September 2006
Ethnic Eats
by Celia Cheng
Potato Burek Roll
DJERDAN
221 W 38th St
(7th & 8th Ave)
Manhattan
212-921-1183
map/subway
The Djerdan location in Manhattan is the third outpost of this restaurant. The first two are in Astoria and Pelham Parkway, respectively. Thankfully, there is a Manhattan location so that we have easy access to yummy Balkan bureks — layers of phyllo dough made into pies with meat (ground beef), cheese (feta) or vegetable (spinach) filling. The Bureks are sold by the slice, each one the size of a piece of pizza, so it’s very filling. All three stuffings are flavorful, it just depends on what mood you are in. The layers of phyllo pastry are nice and flaky, and the outer layers thin and crisp. Since the pies are sold by the slice, it’s ideal to take some home to savor, but don’t be lazy and use the microwave; make sure to reheat in the oven to get the desired phyllo crispness.
Burek is originally a Turkish treat, but it’s popular in the Balkans. In Bosnia, they have a special burek — thin layers of dough are stuffed then rolled. At Djerdan, the options for fillings are meat or potato. After trying both, I prefer the potato burek roll because it is almost like a knish but is tastier; the dough has more of a soft pretzel texture. There are juicy sautéed onions in the potato filling. I am a true potato lover, so it doesn’t matter what form it comes in — sliced, shredded, fried, boiled, baked or mashed — I will eat it and love it. But in recent years, I have not had many knishes because I find them a little dry. The potato burek roll has both more moisture and texture, so it’s an ideal alternative.
The rolled meat burek is also good, but I prefer the burek pie with meat because the phyllo dough is lighter and fluffier than the rolled burek dough and pairs better with the filling. The homemade yogurt is a must when eating the regular or rolled burek.
The cuisine at Djerdan represents flavors within the Balkan region but more specifically, Bosnian. The main dishes are all comfort foods like stews, stuffed peppers and beef goulash, but not as remarkable as the bureks and less worthy of mention.
On the night I visited, I was the only diner at the restaurant. Based on its location, I believe that the office crowd provides heavy traffic mainly for lunch. It’s a little lonely to sit at this restaurant and dine alone, but it’s a real treat to take home some of the burek pies and rolls to enjoy at your leisure.
