Sakib Mediterranean Restaurant

SYRIA 🇸🇾

It is hard to believe that it has been three years since a first experience with Eat Offbeat at the Queens International Night Market. That first taste offered small bites from Iraqi and Nepalese chefs, but the company has continued to grow exponentially, primarily as a catering source offering cuisines from the countries of its chefs, all refugees to the United States.

As the years go by and chefs make a name for themselves, even bigger things are starting to happen. Recently the company announced that Chef Diaa would be following another dream, opening up his own restaurant in Williamsburg, a neighborhood that could always use some better food options. This new place called Sakib opened on the 12th of July and is now in full operation.

Sakib (or Shakib) is a common name with origins in Sanskrit meaning either "reward" or "patient." It was not pressed during conversation whether this was the chef's own name or just the feeling he had when opening up this new restaurant, but either way the name seems fitting.

Again with the ketchup!

Dining alone only afforded the opportunity to try the classic Arabic shawarma ($13.50, above and below), but this ended up being almost a buffet as it comes served not only with the standard fries but also a decent amount of hummus and babaganoush. As you have seen, this type of shawarma plate has become something of a trend in recent years.

At this seemingly regular corner restaurant, order and pay at the start, find a seat, enjoy the sound of falling water from their homemade water features (one of which is not yet in operation and asks patrons to use their imagination), and your order should be ready soon.

The shawarma is good and benefits from its dips. And who knew how good babaganoush was as a complement to fries!

With quite a bit of hipster and upscale eating environments in this area, the simplicity and casualness of Sakib is a welcome relief when other business might bring you into the neighborhood.

A small conversation was desired before leaving to congratulate the chef on his "graduation" from Eat Offbeat and his new endeavours, but this turned into a chance for him to show his appreciation. A small package of cookies and slice of baklava were given free and greatly enjoyed as Chef Diaa was noticeably happy to have a customer who knew a bit of the history of his journey. It was a wonderful end to an all-around good experience.

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WILLIAMSBURG Brooklyn
349 Bedford Avenue

Map of Eat the World NYC:

Arrogant Swine

USA (CAROLINAS)

Arrogant Swine has existed too long in New York City without my visit. It's promise of East Carolina whole hog barbecue should have had me long ago, as I've said ever since a trip down south years ago that this was my favorite style. I am not from the south, but have traveled through most of the places in the country to be considered good in barbecue, from coastal Carolina to Texas. I do not speak of barbecue as religion as many do, but I can respect those that preach their gospel.

For me, the holiest site of barbecue was on a backroads corner of the Hemingway Highway in South Carolina at Scott's Variety Store, where the Scott family has been smoking whole hogs over wood since 1972. After being rubbed and mopped with vinegar and pepper during smoking, the meats from the whole animal are mixed and served shredded.

The first item on the menu is this East Carolina whole hog ($12 alone, below), which we upgraded to add coleslaw and cornbread for $3. The sides are influenced heavily by Williamsburg, so I would not relate them to the Carolinas in any way, but they are good.

One of the geniuses of Carolina barbecue is that the crispy skin of the hog is chopped up with everything, so you find these bits mixed in with your otherwise soft and vinegary pieces. This does not seem to be the case here, but they add pork rinds to the top of your tray in what seems to be a nod to this. I like pork rinds, I won't complain. The important part is the pork meat below, which is excellent to my taste, and even better given that we are about a nine hour drive away from the state on a good day.

Less interested in the Western Carolina outside brown shoulder ($11), we opted instead for the spare ribs ($12, below) which use a wonderful South Carolina mustard sauce, my second favorite type of barbecue. Without any burning, the ribs are excellently tough-skinned off the smoker with such tender meat inside.

There are some sauces available in the back for customers, but we were not told about them nor offered any. This seems to be on purpose, and for the best as nothing was necessary for these two dishes.

Besides an excellent craft beer selection, the bar also has creatively-themed whiskey flights. Including a piece of "free bacon!" which we only found out about when it arrived, the flights include three pours. Our Japanese flight was $24 and especially on this frozen evening, paired perfectly with our meats.

The piece of bacon (below) is a cut of meat in itself, a foot of thick fat glazed with some kind of sugar on top.

All in all, Arrogant Swine is a win. If you do not mind a little smoke in the air and some stinky clothes, it could even be a nice spot to just come for a drink or two. All this of course changes in warm weather, as the outdoor gardens seat most of the patrons under the sun or stars.

EAST WILLIAMSBURG Brooklyn

173 Morgan Avenue

Hard Times Sundaes

UNITED STATES

I tried at least three times to visit the Hard Times Sundaes truck on Avenue U in Marine Park over the past two years. All three times the truck was not around, for circumstances unknown to me. They were part of days involving many food options and either beaches or drives further afield, so I never held it against them. I wanted that burger.

The truck has moved to the back parking lot of the old Pfizer Building on Flushing Avenue in South Williamsburg. Finally my chance came in late December, far past the time when you can get a refreshing cup of Italian ice, pictures of which line the bottom of the truck's side. On a side note, are sundaes ever available here?

No matter, this is a burger truck.

And it is a good burger truck. The prices have gone up since the move to Williamsburg, the above single with bacon + cheese cost $7.75. The product is quality, you eat real foods, it does not seem unhealthy like most burgers do. When Pfizer closed its doors in 2008, it started a process of renovations that brought in a lot of creative food industry types, the kind of Brooklyn entrepreneurs known for artisanal goods and such. These people won't just eat any burger.

I asked truck owner Mr. Zurica how he likes the move and he briskly replied: "So far so good." I watched interactions with a few customers before me and noticed the senses of humor shared with his new clients is somewhat different than it probably was on Avenue U. I wonder if this truck is now a fish out of water. The product is certainly good enough to be sold anywhere, but will these new Brooklyn types put up with a guy from south Brooklyn? I hope so, because I will be taking that G train to drop in for a burger as much as I can.

WILLIAMSBURG Brooklyn

Rear of former Phizer Building

630 Flushing Avenue

La Goulette

TUNISIA

While Tunisian food does not separate itself much from Mediterranean cuisines further to the east, La Goulette seems to be the first restaurant I have seen in New York City that takes an active interest in calling itself specifically from this small North African country. It adapts that pan-Mediterranean blue and white theme and makes a special restaurant in Williamsburg of all places, an informal counter and dining room. Order from their colorful menu boards and take a seat and wait to be called.

The wait might be more than most counter establishments, but that only seems a result of the complex dishes served here, all of which seem to come out very fresh.

Dining alone, I settled on a dish that gave me as much of an assortment as I could get, the roasted cauliflower + artichoke over chicken shawarma ($10, below). Often in Lebanese or similar Mediterranean counters, I cannot resist the allure of roasted cauliflower in the case, but inevitably it disappoints me in its limp coldness. In this dish (and the $5 side that is served without the bed of chicken), the vegetables are warm and fresh, with burnt edges from the grill.

The shawarma is a softer (almost mushy?) cut of chicken than found on a spit, but is delicious. The whole thing could benefit from a healthy dose of toum, the garlic sauce native to the Levant, but alas is not widely used in Tunisian cuisine. The counterman will ask if you want your dish spicy, and saying yes is confirmed not to be dangerous in the least.

Obviously alcohol is not served here, and I decided for a cold beverage rather than tea. The La Goulette smoothie ($5, below) is banana, dates, and milk as per the menu, but has a fair helping of honey to give it a good sweetness. I taste a lot of banana, and the smoothie is good, but I would possibly ask for a higher date quotient next time since it is made fresh.

The small zone of the same name in Tunisia serves as the port of entry for Tunis, the capital of the country. This is a good metaphor for the first restaurant of its kind here in our city, a wonderful place to start.

WILLIAMSBURG Brooklyn

159 Grand Street

Yuji Ramen

JAPAN 🇯🇵

[UPDATE: Whole Foods location now closed, but find Yuji Ramen now in Williamsburg, 150 Ainsle Street.]

In addition to the array of varieties of ramen we know in New York, Tokyo apparently has a strong following for a broth-less style of the noodle dish, called mazeman. This is the specialty of relative newcomer Yuji Ramen, once a shop in Williamsburg and now a stylish counter on the second floor of Whole Foods Bowery (and soon a second Whole Foods location in Gowanus).

It is not a place where people linger long, and I have always seen a seat open when I visited. The people here are nice, but do promptly ask for a payment once you decide on a meal and place your order.

The first time I visited, I asked for a recommendation from the three mazeman varieties and was told the bacon + egg ($9, below) was a good choice. I was also easily up-sold to the combo for $12, which includes tsukemono (pickled vegetables, above) and hot tea. While the tea was enjoyed, I think I would pass on the tray of vegetables on future visits.

What sets the ramen apart from its more recognizable counterparts is two parts. The first is an extreme al dente noodle much like linguine that has a nice chew to it. This is then laid on a bed of potent type of tare sauce mixed with sesame oil. This concentrated stuff is under there ready to mixed with the noodles and everything else in the bowl, an important step before eating.

The bacon on top is fatty and nicely smoked. A poached egg and some crispy kale joins the mix on top, making each bite an enjoyable mixture of flavors and textures.

The other types of mazeman on the regular menu are salmon + cheese and miso roasted vegetable, as well as a daily shoyu ramen pick for those that must have broth. Limiting a menu can usually be seen in two ways, but I think it works well here because the limited options let them concentrate their efforts on creating a really good end product.

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LOWER EAST SIDE

95 East Houston Street

(2nd Floor inside Whole Foods)

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Niujorko Lietuvių Festivalis (New York Lithuanian Festival)

lithuania

Hosted by the New York Lithuanian Athletic Club in a vacant lot near the Church of the Annunciation in Williamsburg, this annual event was just getting started when we arrived. A large Lithuanian flag on the fence told us we were in the right place, and the one and only food tent seemed to be buzzing with preparation activities.

"The food will be ready in 15 minutes," said the man who sold me my entry ticket (bracelet) for $5. He also told me to cheer for the Lithuanian national basketball team, who would be playing France for the European championship the next day.

With the food not quite ready, we scanned the lot and found the bright sun being reflected off of shiny Lithuanian beer bottles near the back, calling us from afar. For $5, a half liter bottle of Švyturys, a malty lager, was poured into a plastic party cup for me.

The grounds also had several crafts vendors, as well as a purveyor of šakotis cakes, meaning "tree with many branches." I had never seen such a thing and asked the man if it was meant to have toppings or how it might be prepared, and was met with a stern "Just for eating." Fair enough.

We sat down at a table, held our table cloth down as the wind picked up, and eventually a woman came around announcing that the food was ready for purchase. The menu at this modest event was quite limited, but we were only two people so it turned out perfect for trying everything, except the dešrelę, which was a hot dog for the kids.

First we tried the šaltibarščiai ($3, below), a cold beet soup full of other boiled vegetables as well and served in a coffee cup. It was a good start and had a pleasant richness to it.

You could buy plates of kugelis (a baked potato pudding) and koldūnai (meat dumplings) separately for $8 per plate, or combine two half portions for the same price. We decided to do that, and the mains are put on a plate with a glob of bacon, carrots, and salad.

The kugelis is thick and dense, also filled with bacon, milk, onions, and eggs. The cube goes well when accompanied by any of the other ingredients on the plate, as well as with sour cream, which is of course offered with every purchase.

The koldūnai are small versions of a pierogi or varenyky and accept the sour cream and bacon just as well. We ended up getting another plate of these alone after finishing off the first combo because we loved them so much.

Ačiū!

WILLIAMSBURG Brooklyn

Church of the Annunciation

259 North 5th Street

Pies 'n' Thighs

USA 🇺🇸

You can have one of two experiences at Pies 'n' Thighs, that of a "regular" meal, or go on the weekend for brunch all afternoon. Each one is as satisfying as the other, but the full menu has more to choose from, and I would probably go back more for the sides anyways.

Don't get me wrong, the fried chicken is definitely good. It's keen to center your meal with a fried chicken box ($12.50, below). It includes three pieces of their specialty, as well as a slightly dry and extremely buttery biscuit and one side of your choosing. The mac n' cheese has a splash of hot sauce and is very creamy, almost sticking to the sides of your throat, not a bad thing in my book.

The staff is rather gruff and grumpy, but I think they might just need an extra hand or two and are always busy running around. I would be grumpy too. Once you do get your food though, you need nothing but a set of silverware and some napkins.

Under the specials list on the menu is the fried pickled cauliflower ($5, below) which is an appetizer made in heaven. It makes a wonderful way to start your meal, if it does come out first, the pickled vegetables get your mouth watering for everything else still to come.

Another way to sample more, besides inviting all your friends, is to grab the superbowl ($10, below), three sides of your choice and a piece of cornbread or biscuit.

Come on a weekend morning or afternoon and find yourself with the brunch menu in your hands, served until 4pm. If you're super hungry, grab a donut ($2, below) to start. There are a few southern specialties on the menu, but it only seems most practical to go for the chicken & waffles ($10, below) if you are only here once.

The waffles are good enough to eat on their own and do not need to be smothered in butter or syrup. The chicken seems just a tad less fresh in the morning, oddly enough, but this might just be my experience.

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WILLIAMSBURG Brooklyn
166 S. 4th Street

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Mable's Smokehouse

USA 🇺🇸

Located in the heart of trendy Williamsburg, Mable's Smokehouse does what might seem impossible: It oozes southern charm and hospitality, it affords its patrons plenty of space and just feels legitimate. And that's before you even order.

Stepping up to the counter, the focused menu is behind the register and easy to decipher. The friendly staff (these people MUST have been imported from nicer lands!) is ready to answer your questions with a genuine smile, put your order through, and give you your very own state on a stick (I got Alabama) so that they can find you once the order is ready. Plenty of food for two people is the deluxe platter ($24.95), which gives you a choice of three meats and three sides, slaw and pickles. Feel free to double up on anything.

Mac n' cheese, borracho beans, all day green beans.

As with southern cuisine anywhere, it's a good idea to load up on fixin's. There is a list of nine items at this point, which gives you plenty of variety when you come back in later trips.

As for the meat, there are four options to choose from, and while all were good, I cannot help but steer you towards the two that can most easily take advantage of the absolutely wonderful barbecue sauce. The pulled pork (above) is tasty and fresh, but my favorite of the night was the beef brisket (below), which is served in an amazingly ample portion and just screams for you to dump all the spicy sauce on it. It basically melts in your mouth, with a slightly crispy burnt skin.

As this is an Oklahoma-style barbecue joint, it was impossible to not include the Schwab's Oklahoma hot link (below), something I had never tried. The link was certainly hot, but somehow seemed out of place with the rest of the food. On a future visit if I choose this, I might try to build my sides around it with the help of suggestions.

A great place to find a seat is at the bar, where you can grab a bottle of Texas's Lone Star beer ($4) and get a nice overview of the whole place while you eat and drink. Smiles of staff and customers alike will surround you, and as your stomach fills up relentlessly you will already start looking forward to your next visit. It's that type of place.

Frito pie, the ultimate late night snack.

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WILLIAMSBURG Brooklyn
44 Berry Street

I COULD USE YOUR HELP

Eat the World NYC is and always has been free. No advertisements block the content or pop over what you read. If this website has helped you explore your city and its wonderful cultures a little better and you have the means to contribute, please consider doing so. Eat the World NYC is a labor of love, but also takes a lot of money and time everyday to keep running.

You can Venmo me @JAREDCOHEE or click here to send PayPal donation, no account is necessary. Thank you!

Taco Santana

MEXICO

Nondescript little Taco Santana sits just off Broadway, colorfully inviting people in with its tri-color Mexican flag awning. Inside are three tables that are crowded for space with mountains of soda and juice deliveries and a non-working jukebox, and a counter that seats a few more. The tacos here are slightly different than Mexico City style, with less fresh ingredients and spicy salsa, but tasty nonetheless. The taco santana ($3.50) is worth the $1.25 upgrade from the rest for the fresh tomatoes and avocado, but make sure someone gets you the green salsa out of the refrigerator if it does not come automatically. Some of the creative dishes on the rest of the menu like the enchiladas bandera ($6) are worth a try. The latter comes with red, white, and green sauces with plenty of good kick.

The best way to approach a visit to this restaurant is to ask what is fresh and ready, or what the daily specials are, and see where they lead you. After three visits I will give up trying to speak Spanish with the owner, for she is clearly not interested even though mine is better than her English. Scoff!

The namesake.

WILLIAMSBURG Brooklyn

301 Keap Street