Olive Tree Cafe

My favorite Middle Eastern place closed a few years ago, so in desperation and with trepidation, I decided to try the Olive Tree on MacDougal Street. Pleasantly surprised, I found Syrian cooks preparing fresh authentic dishes, and became a regular. Like MacDougal itself, the place is always packed with a student and tourist crowd. They show Chaplin silent films on a large screen and provide chalk to draw on the slate tables. The restaurant also serves the comedy club in the cellar. MacDougal Street has a noble history as a folk center of the sixties, Dylan and such played the small clubs there, and it still shows some vestiges of its glory days. There's something very relaxing and nostalgic about it - it's like a slice out of time when the city was a little homier. Here's another look at the dark atmosphere lit by sixties stained glass.