Georgian Food?

[Treece]

Just back from Moscow and was amazed at my dinner in a Georgian restaurant - who doesn't love flaming skewers of meat served on top of fruit? Where can I find this in New York??

[Joe MacBu]

I know of 2 Georgian restaurants in the city. Tbilisi and Pirosmani are both in southern Brooklyn. Search the board and you'll find a few posts regarding them. I've enjoyed the food at Tbilisi. Just don't realistically expect it to live up to your meal in Moscow.

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Pirosmani
2222 Avenue U, Brooklyn, NY 11229

Tbilisi
811 Kings Hwy, Brooklyn, NY 11223

[Treece]

thanks very much. how sad that Georgian food hasn't really made its way to brooklyn! it really is very delicious.

[hatless]

Huh? There are those two explicitly Georgian restaurants in the Kings Highway area, and a bunch of the "Russian" restaurants and delis in Brighton Beach and elsewhere in the city (and across the country, for that matter) offer Georgian items. I daresay most of the emigres in American "Russian" neighborhoods aren't usually considered ethnic Russians to begin with. Georgian? Uzbek? Ukrainian or Tajik Jew? Here they're all magically transformed into "Russians" by dint of a convenient shared language. The USSR was a very diverse place.

[welle]

There are some Georgian dishes at most Russian restaurants in Brighton Beach, you can also buy a lot of Georgian ingredients and sauces at most grocery stores there. There is also a place I believe called "Georgian Bread" on Neptune ave. - search the boards.

[Dogstar]

There is a Georgian Bakery on Neptune Blvd. (259??) that has good bread and cheeses.

[psnative]

I guess if a restaurant isn't in a "marquee" area it isn't in brooklyn.

[Peter Cherches]

Primorski is Georgian, but I'm told that for dinner they now serve mostly "French style" food, but you can still get their Georgian specialties at lunch. There have been a succession of Georgian restaurants in Brighton Beach. In the 80s there was a fabulous place called Kavkas.

http://petercherches.blogspot.com

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Primorski
282 Brighton Beach Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11235

[katie570]

I haven't yet been, but I keep reading positive write-ups of Tamada in Sheepshead Bay for Georgian food:

http://www.villagevoice.com/nyclife/0...

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Tamada
1724 Ave Z, Brooklyn, NY 11235

[katie570]

Just wanted to update that Tamada went out of business and is now closed.

I just ate at Pirosmani, mentioned above, and enjoyed it.

[myclawyer]

I'm not at all surpised about the closing of Tamada. I went about 3 months ago, on a Friday evening, at about 6 p.m., and my date and I were the only customer's in the restaurant. The food was lousy and the service was extremely inattentive.

[Ceil]

have you tried Street Scene In Watchung NJ? Strictly Georgian,sight sound & taste

[bladerobbins]

I've been to both Tbilisi and Primorski, and while I enjoyed both, my friend who accompanied me on both trips who has also spent time in Georgia said that they didn't compare to the deliciousness of true Georgian food...

[ropa vieja]

Theres a place in Bay Ridge called Eurasia, on 3rd ave between 72nd and 73rd. It appears to be Georgian. Anyone been?

[shindiganna]

We just returned from San Francisco, where we happened upon a Georgian deli and bakery. We sampled two wonderful salads. One was made from beets and walnuts, with a mild cheese (maybe cream cheese?) and the other was carrot and smoked salmon. Both were shaped into baseball sized balls, and garnished with a black olive.

The other item we tried was a type of candy-pastry. It looks like a bright purple sausage, about 1" in diameter, filled with walnuts. Basically, the walnut halves were strung together and dipped into a pliable, mildly sweet beet colored taffy substance.

The owner spoke some English, but it was difficult to remember the names of the items, and find out detailed information. HELP...any information is greatly appreciated!

[natsarkekia]

shindiganna,

what you refer to as "candy-pastry" is called "churchkhela" (pronounced choo-rch-khe-la) and it's made with lightly roasted nuts (walnuts or hazelnuts) repeatedly dipped in grape juice (white or red) that's thickened with cornmeal (cooked over low fire for a long time) and left out to dry for weeks. they are delicious, my mom used to make them all the time. the hardest thing is to wait for them to dry. google the name for recipes.

[olia]

they sell those in dry nuts/fruits places on Brighton Beach and also at Kalustyan's in Manhattan

[shindiganna]

thanks nat and olia! kalustyan's is on my regular route. I'll look for it!

[hatless]

You can sometimes find churchkhela (under different names) at Greek, Turkish and Levantine grocery stores. I think I've seen it labeled in English as "nut sausage". I've seen it both loose and vacuum-packed at a few places in Astoria. Some "Russian" grocery stores in Rego Park and Brighton Beach and the like should have it too, and they'll probably know it by its Georgian name.

It's more often a cloudy dark brown when I've seen it. Not sure whether the purple ones are due to a specific grape variety or food coloring. When I tried making it years ago (it's like candlemaking), I'm pretty sure it was brown.

[shindiganna]

Thx hatless. I haven't found it yet, but I've not given up!
I'm pretty sure the owner told us he made it with beet juice, which would account for the bright purple color. It tasted like beets rather than grape.

[Ceil]

best made with the fresh grape juice being prepared for wine

[bigjeff]

can anyone provide some typical menu translations? planning to go to Pirosmani and while I have a bunch of recent blog posts ready to print out with some menu options, maybe someone familiar with the cuisine can name/list some typical exemplary dishes?

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Pirosmani
2222 Avenue U, Brooklyn, NY 11229

[bigjeff]

doing some research, found this restaurant in london, that has a translated menu:
http://www.tamada.co.uk/georgian_food...

[gloriousfood]

If you haven't already read this...http://www.roboppy.net/food/

[bigjeff]

yup, that was my blog reference. based on some prelim research:

soko - mushroom
pkhali - walnut based nut spread with various vegetables
badrijani - eggplant
kartopili - potato
lobia - beans
nigviani/nigzvet - walnut
khinkhali - soup dumpling thing
chanakhi - lamb/meat stew
mtsvadi - meat kebabs
kverstski - egg
khatchapuri - catchall for various breads

[Joe MacBu]

I got most of this from Darra Goldstein's "The Georgian Feast". Unfortunately, most of it is unavailable in NYC.

Abkhazura - Spicy meatballs
Achma-Makarina - Baked noodles with cheese
Adzhapsandali - Vegetable medley, usually eggplant, potatoes, onions, green peppers, garlic, tomatoes and herbs.
Adzhika - Hot pepper condiment
Azelila - Egg salad
Badagi - Fresh pressed grape juice that has been boiled until thick and concentrated
Badridzhani Khvelit da Matsvnit - Eggplant with cheese and yogurt
Basturma - Marinated grilled meat
Bazhe - Sauce of pounded walnuts, garlic and water. Often served with roasted fowl.
Borani - Cooked veggies mixed with yogurt
Bozbashi - Lamb soup
Buglama - Meat or fish stew with herbs
Chacha - Georgian vodka
Chakapuli - Liquidy braised meat (usually lamb). The meat is eaten separately and the broth drunk like soup
Chakhokhbili - Braised poultry with onions, tomatoes and herbs
Chanakhi - Lamb and vegetable stew
Charkhlis Chogi - Beets with cherry sauce
Charkhlis Mkhali - Beet puree w/ walnuts, herbs and spices
Chikhirtma - Chicken or lamb soup enriched with eggs and flavored with saffron and lemon
Chirbulli - Cauliflower with egg
Chizhi-Pizhi - Meatloaf
Chkmeruli - Garlic fried chicken
Chrianteli - Cold fruit soup
Churchkhela - Georgian national sweet made by stringing nuts (usually walnuts) and dipping them into thickened grape juice
Danduri - Purslane
Dzhondsholi - A garlicky, long-stemmed green usually eaten pickled
Elardzhi - Cornmeal pudding with cheese
Gadazelili Khveli - Cooked cheese with mint
Ghvidzli - Liver with pomegranate juice
Gochi - Roast suckling pig
Gomi - Grits
Gozinaki - Candied walnuts in honey ( a new year tradition)
Gupta - Beef patties
Ispanakhi Matsvnit - Spinach with yogurt
Kartopiliani - Potato bread
Kartopilis Kaurma - Herbed potatoes with eggs
Khachapuri - Cheese breads
Kharcho - Soup, usually with beef or lamb
Khashi - Tripe soup
Khenagi - Walnut and egg balls
Khinkali - Meat or cheese filled dumplings
Kombostos Ruleti Nigvzit - Cabbage with walnuts
Komshis Tolma - Stuffed quince
Kupati - Coiled sausages, with cloves, cinnamon and sour plum sauce
Kuchmachi - Chicken giblets with walnuts and pomegranate
Kvakhi Nigvzit - Sweetened pumpkin with walnuts
Kvatsarakhi - Sour syrup made from barberries
Labdo - Potato and walnut pancake
Limnis Namtskhvari - Lemon tea cake
Lobio - Beans
Lobiani - Bread filled with beans
Makvali - Blackberry sauce with garlic and herbs
Masharabi - Sweetened pomegranate syrup
Matsoni - Yogurt
Matsvnis Shechamandi - Yogurt soup
Mchadi -Corncakes
Mkhali/pkhali - Vegetable puree
Mtsvadi - Shish kebab
Muzhuzhi - Jellied pork
Nadugi - Cheese made from whey and often mixed with herbs
Nazuki - Spiced bread
Nigvzis Torti - Walnut and raisin torte
Niortskali - Garlic sauce
Pamidvris Tolma - Stuffed tomatoes
Pelamushi - Grape juice and cornmeal squares
Puri - Bread baked in a clay oven
Pyshki - Sage and mint fritters
Satsivi - Spiced walnut sauce, enriched with yolks
Satatsuri - Asparagus soup
Shemtsvari Kalmakhi - Grilled trout with tarragon
Shemtsvari Tsitsili Satenit - Grilled chicken stuffed with cheese/pomegranates or rice/cherries
Shilaplavi - Rice pilaf
Solyanka - Beef stew with pickles
Sousi - Beef stew
Tabaka - Flattened chicken fried under a heavy weight
Taplis Namtskhvari - Honey cake
Tevzi Brotseulis Tsvenshi - Cold fish with pomegranate and walnut sauce
Tevzi Kindzmarshi - Cold fish in cilantro sauce
Tevzis Buglama - Salmon stew with tomatoes and herbs
Tkemali - Sour plums, and the sauce made from them
Tklapi - Fruit leather
Tolma - Stuffed vegetables
Tsitsmati - A peppery salad green like arugula
Uraguli Dzmarshi - Salmon in vinegar sauce

[bigjeff]

thank you man!

due to inclement weather (and B/Q being overhead trains that got knocked out) we have not been able to get out to pirosmani yet but thanks for the guide; I saw a lot of these similar translations looking online; perfect.

[jpdoctor]

IMHO Pirosmani isn't worth the trip (and I'll travel anywhere for Georgian food), I think a Khachipuri and some of the salads they occasionally have at Georgian Bread are a much better introduction to the food. Pirosmani struck me as Georgian food made by Russians. I was surprised by that glowing review.

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Pirosmani
2222 Avenue U, Brooklyn, NY 11229

Georgian Bread
265 Neptune Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11235

[bigjeff]

thanks jpdoctor; anything else good at Georgian Bread? I see it's just that much further out but possibly worth it. this is also Georgian Bakery (one and the same?). if its a bakery only, is there an alternate, actual restaurant you'd rec over Pirosmani?

[Jaleamia]

This isn't a restaurant, but the cheese bread (sorry, I don't know the real name) at the Georgia Bakery in Brighton Beach is worth a trip. Was there this afternoon. Hot from the oven, we devoured half in the car and I'm having the rest for dinner.

[bigjeff]

Jalaemia (and also jpdoctor): is Georgian Bread same as Georgian Bakery, at 265 Neptune?

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Georgian Bread
265 Neptune Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11235

[Glendale is hungry]

Hi bigjeff,

I think these two places (Georgian Bread and Georgian Bakery) are one and the same. Checking Google maps and street view, the location (265 Neptune) looks right to me.

Stumbled across this place a couple of years ago and had hot-out-of-the-oven, discus-shaped bread stuffed with some creamy, salty cheese. Amazing.

If you go though, check out other weird stuff totally unrelated to baking that they have. For example, tarragon soda - very sweet, electric algae green, licoricey fizz that I really liked even though I usually can't stand black licorice.

Hope this was helpful!

ciao,

Glendale is hungry...

[bigjeff]

thanks and . . . takeout only? or do they have a table or two or three?

[jpdoctor]

takeout only. The various salad-y dip-y things they have in the cold case also are excellent (usually veg + walnut paste +herbs)

The Cheesebread is Khachipuri.

[missmasala]

takeout only. get some khachipuri, some regular bread, and some of the spreads. they're awesome.

also replied in another thread, but here's a pic of awning to help you recognize it and a couple of the bread and spreads.
http://missmasalanyc.blogspot.com/201...
FWIW--never been to pirosmani, but went to Tbilisi years ago and thought it was excellent.

[alexvb]

Missmasala and others, thanks so much for this info! I loved the khachapuri at Georgian Bread. Here's the feature we did on NY1. Hope you dig it, and thanks for the great find, everyone.

Best,
Alex Van Buren
Contributing Editor, CHOW.com

http://www.chow.com/digest/72306/gooe...

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Georgian Bread
265 Neptune Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11235

[gpcohen]

For Georgian pastries, (no breads) many with variations of walnut fillings, Gayana's Bakery Cafe 418 Ditmas Avenue between East 4th and East 5th St. Also blintzes, turnovers and savory baked goods. Their khachipuri is more like quiche, with cheese on the outside. Delicious but a different item than at Georgian Bread.

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Gayana's Bakery Cafe
418 Ditmas Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11218

[alexvb]

That is totally fascinating. Thanks for the tip!

[missmasala]

Been wondering about Gayana's. Will have to stop there after my next visit to the lice lady. ; )
Is it orthodox, or open on saturdays?

[gpcohen]

Open Saturdays. What they call their baklava is yummy although the thick dough would never satisfy a purist. I brought home a big roll stuffed with sweetened cheese which my family devoured before I got a chance to try it, but the reports were very positive.

[Glendale is hungry]

Dearest missmasala,

For all that's decent and good, please tell me you meant to write the "nice lady."

Momentarily horrified,

Glendale is hungry...

[missmasala]

Nope. Abby Rosenfeld, the Lice Lady of New Yorker fame, lives around the corner from Gayana's. With two kids in public school, I have used her services more than once. If you're horrified you must not have school-age kids at the moment. I don't know a single family who hasn't had lice. They are rampant among NYC kids. Lice checks are part of most school PTA budgets.

Good thing you don't know me in person, right?

[sandidub]

Has anyone been to Mtskheta Cafe in Gravesend Brooklyn? How is it? Any recommendations?

http://nymag.com/restaurants/reviews/...

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Mtskheta Cafe
2568 86th St, Brooklyn, NY 11214

[Bob Martinez]

Take that Grub Street review with a grain of salt. They got all giddy about everything. The reality is more mixed.

Lets start with the good. The bread is fresh and tasty. The khachapuri (cheese bread) is even better. The various stews (ostri -beef, chakapuli - lamb, and the chicken), are pretty good to very good. The lamb is the best, the beef a close 2nd, and the chicken is decent. The Georgian salad is very good indeed. Who knew?

On to the mediocre. The sausages made a dramatic entrance in a cloud of smoke, straight from the kitchen. Unfortunately they were decent, nothing more. Bland. They were helped if you doused them with the accompanying sauce. There should have been more of it.

Finishing with the sub par. That corn bread which the Robs raved about? The one with the melty cheese? They must have been pounding down vodka that night. The corn bread was flavorless and that cheese wouldn't melt if you used a blowtorch. Not much flavor to it either. Decoy food.

We had the dumplings last. Soup dumplings. Bland. The skins are thicker than the armor on a T-34 tank. Tricky to eat and not particularly tasty. Filling though. They would have spoiled our appetites to no good purpose if had ordered them earlier. Avoid them.

The place is BYO. There are convenient delis and liquor stores in the area. It's worth a visit if you order carefully. The price is certainly right so you can forgive the occasional missteps.

The menu now has a 2nd section which lists the dishes in English. The waiter was quite pleasant and helpful.

It's worth a visit, especially if you have a car. A long subway trip to and from the place would take a bit of the shine off.

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Mtskheta Cafe
2568 86th St, Brooklyn, NY 11214

[ChiefHDB]

I agree with Bob. It's pretty good, but stick with Pirosmani.

I think the way to eat the corn bread and "melty" cheese is to combine the bland cheese with the salty/sulfuric one... after that it wasn't bad.

Probably the friendliest service of any of the Georgian places I've been to.

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Pirosmani
2222 Avenue U, Brooklyn, NY 11229

[Bob Martinez]

"I think the way to eat the corn bread and "melty" cheese is to combine the bland cheese with the salty/sulfuric one... after that it wasn't bad."

You may have a point. I only tried one of the cheeses and it was pretty bad. The corn bread itself was flavorless. I actually sprinkled a little salt on it. Other people at the table saw me and after tasting the bread, followed my example. I put the cheese on the hot bread, waiting for it to melt. It just sat on the plate, looking at me.

"Me melt? Forgeddaboudit!" (This cheese had spent time in Bensonhurst.)

That 2nd cheese might have been better. At that point I didn't like the odds.

"Probably the friendliest service of any of the Georgian places I've been to."

Very friendly indeed. They seemed genuinely happy we were there.

[Peter Cuce]

I wouldn't even rate it as pretty good. It's a solid avoid in my book. I went with a friend and we tried almost all of the friendly waiter's recommendations, which coincidentally were very similar to the NY Mag recommendations.
The cheese bread was good, and I'd eat that any day, but the sausage was served with awful freezer fries and was nothing special in itself. As Bob mentions, the xiao long bao like dumplings were huge, with thick "wrappers" that tasted like salty uncooked pasta dough. The chicken, which was served in a bubbling cauldron, was one of the the only dishes that had any flavor, and so was eaten with relative gusto, but it didn't rise above the level of decent home cooking. A starter dish of spinach w/ walnuts was bland and monotonous while the eggplant was something like eggplant rollatini, oily and tasty, but again, nothing to write home (or to Chowhound) about.

[jpdoctor]

I was part of Bob's group. I read Peter's review and I can't actually disagree with anything he said other than the spinach dish, whcih I love, although I think Georgian Bread's take out version is better.

I think the real problem is that the Robs' review was bad. Those Khinkali were actually pretty authentic - the problem is they just don't compare well to xiao long bao. Of my accord I just wouldn't order them in finest restaurant in Tbilisi. Same thing with the plainer grilled dishes (sausage, sashlik, etc) - while traditional food in Georgia they just aren't intrinsically Georgian - they don't have odd combination of flavors that sort of sings Georgia that you are looking for when you spend an hour on the D train.

Its not "the greatest food ever sold" but if you stick to things that are intriniscally georgian - stews, walnut based dishes its worth the trip just to check out a different cuisine.

I do think it is better than Pirosmani FWIW, but not by enough that I say go here not there.

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Pirosmani
2222 Avenue U, Brooklyn, NY 11229

Georgian Bread
265 Neptune Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11235

[Steve R]

As another member of the group of 8 that Bob M. went with (hello "jpdoctor"... now I know who you are!), I basically agree with his review, although I can see Peter C's criticisms. However, although the lamb dish seemed to be the most enjoyed entree by all, I favored the beef in tomato based sauce. The garlic chicken wasnt great, but pretty good. The eggplant in walnut sauce app was, in my opinion, excellent. Not greasy for us and very very tasty. Two other members of our group have written this up in their blogs ("pink pig" and "eatingintranslation") so more can be found there if desired.

[Peter Cuce]

I didn't say greasy -- what I meant was nicely oily.

[Steve R]

Ok then. So when are we going back :-)

[Peter Cuce]

I'm not going, but I'm happy to go check out Georgian Breads with you.

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Georgian Bread
265 Neptune Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11235