Lepeshka (Bukharian homemade bread)

by Celia Sin-Tien Cheng
February 16, 2007

TAAM-TOV
41 W 47th St, 3F
(5th & 6th Aves)
New York, NY 10036
212-768-8001

After Peter Meehan’s review of Taam-Tov in The New York Times last week (February 7, 2007), the restaurant has been overwhelmed with a new set of diners quite distinctive from the regulars. These new explorers have come to this hole-in-the-wall restaurant in the Diamond district as a destination spot, pulling out the Dining Out article to reference dishes they need to try. I was among this crowd, eager to add Taam-Tov to my list of favorites.

One of my most beloved restaurants in 2006 was Café Kashkar, the Uighur restaurant in Brighton Beach, so imagine my delight at finding out that there’s a closer alternative for Central Asian cuisine in the City. The thought of being able to have manty, lagman and pilaf whenever I pleased was just to good to be true. And as it turned out, it was. Though my heart fluttered in anticipation of food as delicious as Café Kashkar’s, I was disappointed, dish after dish. Taam-Tov is a bit of a novelty as a Central Asian restaurant in Manhattan, but the food is definitely mediocre and leaves much to be desired. However, before I go off and completely dismiss it all together, there was one thing that was so outstandingly yummy that it will make it into the Craving section of this site: the lepeshka, Bukharian homemade bread.

The lepeshka from Taam-Tov is not just better than Café Kashkar’s, it’s in a league of its own. I would not think to go back to Taam-Tov for the food, but there isn’t a loaf of bread I crave as much as theirs in the City. To me, lepeshka looks like a pie, with the center flattened. It’s a dense bread. I almost would choose the adjective “strong” to describe it. The outside has a thick hard crust that is crunchy and fun to bite into. The inside is chewy but not fluffy as the texture is rich. It’s so satisfying that I couldn’t stop myself from eating more and more of it, dipping it into the avocado salad. The waitress offered me the option of ordering half a loaf instead of the full loaf since I was dining by myself but of course I opted for the full loaf and brought home what I couldn’t finish, and even by the third day, I was amazed at how satisfying it still was, even though it had become significantly harder.

The lagman, a beef noodle soup with vegetables seemed tasty upon first try, but as I continued to finish it, I noticed that the overpowering flavor of garlic didn’t allow me to taste anything else. I am a garlic lover, but not when it’s used to cover up flavor as opposed to enhance it. The lamb ribs were actually not bad. The meat was flavorful and tender but not to the extent that it slid off the bone. I decided to try the bakhsh, Bukharian pilaf, which turned out to be rice sautéed with parsley and diced chicken. The meat was hard and rubbery which made it inedible as well as unidentifiable. I had to ask two different members of the wait staff what it was before learning that it was chicken. This dish somehow managed to remove any juiciness from both the rice and the meat. The beef stroganoff was unremarkable and had dried out by the time I brought the leftover home.

At the end of the day, Cravings is about finding what’s good on the menu, so despite the mediocrity of the other dishes, Taam-Tov wins a gold star for its homemade bread. And if it’s too embarrassing to just order a loaf of bread for $2, get the avocado salad to accompany. The mashed avocado with tomatoes slightly resembles a fine guacamole. This was fresh, refreshing and very enjoyable. Okay, so I lied, it wasn’t just the bread that was good, but the two went hand in hand.

Also in Bread, Kosher, Midtown West