Ok, get this straight: The New York Times gives out a maximum of four stars, most of which go to expensive uptown restaurants, the cheaper restaurants relegated to the “$25 and Under” column. New York Magazine, on the other hand, gives out a maximum of five stars, most of which go to expensive restaurants, though not necessarily uptown, and the cheaper restaurants aren’t relegated to a separate column, they’re relegated to a separate star system–a HOLLOW star system–so if you look in the back of New York Magazine and see five black stars next to a restaurant, you know it’s an expensive five-star restaurant, and if you see five hollow stars next to a restaurant, you know it’s a cheaper five-star restaurant. At least when I last subscribed. Did you follow all that?
Don’t worry. All you need to know is that when New York Magazine did it’s Cheap Eats issue, last year, they gave this restaurant–Tanoreen–five stars (hollow stars) and ranked it the #1 best cheap eat in New York:
Said New York Magazine: “We’re not unreasonable people. We wouldn’t send you to the ends of the earth (not the earth, maybe, just the R line; it’s the third-to-last stop) without good reason. That reason is spice alchemist Rawia Bishara, whose métier is the cuisine of the Middle East, as her mother cooked it in Nazareth and as Bishara brilliantly reinterprets it. The modest storefront’s display case contains treasures untold, garlic-amped parsley-ringed platters that challenge long-held perceptions about the true nature of things as pedestrian as hummus and baba ghannouj.”
A description like this sticks in ones craw, and a full year later, while chatting with Patty online, I convinced her to join me and Craig for a journey out to Bay Ridge to eat at the Per Se of cheap food. This is the story of our dinner at Tanoreen.
Actually, there’s not much of a story.
We rode the subway out and thought it was really fun to be in a new neighborhood. One thing that’s great about the Cheap Eats issue of NY Magazine (or Robert Sietsema’s columns and books; or, for that matter, Jim Leff’s) is they give you an excuse to explore new areas of New York. Whereas, one might be hard pressed for a reason to visit Bay Ridge (unless you have family there), when you’re a foodie who wants authentic Nazarethan food, you have a definite reason to go.
The neighborhood was quaint and it was a beautiful night. It was just a short walk from the R train to the restaurant proper and once inside, I was surprised to see how restaurant-like it was. I thought it might be a counter with brusque service, it being a cheap eat and all. But it was closer to a down-scale neighborhood restaurant, albeit one with cool paintings and an open kitchen.
Let’s get to the food. We ordered the obligatory hummus and baba ganoush:
The hummus was wonderfully creamy–something I appreciated, having made cement hummus a few weeks earlier from a not very good recipe. The baba ganoush was also surprisingly creamy and, as you can see, surprisingly beige for something that comes from an eggplant. It was a good start to the meal and so was the bread we ate it with:
And so, for that matter, was this lemonade:
Patty ordered one too and we spent a good while trying to figure out what the secret ingredient was. When the waiter came by, I asked him and he said, “I can’t tell you. It’s a secret.”
“Is it rose water?” I guessed.
“There’s rose water,” he admitted, “but something else and I can’t tell you what.”
Fair enough. But it was good, if a bit soap-like.
Now for the disappointing part. I really wasn’t that wowed by any of our entrees. I had the Baked Mediterranean Eggplant: thinly sliced eggplant with ground lamb, onions, garlic, tomatoes and potatoes, Tanoreen spices, baked and served with rice pilaf:
I guess I was waiting for a big wallop of flavor, but the wallop never came. It was all very muted; fresh, but underwhelming. I felt the same way about the dish Patty and Craig both ordered: the Kafta—finely ground lamb, onions, parsley and spices, topped with tahini or tomato sauce, baked and served next to rice.
Again, it was very good and artfully presented with the ring of parsley around the plate, but reading the New York Magazine description above, didn’t you expect a powerhouse of flavor, something to knock you out of your chair? I sat firmly in my chair and ate thoughtfully, my mouth perfectly happy to chew, but my heart a bit let down. No wonder those five stars were hollow.
The baklava for dessert was fine:
But, all in all, I’m not rushing back to Bay Ridge for another meal at Tanoreen. Plus, for a cheap eat, this meal was pretty expensive at $28 a person. Maybe those stars should’ve been black after all.
Any lists like the ones New York Magazine comes up with are going to have their detractors. They’re all subjective and personal and often quite arbitrary. But I’m grateful that these lists exist because they give us reason to try new things. Because Tanoreen was #1, I got to see Bay Ridge. And eat really good hummus. And for that I am very thankful.
what you should rush back to Bay Ridge for is the United Nations of groceries that line 3rd Ave. They’re amazing, from a Nordic one to many Middle Eastern one to Russian and Polish ones, you can find just about anything.
I’ve eaten at Tanoreen a few times (being a local (granted a newly transplanted one) and all) and I agree with you on most points, there’s some great stuff and some, eh, stuff. the dish that will keep me going back ad infinitum is the cauliflower with pomegranate molasses. To.Die.For.
I can understand your disapointment, from what I read in your post, but the reality is that many middle eastern cuisine doesn’t work in a appetizer>entrée>dessert kind of way. It usually goes like Mezze -> Meat -> dessert. I’ve been numerous times to Lebanese restaurants where as a group we would not chose from a menu but simply be brought boatloads of food, small bowl of hummus, baba ganoush, kibbeh, kibbeh nayeh, filo pastries filled with cheese, other pastries filled with meat, spinach and cheese, sausage “stews”, kafta, etc, etc. After gorging yourself on that they would bring grilled meat (shish taouk, beef and lamb.) Incredible stuff. I think transmitting that to occidental way of eating is wrong and gives bad results.
Think it should be Nazerene not Nazarethan.
chowhound.com is always a good first stop before the actual first stop – and you would have certainly have found out about the prices had you checked out this thread http://www.chowhound.com/topics/330490?query=tanoreen
Ah, so many blogs, so little time ;-)
This is off the topic of this post, but I’ve been wondering this for weeks now…with all the talk about rats, etc. in NY restaurants, is it a requirement of these establishments to post the health code inspections where they can be seen by customers?..and if so, do you check them before you eat there? Here (Tennessee), it’s a state requirement that they be posted…it’s become an obsession with me that I won’t eat anywhere that was scored less than a 95.
A perfect example of how a good food review (especially cheap eats) can do more harm than good. Expectations play such a huge part in almost every meal. If you had been in Bay Ridge, and stumbled upon this place randomly, it may have been a revelation.
Jump on a train, and make a special trip somewhere because somebody else said it was amazing, and 9 times out of 10 places like this are not going to live up to expecations.
I live up the block from Tanoreen. While i love it, and like Ann equally addicted to the cauliflower, the prices just kill me. My go to place for Mid East food (although not a sit down place) is The Family Store. It’s next door to the Nordic grocery on 3rd ave. They have the best spinach pies and i have dreams about thier eggplant salad.
oh food critic of rising stature you must learn more about what you are eating so that you can review properly, even if you did not like what you had. that’s not bread…at least in the way you try and insinuate.
Sorry to hear you were disappointed by Tanoreen. I am always very pleased with what I get there. The spices are supposed to be subtle, not overwhelming. You need to take a bite, then sit back and savor. I often observe a tangy flavor, especially in dishes with tahini. And lamb, I refuse to each it anywhere else, but at Tanoreen, I say bring it on. Are you sure you didn’t have a cold that day? I recommend you go back and give it another try (and be sure to clear your sinuses first). Be sure to try the meze called “mahmara” (or something like that). Simply to die for.
You’ve got to be kidding. Please go back and try it again, because Tanoreen is the reason I can’t leave Bay Ridge! Order the kibbie again, and try the specials. If you’re feeling underwhelmed, maybe you’ve experienced some kind of desensitization from something eaten previously? Garlic? I invite you to come back to Bay Ridge. I’ll meet you at the R! I just reviewed Tanoreen for a new magazine coming out this summer, and I loved everything. The challenge for me is wine pairing for this cuisine, but I’m working on it.
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