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
$$
Manti is one of my favorite Turkish foods. Small dumplings with minced beef stuffing, drizzled with a yogurt sauce and paprika mixed with melted butter, the manti at Antique Garage come closest to what I’ve had in Turkey (though I prefer lamb or a mixture of lamb and beef stuffing). While there are several other Turkish restaurants I enjoy in the City, none of them seem to make manti just right. It takes craft to make them as small as they should be, but it’s important in order to get the dough to filling ratio correct. And Antique Garage has gotten it right! But this craft doesn’t come at a low price: $20 is by far the highest price I’ve seen. But hey, I’m willing to splurge once in a while for good manti.
Posted in Dumpling , Lamb , SoHo , Turkish
Freshly Made Fish Cakes w/ homemade tartar sauce
by Celia Cheng
July 27th, 2007
SEA SALT
99 2nd Ave
(5th & 6th St)
212-979-5400
$$
Instead of Asian fish cakes that are usually fried pieces of sliced fish paste, Orhan Yegen’s latest seafood restaurant, Sea Salt, serves its own delectable variety. They look like long slender fish sticks but the inside tastes more like a fish croquette. The mix of potato purée and pieces of red snapper was a pleasant and welcome surprise, as opposed to the chewy, rubbery texture of Asian fish cakes. Topped with the homemade tartar sauce, I could eat these by the dozen as snacks.
Posted in Appetizer , East Village , Seafood , Turkish
Lahmacun (Turkish-style pizza)
by Celia Cheng
February 27th, 2007
ALI BABA
212 E 34th St
(2nd & 3rd Ave)
212-683-9209
$
The lahmacun, Turkish flat bread topped with ground lamb and chopped vegetables, at Ali Baba comes out of the oven nice and crispy. A fresh squeeze of lemon juice over it then topped with fresh parsley and onion with paprika, makes it even more enticing. Each bite hits home and brings pure satisfaction, also bringing back memories of Turkey to me.
Posted in Bread , Meat , Murray Hill , Turkish
Almond Pudding
by Celia Cheng
September 18th, 2006
SIP SAK
928 2nd Ave
(49th & 50th St)
212-583-1900
$
This doesn’t seem to be a traditional Turkish dessert, as my Turkish friends all found it to be rather unusual. Traditional or not, it is truly memorable. I have been dreaming of having my lamb gyro platter followed by this refreshing dessert. It’s like a panna cotta with sliced almonds. The texture is less gelatinous than panna cotta but slightly denser than rice pudding. I am always attracted to desserts with almonds, and this one definitely stands on its own.
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