Not enough Middle Eastern spice for the price

Balade
208 First Ave.
(btw. 12th and 13th streets)
Baladerestaurants.com
212.529.6868

2 out of 5 stars

Hot off a five-month stint in the Middle East, nothing sounded more appetizing than the prospect of a new Lebanese. An escape to home-away-from-home requires pushing aside the city's winter chill and replacing it with warm, salty Mediterranean air. And nothing — nothing! — is less satisfying than comfort food done half-right.

Sadly, although Balade delivers on experience and ambiance, the cuisine suffers from an irrevocable error in translation: Traditional Lebanese dishes dumbed down to suit less-than-aggressive Village palates, at fine-dining prices.

The dining experience begins auspiciously, with fresh, airy Lebanese pita and a za'atar-spiced oil that are both on point with regard to flavor and texture. The dishes that followed, however, seemed to have received less attention to detail. The menu lists an extensive offering of familiar Middle Eastern dishes, best enjoyed on small plates and shared among friends, so it's impossible to fault Balade for not trying.

But most dishes suffer from lack of flavor and precision. The lentil soup ($5) tastes too acidic, lacks balance among the beans and vegetables, and toes the line between smooth and watery. Balade's jebneh ($9), goat-cheese-stuffed dough, works well as a concept, but its execution is all too reminiscent of a Pizzeria Uno appetizer. Undertones of lemon juice manifested as overtones in the hummus ($5) and baba ghannouj ($5.50), and the falafel ($6) was tough and flat.

Main courses also strayed from authenticity. The crushed mujaddara ($11), composed of lentils and rice, is served cold, and resembles a game-day bean dip more than a Lebanese national treasure. If anything, a Middle Eastern eatery should also be able to deliver heartily-spiced, tender meat. Yet the shawarma meat is tough and rubbery, served in a bath of cold hummus.

The meal's saving grace arrived in the form of hot, grilled haloumi cheese ($6). Here's where Balade managed to capture a non-native dish without dilution. Properly grilled haloumi is a study in flavor juxtaposition, when salt mixes with fat, complemented by tomatoes and cucumbers with oil. It manages to replace First Avenue traffic with the relaxed pace along the shore of the Mediterranean.

But remember that initial pita offering? Ask for more, and you're given cold sheets of warehouse-brand pita. And what's with the linen napkins and tablecloths for Lebanese street food? It's the case of a traditional experience Americanized, trying to appeal to a fatter-than-in-Beirut wallet by classing up everything surrounding the food. By the end of the meal, my two dining companions and I had spent close to $20 each. Not a value in this arena.

Balade offers a safe introduction to cuisine of the Levant, but little more. If you're looking for a truly authentic experience, you're better off visiting one of the area's Middle Eastern grocery stores and preparing the meal on your own.