A puff of smoke accompanies a striking transformation: at Horus Cafe, a small piece of New York City becomes a chunk of another continent. In between textured walls resembling sand, Middle Eastern music starts to play, and like djinni emerging from a multifamily bottle, a group of belly dancers begins to move. As they do, they might disrupt clouds of hookah smoke that smell of pineapple, mint, and other nicotine-free flavors. The music and applause filters across the room, where tables brim with Mediterranean and Egyptian cuisine, including grilled kebabs and traditional vegetarian dishes such as hummus, falafel, and kosharee, a blend of lentils, pasta, and chick peas.