Cafe Dushanbe

TAJIKISTAN

[UPDATE June 2015: The name has changed to Cafe Dushanbe]

Cafe Rokhat is sort of a unicorn, at least in the world of former Soviet establishments in New York City. The place is full of smiles and everyone takes very good care of the customers, even those with a lot of questions. Our main waiter was so friendly I had to comment on it with my dining companions multiple times.

"Rokhat" after all, translates to "enjoy" in Tajik, and they made sure we enjoyed every moment of our experience here. The food followed form exactly and also won us over, dish by dish.

Sometimes dishes are said to float here and there around the city from Tajik cuisine, but these often tend to be only things shared with Uzbekistan, in one of the city's many Uzbek restaurants. Here at Cafe Rokhat, the city's only primarily Tajik eatery, many things seem unfamiliar and turn out magical.

Despite this, first on our list of plates delivered to the table was the Tashkent salad ($8.25, below), a pile of shredded radish and veal tongue in almost equal proportion, as well as crispy fried onion, dill, and a creamy sauce. This dish for me was very new, and very delicious.

Without asking, we were still brought two pieces of bread ($1.75 each, below), but raised no protest as these fluffy discs are necessary for any Central Asian meal. It shows up as "kulcha" on the receipt, but this appears to be traditional Tajik non.

The non was amazing when dipped into the clay pot of piti soup rokhat ($8.95, below), which had very tender chunks of lamb inside its rich warm broth. This word "piti" comes from the glazed crock that is used to cook the dish, which also contains tomatoes, potatoes, chickpeas, and saffron as well.

Lagman ($7.99, below) is always a safe bet at Central Asian restaurants, and was as well here. Thick noodles serve as the base for this rich soup of meat and vegetables, which also affords more opportunities for the use of non.

We initially ordered a plate of samsa gizhda, four round meat pastries, but the restaurant was out this day and brought over a regular samsa ($3, below) and charged for it. This triangle is on par with others in the city, the meat and juices piping hot and falling out when opened up.

Do not schedule any first dates if you plan on ordering the homestyle potatoes with garlic and herbs ($5.95, below), which are very heavy on the garlic. Otherwise, these are tasty and addictive as fried potatoes tend to be.

The highlight of the night, and my most excited reason for being here, was the kurutob ($9.95, below), the Tajik national dish. The name derives from the Tajik word "qurut," which is the process of dissolving dried balls of salty cheese in water. This is poured over strips of flatbread, which make up the bulk of the calories in the dish. Fried onions and fresh cucumbers and tomatoes are poured over this yogurt-like arrangement. Traditionally you would start grabbing things with your fingers from a communal bowl, but we divided up the dish between ourselves timidly.

The national dish of Tajikistan, qurutob

We did not order any traditional kebabs this day, but did ask for the lulya kebab rokhat ($8.95, below), served in a bowl. The chunks of shashlik here are taken off the skewer after cooking and added to a wonderful oily goodness. I thought this was a definite step up from the normal kebab with side of tomato sauce that is usual for Central Asian meals.

Any Tajik meal is supposed to end with plov ($8.95, below), and that is what we did here. The lamb is very good, while the base of rice and vegetables is just so-so. After getting stuffed on so many delicious dishes already, we hardly thought twice about the semi-weak ending and were very happy diners.

It would be a definite step in the right direction if the city started to have more Tajik eateries amongst its vast sea of Uzbek food. The cuisines are similar enough to be indistinguishable with certain orders, but there are a few Tajik outliers that make it a very exciting meal. For now, Sheepshead Bay can offer you the whole experience.

SHEEPSHEAD BAY Brooklyn

1788 Sheepshead Bay Road