Manti (baked minced beef dumplings served w/ light yogurt sauce)
by Celia Cheng
July 28th, 2008
ANTIQUE GARAGE
41 Mercer St
(Broome & Grand St)
212-219-1019
$$
Manti is one of my favorite Turkish foods. Small dumplings with minced beef stuffing, drizzled with a yogurt sauce and paprika mixed with melted butter, the manti at Antique Garage come closest to what I’ve had in Turkey (though I prefer lamb or a mixture of lamb and beef stuffing). While there are several other Turkish restaurants I enjoy in the City, none of them seem to make manti just right. It takes craft to make them as small as they should be, but it’s important in order to get the dough to filling ratio correct. And Antique Garage has gotten it right! But this craft doesn’t come at a low price: $20 is by far the highest price I’ve seen. But hey, I’m willing to splurge once in a while for good manti.
Posted in Dumpling , Lamb , SoHo , Turkish
Lamb 1.3 (Lamb Sandwich)
by Celia Cheng
August 16th, 2007
SNACK
105 Thompson St
(Prince & Spring St)
212-925-1040
$
The lamb sandwich, lamb 1.3. (all of the sandwiches at Snack are named in this way, by meat or method of cooking and a number.) Juicy pieces of braised lamb are served on ciabatta with roasted red onions, tomatoes, arugula and a homemade roasted tomato aioli sauce. The lamb and tomato aioli are like lost lovers reunited at last, while the rest of the flavors do their parts in supporting roles so that all work in unison to create a succulent sandwich. Did I just say succulent sandwich?! Well, it is!
Posted in Greek , Lamb , Sandwich , SoHo
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Pilaf
by Celia Cheng
September 18th, 2006
CAFÉ KASHKAR
1141 Brighton Beach Ave
(Brighton 14th & Brighton 15th St)
Brighton Beach, Brooklyn
718-743-3832
$
Uighur cuisine is my dream come true — a combination of Chinese and Turkish influences. Café Kashkar’s pilaf is a mixture of fried rice, carrots, lamb and spices. The rice is rich and flavorful with a bright orange-yellow tint. Unlike many pilafs that come out exceedingly dry, this one is almost buttery, and the spices and generous use of cumin give it a full essence. The lamb (on the bone) is perfectly tender. In addition, accents of chickpeas and the well-cooked, soft shreds of carrot make the sum of this dish the best pilaf ever.
Posted in Brighton Beach , Chinese , Lamb , Rice
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Tunisian Rice
by Celia Cheng
January 18th, 2006
EPICES DU TRAITEUR
103 W 70th St
(Columbus & Amsterdam Ave)
212-579-5904
$$
Posted in Lamb , Meat , Moroccan , Rice
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