Salute!

In another life, Nacho and I used to read restaurant reviews and plan trips to visit places around the city based on them. And once upon a time, we read about a little enclave of Uzbeki/Bukharian Jewish restaurants in Rego Park that sounded divine. That was 2006. It's now been five years *gasp* and we finally managed to get out there today which was perfect because the midweek crowd was light and Elisa was in rare dining form. And before I go any further, I must admit that our friends Micki and Harley were also instrumental in getting us out on this fine cold day because they went to Salute a month ago and highly recommended it. So off we went to 108th Street in Queens with a taste for the unknown...First up, the "national bread" also known as a tandoori bread that was doughy and wonderful and HOT.

We also opted for the pelmeni soup which had meaty little dumplings and lots of parsley. Very soothing and Elisa couldn't stop slurping it down once it had cooled off, naturally.
See what I mean...the girl was into her food today. And her servers who were two lovely women that kept admiring her and tousling her hair.
The plate of hummus was delicious especially slathered on that fresh bread. Mmmmmm.

Here's a last picture of Nacho's lamb kebab skewer. He was in heaven and said it was the best lamb he's had in NYC. And that's saying a lot. Very natural flavor and much like how it is prepared in Spain.

Not pictured, my boneless chicken kebab--not my favorite--or the parsley garlic fries which were fabulous. My kebab was thigh meat I think, which should be fine, but I like my meat a bit leaner and this was kind of rubbery and I couldn't get past the gristle. Oh well. Everything else was great and next time, I will go for a meat pie or another type of kebab or maybe one of the many salads. Yes, I think we'll be back. Especially if Elisa keeps up her table manners. She didn't try to climb out of the high chair once and she actually seemed engrossed in the procession of food and tried things. Amazing. I don't expect it to be this way every time, but it was so enjoyable to dine with her today. It gives me a glimpse of our future and the reinforcement that sometimes you just have to try something new. Maybe I'll start reading those reviews again. We do have a few more months of enjoying our "table for three" status before all hell breaks loose.