Yael D.
Yelp
Sometimes, the insanity that is living in NYC gets to me. Just the psychic energy required to get from point 'A' to point 'B' can sap even the perkiest girl's spirit, let alone that of cynical me. And then I eat someplace like this and all is forgotten. NYC forever:
Anyway, wound up here for an impromptu brunch with hubby. I was practically peeing my pants with excitement 'cause I knew this was my big chance to finally try Adjaruli Khachapuri I mean, c'mon. Warm, crusty, boat-shaped bread with a well in the center that's filled with buttery, salty, ooey, gooey melted cheese and topped with a lightly poached egg? Um, yes please!
Our server suggested we eat this slathered with a trio of Pkhalis, aka various vegetable spreads pureed with ground walnuts. We decided to go for it, and while tasty enough, I wouldn't say this is a must. We had a ton of it left over, too. Definitely better shared with a big group.
And since I can never resist the lure of doughy parcels filled with stuff, we got some Lamb Khinkalis. These HUGE, purse-like dumplings, six to an order, reminded me of Shanghainese XLB since they were filled with soup, along with the aforementioned meat. Their wrappers were ridiculously thick, imo. Hubby was impressed, though, that the lamb filling didn't taste overly gamey.
Our server was really sweet, even giving us a tutorial on how to eat our 'cheeseboat bread.' I think she used her not inconsiderable charm to upsell us, but whatever. I was amused when she asked us if we wanted to order some Georgian wine. It was 10 am. I would've contemplated it, but hubby vetoed the idea. Curses.
Oh yeah, we got some regular Khachapuri to freeze for later, so the jury's still out on that.
Bottom line: That Adjaruli Khachapuri was the stuff of carb-loading dreams. But it's the only thing we tried that I'd rush back to eat again. It's enough though.