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Review: Piada

by Ahu Shahrabani on August 13, 2012

Hard to believe it, but I like Piada so much that I’ve actually put off writing this for a year all because I was worried I wouldn’t do them justice…then they made one of my bucket list items come true, so I couldn’t wait any longer!

Piada’s motto is ‘Simply good.’ and they are just that. Every thing is simple and fantastic – the freshest produce, meat and coffee (Danesi) imported from Italy, baked goods from local businesses like Danny Macaroons and don’t forget the friendly and fast service.

Piada’s Danesi cappuccino, made with love.

I started coming to Piada for their fabulous coffee – smooth, tasty and foam so thick it could spackle the walls of your house. As it turns out – their food is also great! Love the salads (huge) and soup (lots of people come just for the minestrone) but their specialty are the piada sandwiches. According to wiki, a piada (or piadina), is basically an Italian flatbread sandwich that is served hot with some sort of combo of Italian meat/cheese/veggie/sauce inside. They make a number of different types of Piadas including a daily and weekly special, but my hands-down favorite is off the regular menu and is called The Strada – salami, pecorino and balsamic vinegar.

Inside Piada’s Strada – salami, pecorino and balsamic

I always get the half piada – even though they look thin they are super filling.

Piada half sandwich

Regular Piada sandwich: ginormous

Just when I couldn’t like Piada and the lovely folks there more, they named a weekly special after me! Long story short, a few months ago I tweeted this, and a week later I walk in to see this sign on the counter:

The Ahu at Piada

They seem to rotate the weekly specials every 3-4 weeks, get your ‘Ahu’ today!

Piada’s ‘The Ahu’. Yes, I taste delicious!

Piada is also a bit of a gathering spot for all the attractive European folks from Citigroup Center and the vicinity and they have a nice flat screen and it’s always turned to soccer or sports! They are a fantastic gem in this neighborhood and I look forward to seeing what delicious things they have brewing in the future!

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Piada – feeding the hardworking folks in Midtown Manhattan and making foodie-dreams come true since 2009.

Piada

601 Lexington Ave at 53rd St, lower level

New York, NY 10022

www.piadanyc.com

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Nailed It Recipe Edition: Mast o Musir (Persian Yogurt and Shallot Dip)

by Ahu Shahrabani on August 9, 2012

There’s a great sort of satisfaction in being able to successfully recreate something you’ve been eating your whole life but never made before. And something as simple as Mast o Musir which is literally just yogurt and shallots should be a slam dunk, right? Wrong.

It all started out innocently – diced two medium sized shallots. Side note: shallots are like the perfect combo of garlic and onions. I wonder why we don’t see shallots more in western cuisine?!

Neither garlic nor onion. Dear shallot: to thine own self be true!

Then mix it up with my trusty old 32-oz container of Fage 2% Greek Yogurt, salt to taste and let it sit for the flavors to infuse. I left it overnight.

Mast o Musir – Persian Yogurt and Shallot Dip

It tasted good – not great or bad – just good. But it definitely lacked the distinctive taste of Mast o Musir. I did some research and people said use labne, mix with sour cream, try pickling your shallots, etc. Too much work for such a simple dish. The moral of the story is that some things are best left to the restaurants, and now I’ll appreciate good Mast o Musir even more when I come across it.

The whole experience makes me think one of those ‘nailed it’ memes going around the net which absolutely crack me up.

(source: craftfail.com)

(source: everythingfunny.org)

(source: craftfail.com)

For more ‘Nailed It’s, and lots of LOLs, go here: http://craftfail.com/category/food-fails/

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Mast o Khiar – Persian Yogurt and Cucumber Dip

by Ahu Shahrabani on July 7, 2012

Mast o Khiar is a classic Persian yogurt dip made with cucumbers, mint and seasoning.

This mast o khiar recipe originally appeared July 2012 and was updated in May 2016. Nooshejan (enjoy)!
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Mast o Khiar – Persian Cucumber Yogurt Dish

As we approach those warmer days of spring and eventually the hot days of summer, I naturally start to shift my diet from heavier, heartier dishes to lighter and cooler ones. Do you too?

Most years I find myself turning to the same few foods that are delicious, healthy, and cooling in warm weather. Watermelon and stone fruits are one of them, and the other is Mast o Khiar, the Persian Cucumber Yogurt Dip. Hello, gorgeous.

Mast o Khiar – Persian Cucumber Yogurt Dish

So let me introduce you to this wonderful dish if you’ve never had the pleasure!

Mast o Khiar, or Persian yogurt and cucumber dip, is so super simple. Yogurt, cucumbers and mint come together for what’s probably the most refreshing and cooling dish EVER. I mean, by themselves each ingredient is pretty refreshing, but together they create some sort of magical reaction that takes it off the charts. If you’ve ever had tzatziki sauce, it’s fairly similar (and delicious).

Making mast o khiar is more an exercise in assembly than cooking. And ummm… don’t tell anybody but sometimes I do it right inside the yogurt container! Shhhhhh. 😛

Mast o Khiar – Persian Cucumber Yogurt Dish

Bonus – the mast o khiar tastes even better after it’s sat for a day or two and the flavors have melded – if it lasts that long that is!

Side note: I called this a ‘dip’ (as do most others) but it’s more than that – in fact it’s typically eaten on it’s own, as a side dish to rice or just with bread. In fact, there’s no better dinner than some mast-o-khiar with a nice hunk of baguette. Enjoy!

Recipe: Mast o Khiar (Persian Yogurt and Cucumber Dip)

Author: Ahu Shahrabani

Nutrition Information

Serves: 4

Serving size: ¼ serving (about ⅔ of a cup)
Calories: 75

Fat: 0
Carbohydrates: 6
Sugar: 5
Sodium: 335
Protein: 12

Recipe type: Side

Cuisine: Persian

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 5 mins

Total time: 10 mins

Mast o Khiar is a classic Persian yogurt dip made with cucumbers, mint and seasoning. This Iranian yogurt dish is cooling and refreshing!

Ingredients

2 cups of yogurt (a more ‘tart’ yogurt works better - I prefer non-fat or low-fat Greek yogurt )
2-3 Persian cucumbers, quartered and chopped
1 tablespoon dried mint
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon fresh-ground pepper
Fresh mint (optional)
A couples dashes of garlic powder (optional)

Instructions

Mix all your ingredients together in a large bowl.
Garnish with fresh mint, rose petals or golden raisins if desired.
Chill if desired or enjoy straight away - serve with bread, rice, crackers or veggies!

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Here are the original photos from the post:

Ahu Eats: Mast o Khiar (Persian Yogurt and Cucumber Dip)

Mast o Khiar (Persian Yogurt and Cucumber Dip): Kit in a Box!

Mast o Khiar (Persian Yogurt and Cucumber Dip)

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