Shaya Features Hummus on a Much More Elevated Level

When I heard hummus was the one of the main small plates on the menu, I wasn’t overly excited to try the food. Many times at gatherings we’ve served hummus with pita chips or veggies, and it is good, but I don’t dig in or wonder if there is more. Until I’ve had it made from scratch, I’ve never realized what I was missing.

On our recent trip, my sister picked this New Orlean’s restaurant, and I wasn’t so sure about it, but being the open-minded eater I am, I gave it a go. Shaya is an Israeli restaurant specializing in fluffy pita bread and freshly made hummus with small and large plates of elegant food.

Our strategy was to order a few small plates to share until our stomachs were content. We started with two sides of hummus since Shaya is most known for this dish. The first a unique take instead of chickpeas it was was curried cauliflower with caramelized onions and cilantro. The second was a featured special with traditional chickpeas and fire roasted scallops. Both were excellent, and the wood fired pita bread was something our table asked to be replenished more than once.

The main dish was slow cooked lamb with whipped feta, walnut and pomegranate tabbouleh. It was rich and salty. This meaty plate was the last dish. We finished off our bottle of Israeli Cabernet Sauvignon to celebrate our first night in New Orleans.

 

My sister is a big fan of the homemade hummus at Kavarna on Broadway in Green Bay, and she has recommended it to me on more than one occasion. I think it’s worth checking out; however, I’m not sure how I’ll get pita bread as tasty as the wood fired pitas at Shaya.