Traveling to Brooklyn for Tanoreen
Contrary to popular belief, tight living quarters is not the worst part of living in NYC. I know many individuals in other parts of the country cannot fathom living in 500 square feet. I was in Ikea last week and they had a showroom for a 480 sq. feet apartment. It was sick. In typical New York fashion, the thing featured no natural light and required coop board approval. Actually the worst part about living in NY is the commute. Tanoreen is actually just 13 miles from my apartment. This means that whoever just won the Boston Marathon could run there in 1 hour. On a subway train + walking to the place? One hour and thirty minutes. Fuck me. Fuck me. Fuck me. Oh but after getting there slower than a running dude, I could have really awesome cauliflower and a ginormous meat nugget? It's worth it to travel to Brooklyn for good Middle Eastern food, RIGHT? RIGHT? YES!!
Previously I mentioned the awesome cauliflower ($6.50). It's topped with tahini sauce and pomegranate molasses. This came to our table and Steph and I had to race each other for the last piece. I'd order it again on the next visit for sure. The menu said the kibbe ($6) was a "shell of finely ground lamb, wheat germ and spices stuffed with lamb pine nuts, onions, and spices, deep fried." Oh yea this was deep fried alright. Basically it was a meat cocoon for lamb and pine nuts. What a cocoon it was! They were generous with the pine nuts and that made for a nice contrast in texture. If you live near by Tanoreen, you could probably just have a plate of this for lunch and wouldn't be hungry for hours.
The combo kebabs ($18) granted the opportunity to try both lamb and chicken cubes. The meat seemed to run out faster than the rice and the ample mound of salad that came with the dish. The lamb and chicken were both grilled fine, although I do wonder if Tanoreen's version would outshine any other grill. I needed more pieces to determine whether that's the case, but had to save room for dessert.
The sahlab ($6) was a custard similar to a panna cotta. Maybe it's the Middle Eastern version of it? It was topped with crushed pistachios and rose water syrup. It had a super light mouth-feel and went down with ease. It was a little different than their house special dessert...
The Knafeh is the house specialty. It's shredded fillo dough stuffed with two kinds of sweet cheese, baked, and then topped with some rose water and pistachios. The server was very coy about what type of cheese was used. I'm not sure if it's some top secret or if they make it in-house and it would be frowned upon by the DOH or something. Either way, Tanoreen apparently is known for this baked cheese dessert, so of course this was ordered. It's completely different than the sahlab because the Knafeh had a chew factor due to the cheese. The rose water soaked fillo dough was tasty, but I'd have to pick the custard over the baked cheese.
It's too bad that Bay Ridge is a far place for many New Yorkers. Even if you live in Brooklyn it might take a while. If you do make the trek to Tanoreen though, it'll be worth it. Sam Sifton gave it one star in 2010 and it seems to be well deserving of such an honor.
Tanoreen
7523 Third Avenue .
Brooklyn, NY 11209
718-748-5600
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Ahh the Kibbe looks amazing! Will have to try that next time I'm back. I've been to Tanoreen once before - 3 years ago. And the only thing that stops me from retuning more often is how inconvenient the location is, so I totally sympathize with you there!
Kathy
April 20, 2011 4:01 pm
I've always wanted to try this place out, but I need to be part of a big group to sample all the yummy appetizers.
Have you tried the hummus? That's my litmus for an authentic Middle Eastern restaurant. :)
Echoing yours and Kathy's lament, being from Queens, Tanoreen's location is so far out for me. Sad...
kim
April 20, 2011 7:34 pm
Oooh, I've been here before years ago. I remember it being really good with HUGE portions.
God, I love knafe. That will be the death of me.
Oh yeah, I've got a car. Easiest way to Bay Ridge (and NJ for that matter). Let's ride.
hungry
April 21, 2011 12:50 pm
Agree, the only way to do Tanoreen is by car with a large group of people, even if parking is a bitch down there.
ben
April 21, 2011 2:10 pm
@Kathy,
Definitely get the kibbe! I just love those things. Everything else on the appetizer section of the menu looks great though.
@kim,
You're right, hummus is a great litmus test for authentic Middle Eastern cuisine. However, we just couldn't eat all that food. Maybe next time I'll try the hummus. It's just so far away! And yea, a big group is necessary to try all the wonderful things on the menu.
@hungry,
haha yea eating a lot of knafe would be the death of a lot of folks. It's definitely a rich dessert.
@ben,
Next time I'll have to figure out a car and a large group. Also, saw your tweet about stinky tofu. haha. Man up!
Danny
April 22, 2011 12:46 pm
Knafe! I really wanted to try it at ilili but I was too full. This may work. I'm from Queens but I totally go to Bay Ridge all the time. Cars are awesome things to have. No, cars and a permanent parking spot in the garage under my building. Combination = win. And yea I'm going to email you.
Yvo
May 2, 2011 2:05 pm