Casa La Femme   

1076 1st Ave
New York, NY, 10022
212-505-0005

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In Egypt, eating on the floor is elegant and customary, which makes it only natural for one to eschew chairs at this romantic Mediterranean spot in Midtown. Casa La Femme was a huge hit for years on Wooster Street in Soho and draws the same crowd here -- couples, group parties and hipsters who want to play like Bogart and Bergman without actually having to make the trip to Casablanca. The low-lit lounge is laid with candles and rugs. The big attraction is the large seating tents, which offer a fishbowl effect of cushy privacy as well as a voyeuristic view outside through the translucent draped linen. The cuisine is Middle Eastern, which means the menu is heavy on grilled whole fish and steak and beef dishes; there are also plenty of dipped, pickled, salted and chick-pea'd appetizers. The late-night crowd gets feisty, with mango cosmos and hookahs priming your palate for the Suez Canal special: sexy belly dancers gyrating at your table.