Bistro Lamazou

344 Third Ave., New York (Kips Bay)  

It’s billed as an all-things-Mediterranean menu, but make no mistake, at Lamazou, the French, Spanish, Italian, and North African influences of owners Nancy and Aziz Lamazou (whose eponymous nearby cheese shop has been a Kips Bay staple for years) are the shining stars of a meal here. Once you slip into the airy dining room—which glows like sunset from the campy neon above the bar and the orange, gold, and red tones on the walls—you can sink into a banquette and go to work on a plump phyllo-wrapped pastilla, filled with moist, shredded chicken, almonds, cinnamon, raisins, and honey. Succulent chicken tagine—a thyme-tinged quarter chicken cooked in the traditional clay Moroccan covered dish—comes packed with perfectly cut squares of golden-crisped potatoes and quartered white mushrooms, with a pretty, perfect bay leaf jauntily perched on top like a sail. Don’t be misled by the sometimes simple language on the menu: “Couscous with lamb and vegetables,” for example, might sound bland, but it’s a showstopper on the plate, which holds four medium-rare, superbly tender New Zealand lamb chops, raisins, and fava beans on a pile of fluffy golden couscous. In fact, you’d be hard-pressed to find anything ordinary about Bistro Lamazou—from the décor on down to the cuisine.

menu musts

Chicken pastilla
Tunisian brick (phlyllo-wrapped baked appetizer) with daily stuffing
Moroccan chicken tagine
Couscous with lamb and vegetables
view full menu here

sweet seats

The long-wall banquettes, with their tangerine-upholstered backs and leather seats, are super comfortable and a great spot to catch all the action in the room.
“Chez Panisse alums Russell Moore and Allison Hopelain have opened this shrine to slow food, with pure, rustic cuisine and an open fireplace for cooking.”—San Francisco Chronicle

chew on this

Lamazou ages the bistro’s cheese in the cave under the nearby cheese shop, and selections are featured on the bistro’s cheese bar menu.

hours

Mon.–Thurs. 11 AM–12 midnight;
Fri.–Sat. 11 AM–1 AM; Sun. 11 AM–11 PM
wine and cheese pairings: Mon. and Wed. 6 PM–7 PM

price range

$16 (spaghetti all'arrabbiata) to $29 (Tunisan couscous)