Sesame Seed

If you are nostalgic for the early 1970’s, in search of a place where you can comfortably wear tie dye and Birkenstocks, Sesame Seed is your kind of Roadfood. Its kitchen features such familiar Middle Eastern fare as Tahini, hummus, and babaganoush — all good enough to have kept this place going for decades. Although there is meat on the menu — lots of lamb, as well as seafood and chicken — and the weekend menu has something for everyone, Sesame Seed has long been a Mecca for local vegetarians.

Recently, I and a friend (a vegetarian and long time Sesame Seed patron) ventured beyond pita and hummus into the less traveled side of the menu and found found four-star lasagna.

It is especially odd to suggest ordering lasagna in Sesame Seed, considering this part of the Northeast is home to more really good Italian restaurants than there are stars in the galaxy. But as TV’s Gomer Pyle used to say, “surprise, surprise”: I have not had better lasagna than this anywhere, even, dare I say, in Italy. It is a huge portion – deep, thick with ricotta, and beautifully seasoned. The red sauce is like Mama would make — not my Mama, but a lucky someone whose mother did not order out.

In fact, the whole laid back vibe at Sesame Seed is homespun: a great hodgepodge of kitsch salt and pepper shakers, and an attic’s worth of fun old stuff hung on the walls. It really is a one-of-a-kind place.