Tanoreen - terrific Palestinian place in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn
Tanoreen is located in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, one block from the 77th St. station on the R line. When coming by subway from Manhattan, take the N train, which has fewer stops, and switch to the R train at 59th St. This trip can be as short as 35 minutes from Times Square with a good connection; the R train from Times Square takes nearly one hour. We had no reservation and waited nearly an hour for a table for four on a Saturday night. The place was completely full (and quite noisy) until after 10:00 PM.
Service couldn’t be more friendly and hospitable. The waitpersons are justifiably proud of the food, which is outstanding, and are pleased to explain and answer any questions.
We tried a number of appetizers. Cauliflower salad was delicious, dressed with a white tahini sauce and droplets of pomegranate syrup. Fried arba cheese (not on the menu, and not often available) was salty and very tasty, similar to halloumi cheese. Fatoush was a salad of mixed greens, tomatoes, red cabbage, and feta cheese. Who would think that a salad would be the hit of the evening? It was topped lightly with oil and lemon, and blessed with an insanely good spice mixture that included red sumac. At this point we were getting the message that their cuisine emphasizes light, heathy, low-calorie dishes enlivened with inventive yet subtle spices. Sujok, billed as “Armenian dried meat,” was a spicy sautéed sausage and quite oily. This got mixed reviews; some liked it while others felt it was not particularly flavorful. Musakhan (not on the regular menu, but a special that evening), which comes in different versions, was a sort of ground-lamb and wheat mixture on pita—Palestinian pizza—topped with pine nuts and slivered almonds. It was quite good although there seemed to be a bitter undertone.
We tried two entrees. Mousaqua (listed on the menu as “baked Mediterranean eggplant”) was an eye-opener for those acquainted only with moussaka at Greek coffee shops. It had thin layers of eggplant, ground lamb, onions, garlic, tomatoes, potatoes, and was perfumed with a light but aromatic spice mixture. This was accompanied by a thoroughly delicious side of rice with vermicelli; the latter were short and brown, apparently sautéed. We got two orders of lamb shank, braised with vegetables and as moist, tender, and flavorful as it could be.
We had a side dish of shulbato, cracked wheat with tomato sauce, chickpeas, sautéed squash, eggplant, and spices. Some of us thought it delicious, but this was not unanimous.
We had mint tea and two desserts. Knafeh was tasty and extremely sweet, with a center of baked sweet cheeses (the consistency was like mozzarella) topped with shredded filo dough, a red syrup, and crushed pistachio nuts. We finished with a small, delicious date cake.
Reynold
Oct 01, 2006 09:16PM
Thanks for the review, this sounds really interesting. What are the prices like?
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Very economical. Have a look:
http://tanoreen.com/menu.html
I went there a couple of years ago, and it was a truly memorable meal! Too bad Bay Ridge is so far from me.
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Man, does that look great! And you're right about the prices. Goody, yet another one for the list!
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You are right, I should have mentioned in my review that the bill for 4 people (before tip) was $149.80. We took our own wines, which went very well with the food - New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc (white) and Cotes du Rhone (red). I took pictures and would be glad to upload a few, if and when Chowhound allows us to do that.
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Thanks for the reminder. Five of us went last night, brought our own wine (corkage fee was $5/bottle) and had a terrific meal for $175 with tax and tip (and leftovers from 3 of us).
We told them to bring a large platter of mezze as appetizers and, for $27, got an incredibly large array of fresh tasting samplings of most of what was in their display counter. We added an app. of pickled baby eggplant w/walnuts ($5?) and it was more than enough for all of us to get our fill of anything offered. It came with pita and crisp toasted spiced bread (zaatar?). Each of us ordered entrees and the Med. Baked Eggplant, the Lamb Shank, the Green Beans w/Beef (basically a stew), the Chicken Kebab platter, and the special Stuffed Baby Squash w/Lamb (5 of them) were all great. Even though doggie bags were taken, we still split one order of great "farina cake w/rosewater & orange water" & a date cookie with our mint teas or "Arab coffee".
Very friendly, very interested in what we liked, very efficient service from all 5 staff and the owner (she's offered to "suggest" interesting dishes when we return, as long as it's not a weekend); I believe that we'll be going back regularly. Highly recommended.
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Hey i was there last night also, and man was that lamb shank amazing... as was everything else. the vegetarian mezze and the chicken pizza like thing that was a special.
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We've been there several times, superb every time.
The lamb shank is to die for, worth every penny of its $19.00 price, even though it's by far the most expensive thing they serve. It's not on the menu, by the way, and even when they make it, they only do a couple, so you should call ahead to make sure they make it and keep one for you.
The owner is the aunt (I think) of the owner of the wonderful Family Store at 6905 3rd Ave. That's all takeout, but they keep inventing more and more wonderful main courses.
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really? they are that good??
the reason i am asking because i went there about a month ago, it wasnt that good in my personal opinion. i tried the grill combo, all the meat is kind of too dry, the rice came with it is just like one of the uncle ben rice i could buy them of any local grocery store. besides, i tried an cold appetizer which i see a few tables ordered them too, i cant quite remember that, but i think is some kind of eggplant or spinach but it is a bit too sour for me in which i barely finished it at all. so im endding up spending $20+ something on lunch time but i was still hungry by the time i left.
i have been told a thousand times they are very good, so that makes me go & try them out. i think i went there at a bad time :( lol.
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Yes, they are that good. At least at dinnertime. Maybe they just don't do lunch so well. Four of us paid a return visit a week ago, and had a wonderful meal ... though not everything was outstanding. The Cauliflower Salad was great, as were the Fatoush salad and the Musakhan (shredded chicken, caramelized onion, sumac, spices, roasted nuts and olive oil on homemade dough) ... which was not dry. None of the other meat was dry, including Lamb Shank, Baby Squash with Mint Yogurt (with chopped lamb), String Beans with Organic Beef, Kibbie, and Moroccan Chicken. This last was entirely too tart and not really Moroccan. The others we can recommend unhesitatingly.
The rice we got is not like Uncle Ben's so much as Rice-A-Roni, ("the San Francisco treat") which has pasta in it. Very popular about 2 generations ago. Tanoreen's version seemed good to the four of us, but to each his/her own.
The problem we have in going to Tanoreen is parking, and if anyone could provide helpful info we would appreciate it. There are dozens of cars cruising for parking spaces and we didn't see any off-street lots. Each time it has taken us 15-20 minutes to find a space.
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I live in the neighborhood and yes, parking can be tough. But the R train is basically a block away if that helps. The one thing that I find is that the ground meat dishes tend to be dry. But everything else is wonderful. If you go on a night when they have green fava beans, order them...
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Here are pictures of some favorites - Fatoush, Musakhan, Lamb Shank, and Mousaqua - taken 9/30/06
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finally made it to Tanoreen - very satisfying
my favorite, the special Musakhan ap. made with chicken (and carmelized onions, pomeg. molassas, sumac, almonds and pignoli) AWESOME, subtle, delicious
also love the flatbread with dry spices on top
not the best tabbouleh I've ever had -- too much parsley and barely any bulgar to soak up the dressing...
the cauliflower salad has a delicious dressing, but was a bit soggy
squash stuffed with cinnamony ground lamb was nice with a creamy yogurt sauce
this appears to be a place with aLOT of different stuff to try...like those lamb shanks...
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The eggplant appetizers are great (several different ones) as is the eggplant/lamb "lasagna" entree. Ask them to create a meze platter and go to the counter to negotiate what'll be included. Unbelievable array.
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So, a couple of weeks later and another great meal for 5. And, to cap it off, I got to meet Reynold and his friends sitting a couple of tables over and get my picture taken. What more could I ask for?
At any rate, in addition to the usual great mezze, they had a stewed chicken dish that I thought was above even their standards. A side of very different rice (not the vermicelli studded one, this one was curried) with 3-4 pieces of chicken in a sauce that included black preserved lemons, pitted olives and a mixture of spices that I think she just decided to throw in to make it interesting. A definite winner. My wife had an interesting special as well: cubes of beef & small white beans in a rich red sauce. Pretty good. So were our friends' shanks of lamb.
We brought a white burgundy and then a nice old merlot ('96) redolent of cherries, both of which went nicely. However, we were in awe of the Reynold table of 4 having 4 good bottles of wine. Nice touch guys.
For $35pp including a couple of desserts, mint teas/coffees, tax, tip, (+$4 corkage for our wine) this can't be beat (well, maybe Ali can, but that's about it).
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Hey, I think we were there at the same time! Did your table order the last two sahlebs? I don't even know what they are, but the table next to ours got these beautiful white panna-cotta-like things topped with pistachios. Our baklava was wonderful, though, chewy and flaky at the same time, so I can't really complain.
I personally didn't like the stewed chicken, but I loved the baby squash stuffed with lamb in a mint yogurt sauce. And I LOVED LOVED LOVED the kibbie. There's something so exciting about the hot crispy outside, and the complex lamb inside, like that phrase, a "party in my mouth."
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No, AppleSister, WE got those last two sahlabs for our dessert! Sorry about that. Custard, pistachios, and rosewater, and _wow_ were they good! They generated a lengthy conversation speculating on the possible uses of rosewater, which could become a necessity for every household.
This was our evening to re-visit Tanoreen and try pairing different wines with Chef Raiwa’s food. My friend Tom is a knowledgeable wine enthusiast and took on the task of proposing six wines. We settled on four bottles, which was a pretty fair supply for four people! He got them all at Columbus Circle Liquors, and they were not expensive:
Michel Torino Torrontes 2005. A full flavored Argentine white, dry and fruity. Goes well with Bangladeshi food, as we learned at Spicy Mina’s. Appeals to fans of Riesling and Malvasia. $14.99.
Armani Teroldego Vallagarina 2004. Teroldego wines are friendly to tomato-based sauces, always a tough match. $8.99.
Chateau Kefraya Les Bretèches 2004. Big Bekaa Valley (Lebanon) wine. Good with any middle-Eastern food, because, well...that's where it's from. $14.99.
Thomas Coyne California Syrah 2001. A consistent winner. Good bottle aging and showing some detail. $11.99.
Way to go, Tom! We put in an order for the always-fabulous Fatoush salad, which went well with the Torrontes wine. The waiter told us about an off-menu item, Makanek ($6.50), pieces of lamb sausage with chili paste, oil, lemon, garlic, and cumin. Some of us thought it was nice, others felt it was a bit too spicy-hot. We drank some Kefraya here and the bottle turned out to be bad. (So we got hit with only three corkage fees!) On to the Vallagarina and this was a winner. We ordered White Beans with Organic Beef ($15). The beans and tomato sauce tasted good, but the beef was dry and didn’t have much flavor. The wine was most successful with the tomato in this dish.
Besides taking pictures of Steve R, I took some of the food:
1. Sahlab
2. Four Wines
3. Makanek
4. White Beans with Beef
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Ha ha, so glad I know who to blame! Thanks for the pictures. Now I have an even clearer mental picture of what I want when I go back :)
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(Continuing...) We also had the usual Lamb Shank which everybody loved, plus Kibbee Lebanee ($18), hot balls of kibbee served in a tart and snappy cool yogurt sauce. Then we went for the Matchbous ($21), stewed chicken over Bedouin-spiced basmati rice, cooked with dried black lemon, Cilantro, and Tanoreen Spices. (Did you know that at Tanoreen you can buy a jar of Chef Raiwa’s spice mix for $8? We are cooking with it at home. It goes very well with chicken. In the jar there is a pronounced nutmeg aroma, but after cooking with it, it is much more balanced and layered with flavors.) I felt that the Matchbous was just sensational, a fascinating blend of unfamiliar flavors. Others liked it but not with the same enthusiasm.
More photos:
5. Kibbee Lebanee
6. Matchbous
7. Display Case
Our tab including tip was higher than average, $39 per person, but we felt it was a wonderful evening and well worth it.
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(Continuing...) Here are photos 6 and 7:
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Thanks for the food pics (and the ones of me and Ginny you sent to us); now we have reference points (for the food, not for how we looked). At any rate, we generally find that a decent Viognier (Renwood is about $12) goes well with the spicier stuff here as well as with Indian/Pakistanian food. The white Burgundy we brought was fine, but I prefer the Viognier or an Austrian Riesling/Kabinett.
I really did like that chicken dish.
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