Tanoreen

[Pan]

Some of you must have seen Asimov's rave review of this Bay Ridge restaurant in the New York Times on April 7. I went tonight with a friend. It's fabulous! We started off with excellent Baba Ganouge ($4.99), Cauliflower Salad ($4.50), and Sujok ($4.99). Also provided were a bunch of slices of pita, some very tasty crunchy zaatar bread, and a freebie of pickled vegetables (little cucumbers, turnips marinated in beet juice, and olives). Right off the bat, what my dining partner and I liked so much about the food is that it was unsubtle. The Sujok, described on the menu as "Armenian dried meat, sauteed w/garlic and olive oil," is actually slices of a beef sausage in red oil. The sausage tastes like meat plus the taste of the smell that greets you when entering an excellent Indian store with aromatic spices for sale. It is fantastically spicy but only moderately hot. The Cauliflower Salad was also a standout. It is described on the menu as "Cauliflower, pomegranate syrup, tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, and mint." There is no way to do it any kind of justice in writing, but the combination of tastes on top of the cauliflower tops is amazing, and the cauliflower itself is nicely browned. The Baba Ganouge also had strong tastes - a robust taste of smoky eggplant, lots of lemon juice, and lots of garlic, plus tahini (I thought it had a bit of hummus in it, but the menu mentions tahini instead). The pickled vegetables were also nice.

We also shared a main dish: A special of pieces of lamb with baby okra in a garlic sauce with rice and very small noodles. I think the price was $11.99, for a really large portion (it would have been humongous for one person - well, most of us, anyway). It was quite good and the baby okras were delightful - a little sweet, and not slimy at all, for those who care about such things. That said, we both agreed that the appetizers were even better than the main dish we had.

I couldn't resist the idea of getting some desserts to take to my mother's for her to get some taste of the place. We ordered Knafeh ($8.00) and had two slices there, with me taking the rest of a large container home. My dining partner liked the Knafeh even more than I did, as was obvious from her facial expression. I liked it quite a bit myself, however. It was not extremely sweet, as some other renditions of the dessert that I've had before were. It was made with ricotta and an Arab cheese (I didn't get the name) which was something like low-moisture mozzarella, with shredded filo dough and a subtly-spiced syrup above and below the cheese layer. We walked up to the counter and noticed another interesting-looking dessert. I don't see it on the takeout menu, but our waitress described it as a "pumpkin gelee" which clearly included sugar, pistachios, and walnuts. My dining partner doesn't like squashes much, so she didn't love this dessert, but I liked it quite a lot, ate some of it, and brought the rest for my mother, who I predict will like it, too. I don't remember the price for that, but including 3 Arabic Teas ($2.00 apiece), the total bill was some $45 plus tip.

Asimov was right. This place is amazing, and one of these days, I'd like to organize an eGullet dinner there.

[agentmule]

In agreement with Pan, Tanoreen is quite terriffic. Having spent a number of years in the middle east, i have to say this by far my favorite spot to drop in and taste. A large glass front cabinet allows you too chose from a terriffic array of cold dishes. My favorite is a slice fried eggplant dolloped with a fresh tomato salsa highly accented with fresh chilis.

An interesting trek to a spot with little frills and great stuff. If you can work it out Bay Ridge is an excellent place to bike.

[mascarpone]

I am very interested in going to Tanoreen. I have to persuade two others to go along. Is this a place where a group of three can sit down for several hours and catch up or do they push you out the door after you finish? How is the parking situation around there on Saturday night?

[Pan]

They were very friendly and didn't try to rush us out the door at all. The feeling I got is that Tanoreen is a place where Arab hospitality is taken seriously.

I really couldn't tell you anything about parking, though.

[lambretta76]

Tanoreen has been a favorite of mine for a couple of years now and the three best things are the sujok, the cauliflower, and anything involving lamb. I don't know if they have the best supplier, their lamb is more halal (perhaps its been blessed by a Muslim, Jew, Hindi, Buddhist, and Christian to cover all bases), or whatever - but their lamb is some of the tastiest I've ever had.

The only low point in the meal is the olive/pickle "plate" - it's quite possibly one of the saltiest things I've ever had in my life - including that time when I was four and decided to see why my pet rabbit was so enamoured to that little white disc in his cage.

Parking should be no problem if you get there early on - but apparently that part of Brooklyn hasn't caught on to the fact that drunk driving is no good for you. Watch out if you decide to get a drink afterwards... on a side note I'm not aware of a BYO policy - perhaps a call ahead would be appropriate as this is at least a partially Muslim-run joint. (If it's allowable, it's also worth picking up a sixer of Casablanca beer at Eagle Provisions on 5th in the Slope - Morocco's finest!)

[peter_nyc]

Wow. What a place. Absolutely delicious labaneh and hummus. Mains were good all around, and I have to disagree with Asimov's judgment on the Kibbe: he complained it was too dry, I thought it had a crispness/crunchiness that matched beautifully with the salad it was served atop... a very toothsome dish. I actaully ate the entire gargantuan portion, even after filling up on the lemon infused baked pita-like breads and mezze.

The mint tea was lovely, and I think compares favorably to the Moroccon incarnation served at La Maison du Couscous, a short walk away.

For dessert, Ms. Bishara cooked us up a cake like none I've tasted before. It was basically a 10 inch disc of a stringy mozzarella-type cheese encased in a crystalized sugar nest, drenched in sugar water, topped with a generous amount of finely chopped pistachios. This thing was intense. The first bite packed a powerful punch of sweet and salty, crunchy sugar texture, stringiness from the warm cheese, oily, nutty goodness. It's really something. But one bite was enough, not only because by that time I had consumed much more than I could bear, but because this thing was ridiculously rich, greasy, heavy, and, well, artherosclerosis inducing. It should come with a disclaimer or some sort of warning. But definitely worth a shot if you have a chance to sample it.

edit: spell

Edited November 24, 2005 by peter_nyc (log)

[Pan]

Peter, I'm glad to hear this place has not deteriorated one iota since my trip in April of 2004.

[wannabechef]

I'm a huge fan of Tanoreen. Been there about 4 times and have not had a bad meal there. Everything I've put in my mouth there has been nothing short of delicious. I have a weakness for their Kibbeh. I recomend going with a big group so you can taste all the different meze.

Also, check out my review of Laila in Park Slope. I think the two are very similar - although Laila doesn't have the meze like Tanoreen.

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...5entry1074385