In recent times, 2 Uzbek restaurants have opened near Stately Breakwind Manor. As I know diddly-squat about Uzbeki cuisine, these places have held considerable interest for me.
The restaurants, Milliy and Shahirizada have been favorably reviewed, and as Shahirizada here seems to have a higher rating here than Milliy, I made it my destination for a recent dinner.
In a strip mall location, the room is moderately upscale, but friendly in atmosphere. It seemed like a lot of folks were working there. I was kind-of given the side-eye as I entered, and received a tentative smile from the host who seated me. There were more than few families having dinner and what I could hear through the murmur was not English, so I assumed these were Uzbeki folks. I believe I was the only "westerner" on the premises. There was Uzbeki pop music playing-always a good sign! I had viewed the online menu and consulted the Yelps before my visit, so I pretty much knew what I was going to order, pending any specials or changes to the menu when I arrived.
The menu is straightforward, with acceptable explanations of each dish. In my pre-prandial reconnoiter, I learned of a few "National Dishes", and that's where I went. "Manti" were listed as "fried dumplings" and anything yclept as such will always be a shoo-in order. I opted for the Beef version as hors d'oeuvre. I had had much rice in the previous nights dinner, so I skipped the Plov and went for "Kavurma Lagman" as entrée. The Yelps here advise to "always get a kebab", so I ordered the lamb.
The waitress apparently did not have a firm command of English, but was nonetheless pleasant, if not apprehensive. She asked if I wanted "Bread", then qualified "Uzbeki Bread?" in a quisitive manner. Perfect! I replied. The rest of the order was taken quickly, I must have pronounced everything correctly.
Everything kind of came at once, and the portions were ample-it looked like I had a trencherman's feast in front of me. The bread was a round loaf, with a central ornamental indentation. It was hearty and a bit dense, but fine tasting with some butter.
The Lamb Kebab was served on a wooden plank. A hefty silver flat spit held about 5-6 nice chunks of lamb which appeared char-broiled, with a pile of herbed raw onions adjacent. Right up my alley!
The Lamb and Onions were superb. Butter-tender and tasty. Easily the equal of any Lamb I had been served at fine Greek restos. The Manti (dumplings) were large and contained a beef and onion mix where onion was the dominant flavor. I was struck by an immediate familiarity, and it took a few moments but I had a slight shudder when I identified it.
White Castles.
That's not perjorative-that beef/onion interface has been a favorite flavor of mine forever. In this instance, the quality was far beyond 'hamburger stand", and I enjoyed 2 of the large dumplings. There was a small ramekin of red sauce that tasted like Tomato Juice. It was very thin in consistency. Perhaps it WAS tomato juice. I applied some to the Manti, but it didn't really add to the flavor.
The Lagman consisted of thick noodles and shredded beef plus sauteed onions with a crown of scrambled egg. There was evidence of a brown sauce. The dish is stated to contain "oriental spices", but the dominant flavor was "soy sauce" or perhaps "Maggi". Maybe the Chef is considering those condiments "oriental spice". I couldn't discern anything further.
The beef was well-done yet tender, the sign of good quality meat. The noodles were long and hearty. I could see the dish was well-prepared and the ingredients were fresh, but somehow I just didn't care for it. It was kind of dull. Maybe I was looking for a flavor explosion, and got a well-prepared, but plainly flavored dish.
Sometimes that dilemma appears. You order something and: You Just. Don't. Care for it. It wasn't bad, mind you, it just didn't captivate me. I ate about half of it, and took the rest home. I had it for breakfast today, and it still didn't move me. The leftover Manti, however were just as tasty as the other day.
I ordered the Baklava to go, and they were a bit different than the Greek dessert I know and love. Three small squares, not as syrup-laden as the Greek specimen, with a single layer of nuts. The bottom layer was almost like a custard. Delicious with coffee.
Before I left, what appeared as the Manager came over to me and asked if all was well-she spoke perfect English.
Throwing 4 because the Lamb was superb, and all else excepting the Lagman was pretty good, indeed.
I'll be back, but the focus will be on those Kebabs... read more