't want a gargantuan brunch. Maybe the lines around the corner are a little too daunting. You could just be in the mood for something different. Cafe La Maude (816 N. Fourth St.) appears to be transplanted straight from the Latin Quarter in Paris, but what's really going on inside is truly Lebanese.

La Maude, named after owner/chef Nathalie Richan's mother, showcases the subtle French influence on Lebanese cuisine. Richan spent her younger years in her mother's North African refuge restaurant, where she honed her technique for spice. For grab-and-go, Maude serves flaky croissants and pain au raisin from Au Fournil and brews La Colombe coffee and espresso, but the truth is in the Lebanon-focused dishes â housemade kibbe (stuffed lamb patties), pitas, fresh Fattouch salads, Cypriot Haloumi cheese every which way, or even just a quick omelette. For the most traditional Middle Eastern breakfast, order the foul moudamas platter: garlicky hummus (Maude's way), marinated whole fava beans, fresh tomatoes, parsley and a few scrambled eggs. There are few places at which to grab such a thing. Shroud yourself in Edith Piaf and rest-assured you'll be well-fed.

Khara Cartagena

Posted 2011-02-05 10:15:19

Try the Foul, scrambled eggs surrounded with hummus, topped with tomatoes, and drizzled with olive oil.

Cafe La Maude

Posted 2011-02-04 15:58:18

[...]  [...]

rory

Posted 2011-02-04 15:29:26

randomly saw this place when Honey's had yet another 45 minute wait for a late brunch (really? 45 minutes at 1:30 pm. Damn, I thought my laziness had finally been put to good use!). Decided to eat here instead. Nice little spot.

Kelly

Posted 2011-02-04 16:31:39

This is one of my favorite little spots - the warm fava bean salad (La Maude Salad) is amazing and I've brought family here when the wait has been excruciating at Honey's, only to find that they enjoyed this place a lot more.

Posted by Laurel Rose Purdy @ 7:50 PM Permalink | Post a comment

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Founded in October 2008, Meal Ticket is a City Paper blog about food, drink and assorted other things that make you go mmm. We do recipes, interviews, restaurant news, commentary and much more. We don't do restaurant reviews here — those are handled in print, mostly by our critic (and Meal Ticket contributor) Adam Erace. Got a tip, question, thought or concern? Just want to say hello? Please shoot a note to caroline@citypaper.net.

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