Magic For Your Tastebuds: Awesome Middle Eastern Restaurants to Check Out on HungerPass

 

New York’s Upper East Side is brimming with eating establishments that represent the entire globe. Anywhere a traveler or a local turns, there will undoubtedly be a restaurant with its own unique take on worldly flavors. In particular, Middle Eastern flavors are a big trend in the 2019 New York dining scene, and the Upper East Side hosts an impressive array of places for diners who are either well experienced in how they like their hummus or falafel, or those trying out Middle Eastern cuisine for the first time. Either way, you’re sure to have a wondrous dining experience without having to hop across the ocean to the other side of the world. The Upper East Side is the place to go to experience some of the Middle East’s amazing culinary prowess, and HungerPass is on hand to guide the way to some amazing Middles Eastern themed eateries.

 

Persepolis $$

1407 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10021

For a taste of Persia’s fragrant and rich cuisine on the Upper East Side, Persepolis on 2nd Avenue is the perfect place. Appetizers to get the taste buds buzzing include Baba, which is baked eggplant puree, Persian goat cheese, walnuts, and onion, eggplant halim, which is roasted eggplant puree, lentil, garlic, and tangy yogurt, classic dolmeh, which is vegetarian stuffed grape leaves.Entrees to sit down and thoroughly enjoy include signature kebab dishes like Saffron chicken, ground beef Koobideh, baby lamb or sirloin barg. The signature Persepolis is the heavenly combo of saffron chicken, sirloin barg, and ground beef Koobideh all in one.

Persepolis also has wonderful stews to choose from, including both meat and vegetarian options like Khoresht ghormeh sabzi, which is a stew of beef, green leafy vegetables, green herbs, red beans, and dried lime, Khoresht fesenjan, which is a stew of shredded chicken, pomegranates, and walnuts. For non-meat eaters, there’s the vegetarian gaimeh bademjan, which is split pea, cinnamon, eggplant, and tomato stew served over the diner’s choice of rice. Persepolis even includes seafood options like Atlantic salmon kebab and grilled jumbo shrimp. Persepolis in the Upper East Side of New York City is a true gem of Persian cuisine.  

 

 

Afghan Kebab House II $$

1345 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10021

Still staying on 2nd Ave on the Upper East Side, if authentic Afghan kebab is what the heart (and the stomach!) craves, then a restaurant that is dedicated solely to the perfection of kebab dishes is the place to be. Afghan Kebab House II has a menu where words like kebab, korma, and combo are littered throughout and sure to make kebab cravers very, very happy. Appetizers include sambosa, which are hearty, fried dumplings filled with ground beef and fragrant herbs and spices; bolani gandana, a fried turnover filled with scallions, herbs, and spices; and Aushak, which is boiled dumplings filled with scallions, herbs, and spices topped with minted yogurt sauce.

Moving on to main courses, delicious items include lamb chops marinated in fresh grated spices and broiled over wood charcoal, lamb tikka kebab, tandoori chicken breast kebab, chicken korma, beef tikka kebab, and beef kofta kebab. Seafood options include tandoori shrimp kebab and spicy fish kebab. If that wasn’t enough, guests can enjoy a full combo kebab platter with lamb tikka, chicken breast, and ground beef broiled over wood charcoal or the fish combo platter with spicy fish and tandoori fish kebab. For great kebab and everything in between, Afghan Kebab House II is the place to go.  

 

A La Turka $$

1417 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10021

 

Continuing along 2nd Ave, A La Turka brings the authentic flavors of Turkey to New York to tantalize the taste buds. Lunch includes Prix Fix packages with combos like shepherd’s salad, sigara boregi, and adana kebab or kofta kebab, or lentil soup, zucchini pancakes, and the small sampler of cold appetizers. For dinner, guests can start things right with cold appetizers like hummus, stuffed grape leaves, or a feta cheese plate. Hot appetizers include fried calamari, falafel, or sigara boregi, which are pan-fried phyllo dough rolls stuffed with feta cheese.

Main courses include kebabs, seafood, and chef specials. There are a delicious array of kebabs to choose from, such as the beef kebab, which is char-grilled filet mignon served with mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables, and chicken village kebab, which is small cubes of tender grilled chicken with rice and sauteed zucchini, asparagus, mushroom, and cherry tomatoes. Seafood options include grilled Mediterranean octopus with red wine vinegar and olive oil dressing, and salt baked branzino, which is a fillet of branzino baked in a thick lemon-bay leaf-infused salt crust that makes the fish extra succulent.

Finally, for chef specials, diners can choose such wonderful dishes as braised lamb shank covered with sliced eggplant and served with rice, Hunkar Begendi, which is lamb and chicken cubes served on a bed of smoky eggplant puree, and mant, which is traditional Turkish beef dumplings served with garlic yogurt. Finish off the meal with desserts like pistachio baklava, almond pudding, or kunefe, which is baked shredded wheat with semi-sweet cheese inside, served hot with honey syrup.  

 

Sumela Mediterranean Cafe & Grill $$

1606 1st Ave, New York, NY 10028

 

Make a quick switch over to 1st Ave, and diners will find Sumela Mediterranean Cafe & Grill. Diners can enjoy authentic and exotic Turkish and Mediterranean flavors. Cold appetizers include haydari, which is strained yogurt with butter, mint, and garlic, muhammara, which is roasted red peppers, tomato, walnut, and spices, and the mixed appetizer platter that includes hummus, babaganoush, haydari, spicy vegetables, grape leaves, and braised artichoke.Hot appetizers include pan-fried calf’s liver served with onion, tomato salad, kibbeh, (which is stuffed bulgur with ground meat and walnuts,) and the classic falafel.

Specialities to choose from include Sultan’s delight, which is lamb shish over smoked eggplant puree and cheese; musakka, which is fried eggplant with ground meat, tomato, and pepper; and gyro kebab served with rice, pepper, and tomato. Seafood options include grilled salmon served to the diner’s preference of tenderness, shrimp shish, and branzino all served with rice and a side salad. Fresh from the grill, diners can enjoy lamb chops, beef shish kebab, and Iskender kebab. Wraps include lamb or chicken adana wrap, and the kofte kebab wrap. To wrap up the perfect meal, indulge in such luxurious desserts as kazandibi, the traditional Turkish custard, rice pudding, and kunefe.

 

Anatolia $$

401 E 62nd St. New York, NY 10065

For a true taste of robust Turkish cuisine, head over to Anatolia on East 62nd St. Diners can start things off right with appetizers like sauteed calf liver, falafel, and zucchini pancakes. Lunch specials include such wonderful dishes as seafood sautee, which is a wonderful mix of sauteed scallops, shrimp, and calamari with mushrooms, green and red peppers, and onions, lamb adana kebab which is char-grilled ground lamb blended Mediterranean herbs, and beef shish kebab, which are succulent cubes of marinated char-grilled beef.

Dinner Entrees to enjoy include char-grilled lamb kofte, which are Turkish-style ground lamb meatballs blended with the chef’s special spices, chicken shish kebab, which are skewered cubes of marinated char-grilled chicken, and vegetable casserole with chicken, which is oven-baked mixed vegetables, okra, string beans, zucchini, potatoes, celery, tomatoes, eggplant, onion, and garlic in a rich tomato sauce. Finish off the meal with decadent dessert options like baked rice pudding, kazandibi, the caramelized milk custard, and baklava with pistachios. For a taste of the Turkish side of the Middle East, Anatoli’s is definitely a must visit establishment.

 

Ashoka $$

1718 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10128

On 2nd Ave, hungry diners can discover the wonderful, fragrant flavors of India at Ashoka. Appetizers to start things off include achari paneer, which cubes of fresh Indian cheese marinated with pickling spices, yogurt, onion, and bell pepper cooked to perfection in the Tandoor oven, fish amritsari, which are fingers of fish dipped in spiced gram flour and deep fried to crispy perfectection, and hariyali scallop, which are scallops marinated with fresh cilantro, roasted garlic, and a tamarind chutney.

There are a wide array of main courses to choose from. Chicken dishes include chicken tikka masala, which is tandoor charred chicken cubes bathed in a creamy tomato fenugreek sauce, and chicken chettinad, which is chicken cooked in bayleaf, onions, fried till they turn translucent, and finished with tomato sauce. Lamb dishes include raan-e-ghost, which is braised lamb shank simmered in onions, garlic, and roasted spices, and lamb saag, which is a dish of lamb cubes cooked with fresh spinach, garlic, onion, tomatoes, and fenugreek leaves. From the tandoor oven, diners can feast on tandoori salmon tikka, which is a salmon fillet seasoned with lemon juice, paprika, green chili, coriander, honey, garam masala, garlic, and ginger, bathed in a yogurt sauce and baked in the tandoor oven, and reshmi kebab which is chicken minced and seasoned with garlic, ginger, mint, and fresh ground spices. Dessert is the best way to end such a grand meal, so diners can enjoy such wondrous dishes as ras malai, which is steamed cottage cheese dumplings, bathed in sweet, saffron infused milk, and anjeer kulfi, which is homemade Indian ice cream infused with fig and saffron. This is but a preview of the many amazing dishes Ashoka has to offer.

 

Hummus Kitchen $$

1613 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10028

For those craving hummus and everything in between, the aptly named Hummus Kitchen is definitely the place to go. With brunch, lunch, and dinner offerings, Hummus Kitchen has something for everyone. Appetizers include Gravlax Salmon served with garlic aioli, mustard and dill, Grape Leaves stuffed with rice and served with tahini mint dressing, and masabaha, which is a dish of slow cooked chickpeas with tahini, garlic, and chilli flakes.  

Dinner entrees include  baba ganoush, falafel, and quinoa tabule, and signature hummus creations like sirloin hummus, which is hummus with ground beef, lamb, onion, and tahini, Shawarma hummus with thinly sliced chicken and grilled onions, and grilled vegetable hummus with seasonal vegetables. There are also dinner platters to choose from like fresh grilled salmon, chicken couscous, and tahini kebab. Some amazing desserts to finish off a wonderful evening include, Loco Morocco, a decadent chocolate mousse cake with coconut and whipped cream over dark chocolate sauce and baklava. If hummus is what you want, with a few other dishes in between, then this is the place that you will get a true taste of the one of the most popular dishes from the Middle East.

By Raidah Islam