#PickoftheWeek | A delicious Syrian feast in Jackson Heights
BY QEDC It's In Queens
Here’s the chance to take a culinary and spiritual trip to Syria while experiencing the Jackson Heights food scene and meeting Queens residents.
The next Queens Dinner Club “meeting” will be a multi-course, Ramadan-style feast with everything from tamarind rose iced tea to crispy filo pastry stuffed with sweet cheese and drenched with orange flower to slow-roasted lamb served over smoked green wheat pilaf with fresh fava beans and fried nuts.
All are invited.
Scheduled for May 20 from 7 pm to 10 pm, the upcoming event, dubbed “A Syrian Iftar via Jackson Heights and Aleppo,” is very much a collaboration. It will take place at The Queensboro at 80-00 Queens Blvd., but the chef will be Fadila Maamo, a Syrian refugee who came to the U.S. from Aleppo in 2016. This arrangement came thanks to Tanabel, a food-and-events company that employs refuge chefs. Maamo was the first chef to work for Tanabel, which Brooklyn-based chef Hannah Goldberg founded in 2016.
Here’s the menu. (Remember: this is a serious eating club and it’s the first night of Ramadan.)
To welcome:
Sharab al tamarhindi wa ward | A fast-breaking drink of tamarind rose iced tea sweetened with date molasses
To begin:
Zaitoun baiti | House-cured rose olives with za’atar, chili and citrus
Mukhallal lift | Turnip and beet pickles
Moutabal batinjan | Smoky eggplant and tahini dip
Labneh bil limoun | Strained yogurt with preserved lemon, nigella seed and mint
Yalanji | Vegetarian stuffed grape leaves
Kibbeh | Spiced beef & walnuts croquettes with red pepper and pomegranate sauce
Mazza | served with homemade flatbread and spring things
To continue:
Fakhdeh bi freek wa ful akhdar | Slow-roasted lamb served over smoked green wheat pilaf with fresh fava beans and fried nuts
Salatet rabi’iyeh | Salad of spring greens and herbs with a sumac & pomegranate dressing
To end:
Knafeh | Crispy filo pastry stuffed with sweet cheese and drenched with orange flower syrup
Tickets are $70 per person inclusive of tax and gratuity. Doors open at 6 pm, but dinner is served at 7 pm.
Founded by passionate foodies Jonathan Forgash, Joe DiStefano, and Gabe Gross in 2016, the Queens Dinner Club is an informal group that gets together for periodic meals at different venues in the borough. They get good prices and specialized menus, while the restaurant owners get a great night of business. Everybody wins.
Image: Queens Dinner Club
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