I overheard a woman order plov and ask for less oil. That’s when I noticed the meat and veggies sit in something that does look an awful lot like deep, dark oil and now has me second guessing an order…
When I buy plain yogurt (ordinary or greek) I usually spoon it out in a way that leaves space for the topmost yogurt to drain, I then pour out the liquid (I know its very nutritious but I like the thicker part) and gradually working down am able to consume somewhat less liquid yogurt.
Getting back to Tashkent, we now share a dentist near the Manhattan outpost and I’ve been buying their labne every time…or sending the partner to buy it for me…
I have to look back at those novels I remembered in which the Indians sit in the bathtub and eat…could have been Vikram Seth but there I thought it was a common practice not realizing that not everyone has an actual bathtub to accommodate a person and a basket of mangoes!!@. I did always think there was something unsanitary about in bathing in a tub and sitting in the water that gets dirtier by the second… In Indonesia they have those Mandi, but I think its cold water only…with a nice plastic scooper…
We don’t have any bathtub in our house…but I do dribble over the sink when I eat an Atualfo from Mexico…
The concept appears to be from ‘My Friend Mr Leakey’ by JBS Haldane. If you search for the term ‘mango’ in the free ebook below, the reference to eating mangoes in the bath comes up:
Funny story, to me at least, thats kinda related to you. Last weekend we sat on a bench in Washington Sq Park, and next to us sat a couple with a Tashkent bag. They took out some basic salad for her, and “Olivier Salad” for him. I thought it was an odd choice, until I realized they are from Spain (reside in NYC currently). For some reason Spaniards love their Salada Russa. North Italians too.
My wife started saying “dont” repeatedly. As in not to start a conversation. Of course I eventually did, and we had a nice long conversation. They are from Galicia and they had no idea what Tashkent was. We talked of course about Galicia, and some crazy annual Octopus festival, and Tomiño Taberna Gallega in Little Italy which I havent visited since Covid. They claim its the best Galician in the country.
We ended up of course in Tomiño yesterday and had a great meal. I think I never went back due to the touristy location, not so much the food, but that will change.
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I love Tomiño Taberna Gallega.
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. Thanks
I’m glad Tashkent is taking care of their teeth.
My partner, whose teeth are in worse shape than mine…now has a small paper in his wallet with instructions to bring back (this week) two loaves of “Borodinsky bread with cumin” plus two containers of labne…It’s convenient to have a partner/friend who is willing to make shopping forays after dentist visits!! Thankfully, dentist moved from UES to Washington Park west…because there seems to be no end in sight before these visits end…
Ziggy, that NW corner of the park is a world unto itself…interesting corner of NYC although not one where I’d want to dig into my container of chicken plov…
My partner cannot carry much on the train so until my next appt I am limited to what he is able to cart home for me…the labne and the bread…I’m right now lusting after one (or three) of the savory pastries…but for the newcomers, it’s seems a bit confusing…or for “my” newcomer in any case…
So happy this opened in Manhattan…although in the fall I think a trip to BB is in order… Is that Tone Bakery still around, on Neptune?
So many Spaniards have told me (including owners of restaurants) that you can judge the quality of the restaurant y the quality of their ensaladilla…you have not had one until you go to Valencia and try the bruleed ensaladilla by
Ensaladilla rusa caramelizada at LLISA NEGRA. the "commoners’ outpost by Quique Dacosta… see post from 4/12:
Also the one at BAR CENTRAL by Ricardo Camarena in the same city.
Yep, though these days I go to Berikoni Georgian Bakery on Brighton Beach Ave
Better than tone?
Just very different.
Tone is a bakery with a full service restaurant. The owner is a bit of an a-hole. I still go there sometimes for the best in the business Kharcho and bread.
Berikoni is a small bakery and I go mainly for the Gurulli, aka Gurian Khachapuri. A large snack of dough stuffed with hard boiled eggs and cheese. Tone has it too sometimes, but Brikoni has it 99%. I also like their cooked kebabs, and meat stuffed Pirozhki
So Tone has changed in the ten/fifteen years or so since I last visited. There was only a cold case for drinks and an older(70s??) man in back, tending a tandoori-type oven…do I remember that he wore no shirt and had a white towel wrapped around his head, and spoke no English??? It was a hot place for about a minute, on Chowhound long ago…
…it’s all different now, I’m guessing…there was no seating when I went…but super friendly customers who helped me choose what to order…
Its the same place, kinda. The Chef (not the owner I was referring to) saved enough to buy a shirt since. Their products expended, and they took over the space right next door and opened a restaurant. But you can still enter via the same bakery entrance that has just enough room for 2 and may not even notice the restaurant.
On weekends Berikoni bakery sells achma. It is “sui generis” cheesy lasagna. The dish is considered to be a version of khachapuri, although does not look like one. Really worth the trip down to Brighton Beach.
Honestly the best versions of the dish I had in one of the breakfast chains in Istanbul, but Georgians get upset if you mention it to them…
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I’ve had the khachapuri at tone as well as the Imeruli, which was good but far too filling for the two of us to split. Looking forward to giving Benkoni a try!
I’ve made khachapuri out of leftover pizza dough, suprisingly easy to do in a home oven.
I always liked Tone (havent been since they expanded) parking has kept me away in recent years. Their bread is available elsewhere but what I remember is the other amazing georgian dishes with tastes I had never had before the phkali, a pork dish, lobio, etc which they sold and I guess still sell to go. Will have to return, my daughter and her guy go to the resto and like it.
Most recently (and thats been a couple of years) Ive liked the Georgian bread and other accompaniments at Apani , a storefront place in Sheepshead Bay. its across the street from Portokaki, the turkish grocery where I sometimes shop and convenient to the Q . worth a try if you are in that very interesting nabe.
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Zigs, I’m glad he saved enough to buy a shirt!
Have to get back there soon…a beach day and a big shop!!
