by Reed Keefe
Cafe Kashkar
1141 Brighton Beach Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11235
718-743-3832
There are two things I, in my very limited experience, love about New York City. One is the fact that so many places, whether they actually are or not, feel like a find, a little secret that only a select few know about. The second, related thing is the fact that so many places feel foreign. Different clothes, different languages, different foods—I like feeling like a subway ride could have been an airplane ride, a short walk a road trip. It’s true that much of this feeling stems from my own ignorance about New York, but I think it also is an actual product of living in New York, where diversity and size mean that the city is constantly re-discoverable. Eating Uighur food in Brighton Beach combined both these elements, but, weirdly, at the same time, made me feel very at home.
About two weeks ago, Leila invited Sam and me to her Hannukah party in Park Slope. A trip from Morningside Heights to Park Slope is, of course, an invitation to make the most of the long journey and explore Brooklyn for the day. That day, it meant an afternoon at the aquarium and dinner in Brighton Beach (I, by the way, recommend a trip to Coney Island covered in snow—a place I think would strike most New Yorkers as foreign in its extreme quietness).
Exiting the subway at Brighton Beach is, for anyone who hasn’t been, a truly disorienting experience. Much like when I visited Flushing with Jason, I was struck by how abruptly the dominant culture and language changed. Here, that language was Russian, coupled with Cyrillic script on every store and, coincidentally, driving snow and freezing temperatures (Sam swears he saw a Boris Yeltsin look-a-like, birthmark and all). We walked and walked down Brighton Beach Ave., finally finding the tiny Café Kashkar, a place that some people say is the only authentic Uighur restaurant in New York City.
Café Kashkar did feel secret; few people were there, except a group of men toward the back - and without strict attention to the building numbers, anyone could have walked by the place. And, it felt foreign to me too. My knowledge about the Uighurs, or Uyghurs, a people who traditionally live in Central and some of East Asia, came not from food research but from human rights research. I knew about the Uighurs not because of their culture but because of challenges to it. I suppose you could say, that I knew about the Uighurs in a way totally divorced from their food. What I loved about eating at Café Kashkar, though, was the fact that everyone seemed willing to share. Our extremely kind waiter, taught me not only how to properly pour the tea (watch out, I’m apparently ready to be a good wife) and that the design I loved on the teapot represented the cotton grown in Uzbekistan, but also about every dish following that pot of tea.
But, onto the food. Oh my goodness, the food. I don’t think I’ve ever eaten food that was so warming. Everything was rich and meaty, a little spicy. First, the very innocuous sounding house salad (our very kind waiter also recognized my guilt about not eating enough vegetables). The salad was a wild mix of julienned carrots and cucumbers with a spicy, vinegary dressing, transforming what I returned to throughout the meal. Quickly, the samsa also came—flaky dough pies filled with lamb meat—and the pilaf, rice that would have been pretty typical except for the thick, buttery lamb on the bone (restraint was required to keep from gnawing).
Slipped in between the first meat appetizers and, well, the next meat appetizer, was the beautiful, comforting, lagman soup. Lagman really is everything I love in a comfort food—lamb (!), soup that is a little spicy, slightly thicker than normal but not yet a stew, warm, and filled with my very favorite carb—the noodle. The noodles really were revelatory—they stood up to the vibrant tasting broth and the tender lamb; they were still thick and slightly chewy after long intervals of soup slurping. If it were possible, I think I might have enjoyed lagman even more if I had seen those noodles being made. At the end of the meal, Sam pointed out the small window that opened onto the kitchen. There, in all his bald-headed, six foot something, 200 plus pounds glory, was a chef rapidly tossing the noodles before cooking them. I think that man may have personified the idea of “it’s even harder than it looks.”
Finally, we ended with manty. Manty are advertised in the restaurant window, and, therefore, I think a neighborhood selling point—for good reason. I’ve had very few dishes that are both so delicate and so hearty. Manty are meat dumplings. The outside of those dumplings, at least at Café Kashkar, are steamed and translucent, just barely revealing the rich mix of lamb inside. While the outside of the dumpling practically melts away, the lamb remains as substantial but as tender as it was throughout the meal, a perfect reminder of everything that was wonderful about dinner. Eating Uighur food in Brighton Beach did feel like our secret find, our foreign experience, but I think the perfection of each dish reminded me that these dishes are mainstays, not only within a culture but also for the people at the Café who make them so beautifully (those noodles!). I hope we find our way back again.
All in all, everyone should eat at Café Kashkar. And, let’s say, hypothetically, you don’t feel like eating (shame on you!), you should still watch the music videos they play. Uzbeki pop princesses, mark my words, are the next hot thing…
Reed Keefe is a thief of hearts.
Showing posts with label brooklyn. Show all posts
Showing posts with label brooklyn. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Blue Hill, Blue Duck, Stone Park
August was a great month. We laughed, we cried, we drank some wine, we saw old friends, we made some new friends, etc. etc. Throughout this month of highs and lows, strikes and gutters, the food I've been eating has been top notch. In three weekends I ate at three extremely delicious and very expensive restaurants. Some people may do this every weekend in New York but for me it has been quite a blowout.
A couple of weeks ago Jason was in town and he made us a late reservation at Blue Hill, which hadn't been on my culinary radar up until then. We had a great meal, which I will get into in a minute, but most of all we had a great time. I hadn't seen our friends Camille and Reed in far, far too long, and it was a pleasure to reconnect with them and to then proceed to drink copious amounts of whatever we could get our hands on. Blue Hill is a great space for a nice meal, it's very warm and welcoming. I particularly liked the minimal signage and the whole speak-easy vibe. We started out the meal with a really nice Morgon Beaujolais, a great wine to begin with. I had the sweet corn ravioli with red kale and basil. These tiny pouches were very delicate both in terms of texture and taste. They were not a huge portion, but I thought they worked very well as an appetizer, the intense sweetness of the corn and the buttery sauce was an excellent combination. I followed that up with the grass-fed lamb. I'm not exactly sure what cut they were using for this steak, but it was very flavorful and tender. Unfortunately, I thought they could have gotten a better sear on the outside, to be honest. It came with sauteed vegetables and an herb sauce that was also very fresh, rich and delicious. My entree went extremely well with the second wine we ordered, a Pinot Nero. I had digestif instead of dessert but they all looked great. I know that you have to pay a premium for fresh ingredients and sustainable, grass-fed meat, but I was still a little shocked at the sticker price on my lamb: $36. That's a lot of money. It was a great meal, but it's definitely going to be another special occasion if I'm going to return.
The next week I was in D.C. visiting Jason and we made a great meal, despite the last minute lack of a grill. The second night I was there we went out to the Blue Duck Tavern. This, I thought was a great restaurant. The open kitchen is a delight to watch. I am shocked, shocked that it manages to do all of the food for their many seats, the lounge and all the In-Room dining as well. How do you even place a meat order when you have that many possible people eating? On any given day you could have dozens of people eating in their rooms. Crazy. I feel like, while I had a great meal, I did not see this restaurant at its best. It was a Sunday night, so they ran out of both the soft shell crab appetizer and the mackerel rillette. Furthermore, they had recently had a chimney fire in their wood burning oven, which 86ed the roasted bone marrow... alas and alack, all my favorite dishes were dropping like flies. That having been said, the crab cake with remoulade was extremely crabby, sweet and delicious. Though not particularly innovative, it was certainly well executed, which is what haute tavern cuisine is all about. My braised beef rib with house steak sauce was extremely delicious. Perfectly braised, well presented, with the sauce providing a nice tangy, mildly hot contrast to the intensity of the beef. It was like the apotheosis of A1. The Brunello we were drinking didn't hurt the equation at all. I adore braised meats, I often find them to be the most interesting preparations since the cuts tend to be more flavorful and harder to find. Give me the braised beef cheeks and I'm happy. Ah yes, and an after dinner cigar, which we also indulged in.
Most recently I had a meal in Brooklyn at the Stone Park Cafe. This was an excellent meal as well. I went with wine aficionado and winebar-tender Dave, who was ready to blow out his gaff after 7 straight nights of work. I had heard good things about this spot from fellow Stoned-homie Buckley. I started with the braised octopus with chopped salad greens and a lemon- black pepper vinaigrette. The octopus was extremely tender. This is something I've never made, but am very, very interested in attempting. I order it pretty much every time I see it so I look forward to trying my hand. I then had the grilled strip steak with herb spatzle, wilted mustard greens and green peppercorn jus. This was a giant, and I mean giant steak. The sides were well seasoned and the jus was luscious. Weighing in at $27 I was quite happy with the dish. We were drinking an extremely, nay even obscenely expensive bottle of Barbaresco, which had a structure and finish that just wouldn't quit. A sensational meal, I will definitely return, funds permitting. I oddly found that this was the second sirloin I had in maybe 3 weeks. I adore steak, but having eaten 2 NY strip sirloins in such a short period I found myself thinking that it is a relatively uninteresting steak. Perhaps uninteresting is a little strong but I think I actually prefer the "lesser" steak cuts like hanger, skirt and flank, or tri-tip. They just have more interesting flavor.
On the whole it was a roaring success of a month on any number of notes, but particularly when it came to eating & drinking beyond my means, just generally living life in 4th gear.
A couple of weeks ago Jason was in town and he made us a late reservation at Blue Hill, which hadn't been on my culinary radar up until then. We had a great meal, which I will get into in a minute, but most of all we had a great time. I hadn't seen our friends Camille and Reed in far, far too long, and it was a pleasure to reconnect with them and to then proceed to drink copious amounts of whatever we could get our hands on. Blue Hill is a great space for a nice meal, it's very warm and welcoming. I particularly liked the minimal signage and the whole speak-easy vibe. We started out the meal with a really nice Morgon Beaujolais, a great wine to begin with. I had the sweet corn ravioli with red kale and basil. These tiny pouches were very delicate both in terms of texture and taste. They were not a huge portion, but I thought they worked very well as an appetizer, the intense sweetness of the corn and the buttery sauce was an excellent combination. I followed that up with the grass-fed lamb. I'm not exactly sure what cut they were using for this steak, but it was very flavorful and tender. Unfortunately, I thought they could have gotten a better sear on the outside, to be honest. It came with sauteed vegetables and an herb sauce that was also very fresh, rich and delicious. My entree went extremely well with the second wine we ordered, a Pinot Nero. I had digestif instead of dessert but they all looked great. I know that you have to pay a premium for fresh ingredients and sustainable, grass-fed meat, but I was still a little shocked at the sticker price on my lamb: $36. That's a lot of money. It was a great meal, but it's definitely going to be another special occasion if I'm going to return.
The next week I was in D.C. visiting Jason and we made a great meal, despite the last minute lack of a grill. The second night I was there we went out to the Blue Duck Tavern. This, I thought was a great restaurant. The open kitchen is a delight to watch. I am shocked, shocked that it manages to do all of the food for their many seats, the lounge and all the In-Room dining as well. How do you even place a meat order when you have that many possible people eating? On any given day you could have dozens of people eating in their rooms. Crazy. I feel like, while I had a great meal, I did not see this restaurant at its best. It was a Sunday night, so they ran out of both the soft shell crab appetizer and the mackerel rillette. Furthermore, they had recently had a chimney fire in their wood burning oven, which 86ed the roasted bone marrow... alas and alack, all my favorite dishes were dropping like flies. That having been said, the crab cake with remoulade was extremely crabby, sweet and delicious. Though not particularly innovative, it was certainly well executed, which is what haute tavern cuisine is all about. My braised beef rib with house steak sauce was extremely delicious. Perfectly braised, well presented, with the sauce providing a nice tangy, mildly hot contrast to the intensity of the beef. It was like the apotheosis of A1. The Brunello we were drinking didn't hurt the equation at all. I adore braised meats, I often find them to be the most interesting preparations since the cuts tend to be more flavorful and harder to find. Give me the braised beef cheeks and I'm happy. Ah yes, and an after dinner cigar, which we also indulged in.
Most recently I had a meal in Brooklyn at the Stone Park Cafe. This was an excellent meal as well. I went with wine aficionado and winebar-tender Dave, who was ready to blow out his gaff after 7 straight nights of work. I had heard good things about this spot from fellow Stoned-homie Buckley. I started with the braised octopus with chopped salad greens and a lemon- black pepper vinaigrette. The octopus was extremely tender. This is something I've never made, but am very, very interested in attempting. I order it pretty much every time I see it so I look forward to trying my hand. I then had the grilled strip steak with herb spatzle, wilted mustard greens and green peppercorn jus. This was a giant, and I mean giant steak. The sides were well seasoned and the jus was luscious. Weighing in at $27 I was quite happy with the dish. We were drinking an extremely, nay even obscenely expensive bottle of Barbaresco, which had a structure and finish that just wouldn't quit. A sensational meal, I will definitely return, funds permitting. I oddly found that this was the second sirloin I had in maybe 3 weeks. I adore steak, but having eaten 2 NY strip sirloins in such a short period I found myself thinking that it is a relatively uninteresting steak. Perhaps uninteresting is a little strong but I think I actually prefer the "lesser" steak cuts like hanger, skirt and flank, or tri-tip. They just have more interesting flavor.
On the whole it was a roaring success of a month on any number of notes, but particularly when it came to eating & drinking beyond my means, just generally living life in 4th gear.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Maha's
One of the saddest things to witness in the fair city of New York is the passing of a restaurant. It's no mystery that this happens all the time... It's a very tough business to make money in. Sometimes you can see it coming from a mile away: empty restaurants with menus the length of my arm, disastrous concepts, hideous spaces, etc. Other times it's the real estate market turning on people who have been around and been successful. There have been a couple of high profile losses recently: Florent in the Meat Packing district for one. I was particularly discouraged today when I learned that my falafel joint, Maha's (69 6th Ave. between Flatbush and Bergen) has lost their lease and will be closing on August 31st.
Maha's is about as small of an eatery as you can get. There can't be more than 4 tables. The kitchen, such as it is, is made up of a small preping area, an electric stove and a toaster oven. It looks like grandma's kitchen. The woman in charge is Maha Ziadeh, who, with one helper works all day and night, 6 days a week. She's extremely pleasant, and her falafel is awesome. This was one of the first places I ate when I moved to Brooklyn, so it will always have a special place in my heart and stomach. I wish the best for her and hope that her new place (if she finds one) is still close to my house.
Maha's is about as small of an eatery as you can get. There can't be more than 4 tables. The kitchen, such as it is, is made up of a small preping area, an electric stove and a toaster oven. It looks like grandma's kitchen. The woman in charge is Maha Ziadeh, who, with one helper works all day and night, 6 days a week. She's extremely pleasant, and her falafel is awesome. This was one of the first places I ate when I moved to Brooklyn, so it will always have a special place in my heart and stomach. I wish the best for her and hope that her new place (if she finds one) is still close to my house.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Peaches
How can I say enough good things about this restaurant?
Peaches, a restaurant deep into the (former?) jungle that is Bed-Stuy, is just the sort of restaurant that an emerging neighborhood needs. I'm extraordinarily pleased that I got to eat there in its infancy and I hope to see how it develops.
Allow me to set the scene:
Yesterday, while I was setting up the restaurant, the bartender, Greg, gets a call on his cell. It's his special lady, who had just been at a supermarket in Bed-Stuy, in front of which someone pulled a handgun and fired 4 shots. Apparently everyone and their mom hit the deck both indoors and outside. No one called the police; in the middle of the day.
Blocks away (actually quite a few blocks, Bed-Stuy is a large neighborhood by NYC standards), Craig and Ben are serving up some ridiculously reasonably priced grub to what appears to be the adoration of the neighborhood. I knew of their work from the Smoke Joint, a BBQ spot close to the very fine restaurant at which I toil. I like their work and I like their investment in Brooklyn and Bed-Stuy.
Both were formerly cooks at some very choice restaurants in Manhattan, but when they went for ownership they went for Brooklyn and they went for BBQ. Both seem a step back from pretentious and a step back from expensive: an ideal combination for mere mortals like myself.
Part of why I wanted to try this restaurant was motivated by my own greed for a bargain. For now it is still BYOB. This makes such a difference; it's just insane. I brought a bottle of vinho verde and a bottle of gruner veltliner. Both were delicious, both were reasonably priced for their quality, $8 and $18 respectively. I could easily have been whacked between $60 and $90 (if not much more) for the same wines on a Manhattan list.
What we ate:
Apps:
Watermelon salad, arugula, shallots, lemon ginger dressing
Fried green tomatoes with remoulade
Asparagus salad with buttermilk dressing
Entrees:
Blackened Tilapia with summer squash and tomato
Andouille and Crawfish Gumbo
Dessert:
Peach Cobbler
Brownie a la mode
Every dish was extremely delicious. I could have small criticisms, but with a final bill of $50, how could anyone complain?
If you live anywhere even vaguely nearby, go there (preferably in the next 8 weeks, pre-liquor license,) eat well, tip well, and stumble home.
Peaches, a restaurant deep into the (former?) jungle that is Bed-Stuy, is just the sort of restaurant that an emerging neighborhood needs. I'm extraordinarily pleased that I got to eat there in its infancy and I hope to see how it develops.
Allow me to set the scene:
Yesterday, while I was setting up the restaurant, the bartender, Greg, gets a call on his cell. It's his special lady, who had just been at a supermarket in Bed-Stuy, in front of which someone pulled a handgun and fired 4 shots. Apparently everyone and their mom hit the deck both indoors and outside. No one called the police; in the middle of the day.
Blocks away (actually quite a few blocks, Bed-Stuy is a large neighborhood by NYC standards), Craig and Ben are serving up some ridiculously reasonably priced grub to what appears to be the adoration of the neighborhood. I knew of their work from the Smoke Joint, a BBQ spot close to the very fine restaurant at which I toil. I like their work and I like their investment in Brooklyn and Bed-Stuy.
Both were formerly cooks at some very choice restaurants in Manhattan, but when they went for ownership they went for Brooklyn and they went for BBQ. Both seem a step back from pretentious and a step back from expensive: an ideal combination for mere mortals like myself.
Part of why I wanted to try this restaurant was motivated by my own greed for a bargain. For now it is still BYOB. This makes such a difference; it's just insane. I brought a bottle of vinho verde and a bottle of gruner veltliner. Both were delicious, both were reasonably priced for their quality, $8 and $18 respectively. I could easily have been whacked between $60 and $90 (if not much more) for the same wines on a Manhattan list.
What we ate:
Apps:
Watermelon salad, arugula, shallots, lemon ginger dressing
Fried green tomatoes with remoulade
Asparagus salad with buttermilk dressing
Entrees:
Blackened Tilapia with summer squash and tomato
Andouille and Crawfish Gumbo
Dessert:
Peach Cobbler
Brownie a la mode
Every dish was extremely delicious. I could have small criticisms, but with a final bill of $50, how could anyone complain?
If you live anywhere even vaguely nearby, go there (preferably in the next 8 weeks, pre-liquor license,) eat well, tip well, and stumble home.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Wish List: Places Where I'd Like to Eat
If wishes were fishes...
Here are a couple places I'm looking forward to eating in the coming months; wind, tide and funds allowing.
James, in Prospect Heights www.jamesrestaurantny.com
The Good Fork, in Red Hook www.goodfork.com
Peaches, in Bed-Stuy (do or die) no website yet.
The Grocery, in Carroll Gardens thegroceryrestaurant.com
Lupa, Manhattan www.luparestaurant.com
Ali's Kebab Cafe, Astoria, Queens, no website.
(Dive) Bars where I want to get my drink on:
Farrell's Bar and Grill, Windsor Terrace
Montero's, Atlantic Ave.
Sunny's Bar, Red Hook
Hank's, Atlantic Ave.
Frank's Cocktail Lounge, Fort Greene
O'Connor's, Park Slope
Here are a couple places I'm looking forward to eating in the coming months; wind, tide and funds allowing.
James, in Prospect Heights www.jamesrestaurantny.com
The Good Fork, in Red Hook www.goodfork.com
Peaches, in Bed-Stuy (do or die) no website yet.
The Grocery, in Carroll Gardens thegroceryrestaurant.com
Lupa, Manhattan www.luparestaurant.com
Ali's Kebab Cafe, Astoria, Queens, no website.
(Dive) Bars where I want to get my drink on:
Farrell's Bar and Grill, Windsor Terrace
Montero's, Atlantic Ave.
Sunny's Bar, Red Hook
Hank's, Atlantic Ave.
Frank's Cocktail Lounge, Fort Greene
O'Connor's, Park Slope
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