Tonight the Village Voice is hosting its annual Choice Eats tasting event at the 69th Armory on Lexington Avenue in Manhattan.
Choice Eats is the foodie United Nations, featuring more than 50 restaurants from across the city – literally – and food from more than 35 nations, including Vietnam, Italy, Uzbekistan, Brazil, Cambodia, Russia, Tunisia, Peru and Cajun/Creole cuisine.
And it all reflects the mobility of one of New York City’s finest gastronomes, Village Voice food critic Robert Sietsema, who escapes Manhattan and Northern Brooklyn’s over-rated restaurant circuit more than most. Choice Eats is Sietsema’s baby, and he hand picks each participant. This year he’s chosen three Sheepshead Bay restaurants for the event: Café Glechik, Coney Island Taste and Marmaris Restaurant.
Nice picks. All of them are unique and all represent Sheepshead Bay well. It’s about time that Sheepshead Bay restaurants get the respect they deserve.
You can still buy tickets to Choice Eats for $45 per person which gets you entry into the event and tastings from all 50-plus restaurants.
So now that Sheepshead Bay is on the “foodie” map, what restaurant do you think Sietsema and his followers should check out next? Let us know!
Vareniki comes smothered with crispy fried onions.
Welcome back to The Bite, Sheepshead Bites’ weekly column where we explore the foodstuffs of Sheepshead Bay. Each week we’ll check out a different offering from one of the many restaurants, delis, food carts, bakeries, butchers, fish mongers, or grocers in our neighborhood. If it’s edible, we’ll take a bite.
This week, we take a bite out of two Eastern Eurpean food standards: pelmeni and vareniki. Both are usually served hot; both are available in just about every “Russian” restaurant in the neighborhood; one is from Russia and the other from the Ukraine. Both are delicious.
“But what are pelmeni and vareniki? A Russian high wire act?” I hear you say. Find out more about the dish, and what we thought of Cafe Glechik.
The Sheepshead Bay outpost of hit Ukrainian eatery Cafe Glechik looks like it’s almost ready to open its doors. Decor is up on the walls and the dining area looks complete. When we stopped by last week the owner was there, who confirmed they were preparing to throw a grand opening celebration, but couldn’t say when.
The 1655 Sheepshead Bay Road storefront is the second location for Cafe Glechik. The original Brighton Beach establishment at 3159 Coney Island Avenue was featured on Anthony Bourdain’s Travel Channel show.
According to Grub Street, the owner flew to the Ukraine to cull decor. From what can be seen from the street, the two-level cafe looks tasteful, clean, and cozy. We’re looking forward to ordering a bowl of pelmeni when opening day rolls around.
At the end of the month, Cafe Glechik of Sheepshead Bay will be opening its doors to the public. The 1655 Sheepshead Bay Road location is the first expansion to the Brighton Beach Ukrainian restaurant, and is going to be much larger, spiffier, and boozier, according to a Grub Street writeup:
After a little more than a decade in Brighton Beach, Café Glechik will bring Ukrainian dumplings and some of New York’s favorite soup to Sheepshead Bay at the end of the month. The second location will serve the same menu, but will feature two floors of seating to better accommodate large groups and a liquor license to keep them entertained. The owner made special trips to the Ukraine for the décor, so expect a display of Eastern European kitsch that outdoes the diminutive original.
The current Cafe Glechik (3159 Coney Island Avenue) was visited by Anthony Bourdain’s Travel Channel show, which you can watch at the cafe’s website.
