beetrock

The Tent’s Mint Tea Recipe: put fresh mint leaves and green tea into a cup, pour boiling water and let stand 5 minutes. Add sugar or indulge in honey cake chasers (preferred).

To celebrate Myer Lemon’s approaching borough hop, I volunteered to introduce her to the Atlantic Avenue and Smith Street area of beloved Brooklyn. We started our adventure at the boarded and labyrinth-like Atlantic Terminal. We headed west on Atlantic passing construction, Northern African incense stores and the many boutiques that seem to pop up every weekend or so. At the corner of Nevins, we stopped at the Ace Liquor store. The large German Shepard yawning on the floor, seemingly answered the questing of who’s the Ace, but both the dog and the exceptionally blue-eyed owner had an air of “I will only bite if attacked.” Lemon and I lamely and indecisively fondled red wine bottles and the owner kindly offered us a taste of a cheap French red that we ended up buying. Properly stocked, we were ready for the Bedouin Tent.

I owe the discovery of this place to dogra. Thanks to him, I have been coming to the Tent for three years now. Lately, the Tent has been perfecting its kitschy and old-worldesque decorum. It has evolved from the initial two-table indoor seating space and plastic patio furniture in the backyard to a true tent-like appendix, operational in the winter and summer, and a well-designed courtyard. The size of the portions, the steady deliciousness of the food and the attentiveness of staff have not changed one bit.

Lemon and I went with the assorted platter of grape leaves, hummus, babaganoush, roasted beets, and walnut chickpea salad. We also ordered a pitza – Tent’s signature creation of selected vegetables and meat on a pita. We asked for garlic, artichoke and mushrooms. As if that wasn’t enough food, Lemon, thrilled by the waiter’s politeness, requested that we order something else and we got the garden salad. Obviously we over-ordered. The garden salad mounted on a giant plate, and the pitza, with fresh garlic, made our breath easily ignitable. Slurping our cheap red wine – the Tent is a BYOB establishment – we heroically struggled with the food. The waiters, who took a special liking to us, came around in turns and practiced their Russian on me, their knowledge –an epochal leftover of the Soviet military love-affair with Egypt. We got a free honey cake and absolutely amazing mint tea out of my cultural flirting.

The sweet Egyptian waiters wished us “spokoinoi nochi” as we were rolling our bellies out of the building. The Russian direct translation of “good night,” the expression is actually used as an equivalent of “sweet dreams” – something the Lemon and I were ready for after such a thorough dinner. Oh, and did I mention that the feast cost us all of about $20 plus the $8 that we paid for the wine? Lemon and I are cheap dates!

Address:
405 Atlantic Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11217
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