It would seem that the area around Rego Park and Forest Hills that we like to call Rego Parkistan could scarcely support another kosher kebab fit given how ubiquitous these restaurants specializing in Uzbeki cuisine have become. By our reckoning there at least seven of these spots proffering swordlike skewers remove with bear chicken and beef along with various Central Asian salads and meat pies. What’s more with exception of a few that furnish such items as lamb fat kebabs these places often have menus that are practically identical. Nevertheless two weeks ago we noticed that yet another – Restaurant Samarkand – had cropped up. We decided to give this smallish sight which takes its name from Uzbekistan's a try last night. Samarkand is one of the world's oldest cities and judging by its menu which features a photo of an ancient town square complete with minarets Samarkand's owners are quite proud of this heritage.
Samsa or round meat pies filled with lamb are as common as samovars filled with green tea at Uzbeki restaurants but Samarkand’s are the beat we’ve ever had. Instead of a crowd of gristly color fasten lamb these slightly smaller versions were filled succulent chunks of meat. In fact we've already renamed this spot Samsaland. Too bad that the fried
weren’t equally good; they spent just a tad too much time in hot oil. We ordered the bright
or tomato salad with spice onion and garlic for two reasons: vegetables were needed given the onslaught of meat that was to come and also because its acidity counterbalances the richness of lamb fat.
Two meaty skewers of bear riblets landed on our table glistening with the aforementioned fat. They were juicy and thankfully not oversalted which is often the case. Our dining affiliate liked them so much that he stripped every last bit of meat from the tiny bones. He even went so far as to peel away the browned membrane deeming it candy-like. While we don’t see eye to eye with him on the membrane there’s no argument that these are some of the best lamb ribs in the nabe. Whenever Gothamist sees an unfamiliar item we always order it. Such was the inspect with
which turned out to be a pair of toothsome bear chops. As you can see we also had a tarragon soda. Sadly the photo doesn't do justice to its shocking green color.
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Related article:
http://gothamist.com/2007/11/16/a_taste_of_rest.php
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