Cafe Arzu Forest Hills

The reviews for Cafe Arzu are clear indications of who is a foodie, and who simply goes to restaurants because this is a foodie's wet dream. Not only is the food FREAKING AMAZING, but the menu is exotic, and the ambiance transports you to a country you've probably never seen (and never will). If "authentic" means an Uzbeki restaurant run and staffed by Uzbeki people, and eaten at by Uzbeki patrons, then this is as authentic as it gets. You feel far, far away from NYC. This is the real deal -- not that I would know -- but the people who ate at the restaurant when we were there would know! It's a microcosm of people of Turkic origin. Listen to the languages. Look at their clothing! This is one of the glories of being a New Yorker! Why is it a good date place? It's a family restaurant. Everyone is taking care of their kids or else too involved with family stuff. Even though the tables are close together, nobody will be focused on you or your conversation. It's fun and exotic. You can order small amounts of food so you're not stuffed. Nan-toki: B- I wanted to like this more than I did. It's a gigantic round matzah, and. I love matzah, but, a) it tasted more like the square machine-made matzah than shmura matzah (and shmura is better), and b) the consistency was that of matzah in humid weather.. soft. I didn't know what to do with the bread: there was no obvious "food pairing" (e.g. Italian bread pairs well with saucy dishes). Another problem is logistical: the tables here are small, and this flat but large bread covers ~50% of the tabletop; not much room left for plates and food! Lepeshka: B+ Also called obi-nan, this is a "flat bread" of Uzbeki, Afghan, and Tajik cuisines. It's made similarly to nan, but is completely different in look and taste. You only need 1 for a table. They're huge, and they go well with the kababs, the manty, pretty much everything. It's a neutral bread: if anything, a very slight nice yeasty overtone... I was hoping it was more characteristic or unique, but it's still very good. Samsa (baked meat pie): B Chebureck (fried meat pie): B+ Meat was excellent -- lots of oniony and garlicky flavor, but the I found the baked dough to be too chewy and not interesting enough to warrant more than a B. I think the fried version was tastier because of the crunch, but the dough was still not intriguing. Uygur Handmade Lagman: A- A vegetable soup with noodles. Very fresh and dynamic tasting. The noodles (called "lagman") are hand-pulled, soft and chewy. Medium thickness. The noodles have a fascinating history - see "lamian" in Wikipedia; it's from Muslim Chinese cuisine. I wished the soup itself had stronger flavors (perhaps onion? garlic? beef?), but maybe its simplicity is part of the charm. Chicken Shish-Kebab: A Lamb Shish-Kebab: A Lamb Ribs Shish-Kebab: A Classic grill flavoring. These are some of the best kebabs I've had in NYC. Seriously -- they are unbelievably soft, incredibly char-grilled, juicy beyond belief, and just insanely delicious. The only reason why they don't get A+ is b/c the "lula" versions are even softer and better! If you come here, you MUST try these!