Sweetness USA

PAKISTAN 🇵🇰

Sweetness USA is a place for everyone. Pakistani businessmen come in for takeout on their way home from work. Groups of women come together to buy food for their families. Another sits alone and charges her phone while screaming into a video chat. Solo male diners watch videos with one hand while eating with the other. Cab drivers are constantly double-parked on Coney Island Avenue while grabbing specials from the steam table.

While it is easy to be satisfied one dish at a time, bring a group with you and order a feast. As it becomes clear the amount of food you need, the men that run the place will start to show you a lot of attention, upping their levels of hospitality and happy to answer questions from the unfamiliar.

The previous establishment in this location was the Indian chain Mithaas, which has multiple locations in New Jersey and one in Long Island but no more in New York City. The meaning of this word is something close to "sweetness" in both Hindi and Urdu, so it was without much change that the new proprietors shifted only a tiny bit.

A meal here should be a hodgepodge of what you see and what you don't. The steam table offers the daily meals, which most patrons come in to order fast. But there are things listed on the menu behind the counter that might warrant attention as well. These could take up to 15 or 20 minutes to arrive, but if you do not have your yellow cab shift to get back to, hanging around is not so unpleasant.

On Google Maps, there seemed to be an unusually high percentage of photos of the mix grill sizzler ($12.99, above), a dish that indeed comes sizzling and requires that lead time. The mix of chicken and beef kebabs is combined with chicken tikka and fresh onions. Each bite of every type was greeted with their wonderful marinade.

The haleem ($6, below) here is prepared with barley, lentils, and chicken, and tastes like it has been cooking and improving for days. It is full of deep flavors and chilies, and perfection could legally be described as scooping some of it up with their freshly baked naan ($1).

Definitely worth an order, and what unlocks a bottle of mint yogurt sauce arriving at the table, is the chicken polao ($5.99, below), which always seems to be ready and something of a special of the house.

What sets polao, or pulao, or pilaf apart from biryani of course is the cooking method. Meats and spices are cooked separately from the rice, resulting in a lighter and more subtly spiced dish. It was agreed around the table that the version here was top notch.

The orders continued but even so it was impossible to try everything like their different types of chaat, or kati and paratha rolls which would have made excellent solo snacks.

A full tray of tikka drumsticks ($2 each, below) looked so tempting that one was ordered for each person at the table. These somehow were even better than they looked, the meat pulled off the bone without effort while remaining so moist. The marinades were just as satisfying as they were on the sizzling plate.

After seeing how well they prepared the chicken dishes here, next visits will have to include the full chicken Lahori charga ($14.99, not shown), a full bird marinated overnight and deep fried in oil.

Another table favorite was beef nihari ($6, below), a deep-colored stew that tasted rich with bone marrow. This slightly spicy dish originated with Muslims in India but is now popular throughout the Islamic regions of the subcontinent like Pakistan, where it is always on any self-respecting menu.

Add some curry to your repertoire with the goat curry ($6, below), another deep and rich ride. What they describe as an "exotic blend" is pretty much as you would expect from a Pakistani curry, with hunks of tender goat that must have been simmered for just the right amount of time.

And what would a place called Sweetness USA be without a huge selection of treats? Most of the display cases in the restaurant are used for an overwhelming amount of desserts, while branded boxes are stacked and ready to be filled with whatever you desire.

The proprietor steered the group toward a slice of their mango cake, which he described as the house special, but an assortment of treats like the one below was much more interesting. The cake itself was fairly simple and did not warrant the moniker of special.

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MIDWOOD Brooklyn
1150 Coney Island Avenue

Map of Eat the World NYC:

Argo Restaurant

GEORGIA 🇬🇪

There are no shortage of full-service Georgian restaurants in this general area of Brooklyn, but after about a year of life Argo is putting itself near the top of the borough's most beloved. In the space once occupied by Turkish bakery Güllüoglu, big families and parties seem to be filling up the restaurant on weekends.

As expected, there is not a ton of atmosphere or charm to talk about, so let's just dive right into the meal.

Big meals in Brooklyn's former Soviet restaurants always start with a selection of cold appetizers. All three we ordered included walnut sauce in some form, including the kuchmachi ($10, above), a plate of chicken livers, hearts, and gizzards also covered with pomegranate seeds. Folks with an aversion to those words might not find this as unappealing as they think as all the offalness is very mild.

These same toppings are applied to the nigvziani badrijani ($10, below), simply called "eggplant with nuts" on the English menu. These are thinly sliced eggplant wrapped around a walnut paste, and absolutely a must eat.

Satsivi ($12, below) is another cold dish of chicken hunks served in a walnut sauce, this time much more liquified. It is full of garlic and other herbs and a true Georgian classic. With plenty of sauce always leftover, you will want to dip your bread in here as well to get the bowl clean.

The next arrivals at the table were done were our two bread orders. The famous adjaruli khachapuri ($12, above) is done really well here, although not so easy to share for a big group. Stir up the egg into the hot cheese when the bread arrives at the table and tear off pieces to dip in the mixture.

Somewhat disappointing was the good-looking lobiani ($10, below), a bean-filled bread that lacked flavor. All the breads here had very good textures.

Make sure everyone at the table has at least one of their own khinkali ($9 for 6, below), an oversized, thick-skinned Georgian dumpling. These can be served with pork or lamb with beef, both of which are good. Bite a hole in one side of the skin and do your best to suck the juices out without losing any into your lap or on the table. Georgians do not eat the top "knot" and leave a pile of them on their plate as evidence of how many they've eaten.

On the menu, the chanakhi ($14, above and below) is described simply as a lamb stew but this does not quite do it justice. The savory stew is full of flavor and comes served with a freshly baked bread enveloping the top. Cut this away to find the meat and everything else, but use the pieces in your bites as well.

A nice change in flavor profiles is available with the chakapuli ($14, below), another stew of veal, tarragon, and greens that has a wonderful sour taste. This comes from tkemali, a sauce made from sour plums.

Ojakhuri ($15, below) looks like a pile of fried potatoes but actually has many pieces of fried meat hidden within as well. Available in lamb or pork, the dish is a revelation and even the potatoes are not left behind as they are somehow perfect.

Chekmeruli ($14, below) is described as chicken in garlic sauce, although the sauce is more milk and butter it seems. Either way, it's very tasty although your enjoyment might depend on getting a nice piece of dark meat rather than a dry breast.

Argo is doing things really well, we are already thinking about our next big meal here.

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MIDWOOD Brooklyn

1985 Coney Island Avenue

Map of Eat the World NYC:

My Grill Bar

ISRAEL 🇮🇱

For some years, the location at this address was called Shawarma Ave, an enticing name to be sure. In the last two years, the owners have rebranded more generically as My Grill Bar, but things look even nicer inside and the shawarma spits rotate with even better looking meats.

Given the neighborhood, the restaurant is glatt kosher like most places in Midwood, and describes itself as an "Israeli Grill." Otherwise, it would be hard to tell from most standard Middle Eastern restaurants solely from the menu.

Photo courtesy of mygrillbar.com

What was not immediately apparent but became a point of much interest was the access to the small salad bar (above) that opens up when you order a platter. Normally the salad bar can be purchased by weight, $3.50 per 1/2 lb. The beets, eggplant, and pickled vegetables were all fabulous, and a second plate had to be filled up. Unsure of the proper salad bar etiquette, this was done as quietly as possible.

A plate of hummus with falafel ($10, below) also brings a basket of warm, fresh bread. While the falafel fall flat, the hummus is very creamy and smooth and could not be much better. Shawarma and hummus always make a good combination, so having this plate around also made sense for the rest of the order.

The beautiful spits of shawarma mentioned earlier consist of chicken on the left and the house special turkey and lamb mixture on the right. We stuck with the normal chicken shawarma platter ($18, below) as the first choice, a very large plate of meat knifed off with their special shawarma blade, fresh salad of cucumber, tomato, and onion, and Israeli rice and beans.

The turkey and lamb shawarma is called "My Shawarma" and costs an extra $2 for the platter. A quick discussion after the meal with the proprietor about their specialty piqued the interest for next visit.

🇮🇱 🇮🇱 🇮🇱

MIDWOOD Brooklyn

1022 Avenue P

Moldova Restaurant

MOLDOVA 🇲🇩

Awning as of 2019.

I like a place that has a very obvious pride for itself. Moldova is a place like this, the people here know how to run it, they look very formal yet inviting, and the food is prepared and plated beautifully. As far as I know, it represents the only restaurant serving Moldovan food in the city, and takes this responsibility very seriously.

The name of the game here is mamaliga, food for the peasants. Served forever, and borrowed from neighboring Romania, mamaliga is sort of a bread-porridge hybrid that can be served with just about anything. It appears in almost every non-dessert we ordered, as you will see.

First up was the house special appetizer ursuleti ($6.99, below), with hunks of fatty bacon inside and out of the balls of mamaliga and piles of feta cheese. This by far was my favorite way to eat it.

A second dish with a side of mamaliga was the ficatei de pui la tigale ($9.99, below) chicken livers with a very iron-y taste mixed with cheese and sour cream. The iron was almost too overwhelming until mixed with all three sides on the plate.

Almost obligatory were the sarmale ca la mama ($5.99, below), the stuffed cabbage of Moldova similar to its Russian and Ukrainian friends. You have the option to also order this dish with stuffed grape leaves as well. The small creations basically melt away in your mouth and are happy to receive healthy dollops of the sour cream.

We ordered the carp ($8.99, "below"), but when it came out we were told they were out of carp and this was "other fish." I was not necessarily married to the carp anyways, and it was prepared so nicely on a pan with potatoes and salad. Make sure to douse it all with the extremely potent garlic sauce accompaniment.

Syrup streaks seem to accompany all the desserts here. Our first was the prune uscate umplute cu nuci ($6.99, below) looks like simple prunes, but they come stuffed with nuts.

The dessert I liked more was the clatite cu visine ($6.99, below), a Moldovan-style crepe filled with sour cherries and cream.

The restaurant was BYOB as of spring and we brought in a six pack to wash down everything. They happily pop the tops of any beverages you bring, and as you may expect the more Slavic-speaking peoples in the restaurant are drinking far more potent liquors. You only live once.

Old awning when this article was written. Better?

🇲🇩🇲🇩🇲🇩
MIDWOOD Brooklyn

1827 Coney Island Avenue

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Di Fara Pizza

PIZZA

If this was my corner pizza shop, I would probably like it a lot more than I do. The owner Domenico DiMarco is a joy to watch, oblivious to the world, skillfully crafting a pie behind the counter. He is like an artist with his sauces and cheeses. The place, despite being notoriously run down, has an undeniable charm. But here's the thing: a slice costs $4 now (UPDATE: It's $5 now!), and frankly is just not worth the price.

It is light, almost fluffy, warms up very fast if it is not hot already, and is no doubt a good slice of pizza. At most times Mr. DiMarco can not come close to making the pies fast enough to satisfy the lines that wrap around his building. I have found that the best time to come is at the end of the afternoon, just before they close up for break at 4.30pm. As I order my slice and sit down to enjoy, the door is locked at 4.22.

There is joy here, the sharper than normal cheese bites you back. The fresh basil is always good. The crust is perfect. But the slice is small, and is nothing near a meal. The place crawls with tourists. On my last visit a Japanese couple with gigantic SLR cameras draped around their neck were waiting for a pie and a large group from Brazil had just arrived to take it all in. Watching the process is pleasant at first, but painstaking if you are waiting for a slice, as the pies slowly come in and out of the shrine-like oven.

Every once in a while I will walk in and lay down my $4 to be a part of this New York story, but I'm not in the club that will stand outside here for two hours and claim their life was changed afterwards.

MIDWOOD Brooklyn

1424 Avenue J