Burekas

by Celia Sin-Tien Cheng
February 27, 2008

GAZALA PLACE
709 9th Ave
(48th & 49th Sts)
New York, NY 10019
212-245-0709

Though the four-month-old Israeli/Middle Eastern restaurant could be considered a hole in the wall, Gazala Place seems to be on everyone’s radar. The tiny shoebox of a restaurant in Hell’s Kitchen seats less than twenty, and its rustic décor is a clear contrast to its trendy neighbor, Kyotofu. Yet Gazala Place has been very successful in drawing in customers who willingly wait, and amassing much praise from critics.

The secret behind Gazala Place’s crowds is the homestyle cooking of the eponymous chef, Halabi Gazala. All prepared by hand; it’s comfort food that warms you up inside and out. Prices are reasonable and the food always hits the spot. Though the restaurant doesn’t seem like the type of place that would take reservations, it would be to your advantage to call ahead to check availability, whether for lunch or dinner.

There are several noteworthy dishes, starting with the appetizer, kibbe: whole wheat meatballs stuffed with chopped meat, onions, pine nuts and homemade spices and herbs. Just listening to the description makes my mouth water, and each bite of the kibbe fulfills its promise.

The homemade grape leaves are also outstanding. I generally avoid grape leaves on menus because they usually come cold, straight out of a can. At Gazala, however, the grape leaves are hand rolled so they don’t all look uniformly perfect in form, yet they are consistently delectable. The grape leaves, prepared with or without meat, are stuffed with rice and spices and accompanied by homemade yogurt, and my favorite part is that they are served warm.

The lentil soup is another knockout. I tend to expect lentil soup to be heavy and full of brown lentil grains, which I don’t find particularly appetizing. Gazala’s version, however, is smooth, light, and bright yellow in color. It was so flavorful I assumed there must have been other ingredients in it, but Gazala assured me that it was just cooked red lentils. Wow! When you’re good, even the simplest of ingredients is scrumptious.

The burekas seem to be one of the most popular dishes each time I visit. The sesame encrusted phyllo dough is fluffy and flakey, stuffed with homemade goat cheese and sun-dried tomatoes. Perfectly smooth and creamy, the sun-dried tomatoes are well mixed into the cheese, so that the filling is peach colored with little specks of tomato. The result is perfectly balanced flavor. It’s hard to stop oneself from inhaling the whole bureka, but it’s substantial, so I’d advise taking your time and savoring it.

Some of Gazala’s most notable handiwork is the Druse pita she makes at the front of the restaurant. The pita is paper thin, made of whole wheat with a dash of cornmeal. It’s not particularly flavorful but has a great texture and when served hot, the pita is the perfect accompaniment to the appetizer spreads like the hommus moudammas (hummus with fava beans) — another must-have.

I know I’ve recommended five cravings already but it doesn’t end there. I’ve saved the best for last. Though I’m not a sweets fan, I cannot pass up the dessert osh al-saraia. Gazala won’t say exactly what it is other than it’s a dessert that she learned to make from her grandmother and that now her own version is even better. The waitress describes it as shredded dough with some kind of cream on top. Each critic that has reviewed Gazala Place has a different description ranging from Irene Sax’s “custard that has the texture of clotted cream and the scent of orange-flower water” in the Daily News to Salli Vates’ “halfway between sweetened cheese and cream.” Gazala is adamant that it’s not a cream, but wouldn’t tell me any more than that. I couldn’t decipher what the mystery “non-cream” was, but it did remind me of cream cheese or sour cream-based frostings. Whatever this mystery dessert is, it’s delicious. And at the end of the day, I was happy to retire from the guessing game and just enjoy the perfect finale to a good homestyle meal.

Also in Bread, Cheese, Hell’s Kitchen, Israeli