Tarabia

Tarabia

ADDRESS: 1071 First Avenue
(Between 58th and 59th Streets)
New York, NY 10022

WEB SITE: www.tarabianyc.com

TELEPHONE: (212) 888-0809

FAX: (212) 888-0209

HOURS: Lunch: 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM, Mon.-Sun. Dinner: 4:00 PM – 11:00 PM, Mon.-Sun.

CUISINE: Turkish

Award-winning website, Punchin-dot-com, features the Walman Report and reviews of restaurants, travel, wine and theater. Executive chef was formerly at Turkish Kitchen (Manhattan’s first great Turkish restaurant). At Tarabia, he prepares classic Istanbul dishes dating back to the Ottoman Empire.

A wide variety of daily Turkish appetizers are offered on a cart in the traditional style of Istanbul. They are all excellent, if a trifle too cold. The elegant dining room is enhanced by candlelit tables with handmade Turkish table-cloths and napkin holders, handsome mahogany and leather chairs and fabric-upholstered banquettes. Cream-colored walls support Turkish chandeliers. Lovely fresh flowers enhance the effect that care was given to every detail.

Outstanding starters include octopus or calamari salad and lightly pan fried phyllo, rolls, filled with feta cheese or pan fried zucchini pancakes served with garlic yoghurt sauce. Of entrees, go for lamb or chicken shish kebob, stuffed vine leaves, grilled lamb chops or whole fish. They are all prepared with care and finesse. Leave room for rich desserts baklava or almond pudding. There is also a selection of Turkish wines, from a short wine list that should contain more options under $30. There is an excellent Turkish beer for $6. Service is warm and accommodating at Tarabia, 1071 First Avenue, which is the best Turkish restaurant to open this year and rates “B Major” on the Walman Report.

Rayuela Announces New Estilo Libre Latino Dinner Menu

Rayuela Announces New Estilo Libre Latino Dinner Menu for

NYC & Company’s Winter Restaurant Week

January 21–25 and January 28–February 1, 2008

Rayuela, a hot new Latin American restaurant located on the Lower East Side, today announced a new three-course prix-fixe dinner menu for $35 per person, to celebrate NYC & Company’s Winter Restaurant Week, January 21-25 and January 28-February 1, 2008. The menu, created by Executive Chef Máximo Tejada, the force behind Rayuela’s Estilo Libre Latino (Freestyle Latino) cuisine, includes the options of Caraminola, Ceviche de Camarones, Morcilla Humita as appetizers, Vieras a la Parilla, Bacalao con Esparrago and Paella de Carne y Setas as entrées and Tres Leches de Chocolate and Brazo Gitano for dessert.

“I wanted to create a collection of all new dishes for one of New York’s largest and most prestigious culinary events,” said Chef Tejada. “New York City has the greatest diversity of restaurants in the world and New Yorkers are very open-minded. We are delighted that more people will have the opportunity to experience Rayuela’s ground-breaking Estilo Libre Latino cuisine.”

OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW YEAR

OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW YEAR…
Decadent Dining And Seasons ‘Eatings’ For The Holiday Season

Christmas Eve

New York City:

Abboccato Ristorante (136 West 55th Street, 212-265-4000): Celebrate in Italian style at the extraordinary “Feast of the Seven Fishes,” served annually by Chef de Cuisine Jake Addeo, who has put a contemporary spin on this delicious tradition. The menu, priced at $85 or $125 (with wine pairings), will feature dishes such as a Blood Orange-Butter Poached Salt Cod with fork smashed red bliss potatoes and Local Blackfish cooked in parchment with marinated artichokes, Meyer lemon, and salsa verde. Available only on Christmas Eve, this one-of-a-kind culinary experience is not to be missed.

The Carlyle, A Rosewood Hotel (35 East 76th Street at Madison Avenue): A favorite of political dignitaries, celebrities, in-the-know travelers and New Yorkers for over 75 years, The Carlyle will be offering guests three fabulous options for a sophisticated and elegant Christmas celebration: On Christmas Eve, Executive Chef James Sakatos will serve a three-course prix-fixe dinner with two seatings (6:00 pm and 8:45 pm) for $95 per person. The menu will feature items such as Terrine of Hudson Valley Foie Gras, quince and apple butter with toasted brioche and Butter Poached Maine Lobster, chanterelles, baby turnips and syrah reduction. On Christmas day, guests can enjoy a Christmas feast with Santa Claus greeting one and all and performances from Christmas Carolers that capture the spirit of the day, ideal for children as well. Chef Sakatos will prepare a four-course prix-fixe menu for $140 per person that will be served at three seatings (noon, 3:00 pm and 7:00pm), and will include specials like House Cured Gravlax, pickled cucumber and dill, horseradish cream and Filet Mignon, ragout of braised oxtail, potato and truffle strudel, bordelaise jus. On Christmas Day, Café Carlyle will be serving an exquisite Christmas brunch buffet for $130 per person, with dishes that include Prime Beef Tenderloin and Roasted Pennsylvania Turkey, enhanced by live piano music along with the joyful sounds of carolers. There will be two seatings, one at 12:30 p.m. and one at 3:30 p.m.

Beyond New York: