(This venue is closed. Its successor, Empire Pizza II, has the same phone number but no Middle Eastern food that isn't stuffed in a pita.) Mediterranean pasta, yes, but from the south shore, not Italy.
The Egyptian spread at this cabbie favorite includes koshary (elsewhere transliterated kushari, koshari, or kosheri; $6), which claims rice, lentils, pasta, and a spicy tomato sauce as constants; caramelized onions (hard to see here) are a typical garnish. Koshary is commonly served at iftar, the evening meal for breaking the fast during Ramadan, but it's a belly-filling carbo load during the rest of the year, too.
And the pizza? Haven't tried it.
Village Pizzeria & Restaurant
35 First Ave. (2nd-3rd Sts.)
212-677-5500
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