Tanoreen

Tanoreen Review: Trailblazing Palestinian Restaurant Is Still a Hit | Eater NY

"To fully appreciate the walnut-packed peppers here, I think about stuffed-vegetable traditions across Palestine and the Levant; Rawia Bishara’s take—crushed walnuts, harissa, and red peppers stuffed into cored jalapeños and poblanos, marinated for a week and sliced into fat coins—is startlingly sour, earthy, and a little spicy, unlike any makdous I’ve had in the city. Bishara’s homestyle Palestinian cooking (she opened a small Brooklyn storefront in 1998 and expanded to a commodious corner space on 76th Street and Third Avenue in 2009) produces reliably ambitious dishes: lemony hummus, a Gaza-style butternut squash and lentil stew I prefer, a very good muhammara that’s coarser and sweeter with crunchy almonds, and grilled meats that are respectful if unflashy. Smarter orders include the whole fried red snapper with an ultra-light batter and nutty parsley-tahini for dipping, and the fetti—yogurt, rice, coriander, pita chips, chicken, and pureed mlookhia—which is silky, astringent, and texturally clever. Dessert alone is worth a return: a pitch-perfect tableside kanafeh oozes cheese and kataifi with orange-blossom syrup; baklava (imported from Shatila Bakery) is exquisitely crisp and buttery; date cookies, sahlab custard, and a dense chocolate-harissa semolina cake also stand out. The dining room buzzes with a lively crowd, warm chandeliers, red banquettes, and Bishara herself checking on guests, and the restaurant’s James Beard recognition and press coverage help explain why diners come from across the region to experience this long-running Bay Ridge institution." - Ryan Sutton