Terrific Takeout: Pepela Our Coverage Sponsored by Fresh Origins
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You hear the word George a lot here on Whom You Know. We're delighted with the new Prince George of Cambridge, we talk about George Washington in history books, and now we're doing a new kind of George coverage: Georgian! We have never ever had Georgian cuisine before, and it's about time you tried it as well because it is in a word, phenomenal. Owner of Pepela, Gabriel, is a total peach and you don't need just us to tell you - it is a ringing endorsement that President Clinton eats there too. Check out Pepela's site/Twitter/Facebook to see the pictures to prove it.
What is a Pepela? It's a butterfly, silly. Don't you speak Georgian?
Gabriel came from Georgia the country (sounds PEACHY right? No, not the state of Georgia but certainly PEACHY as well) to America in 1978 and if you have a funny bone you probably know him from the comedy clubs he owned in past entrepreneurial endeavors. Pepela opened in January 2013 and it is one of the best spots we've seen all year that's new. We began with the Georgian Salad:
Organic Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Fresh Greens, Georgian Spices served over a bed of mixed greens is the definition of Georgian Salad. It was incredibly fresh and tremendously hearty. It does not need dressing we were told when we asked for it on the side. They are of course, right.
Even the bread at Pepela is super fresh and perfect for dipping in the appetizers. Georgians take their appetizers seriously and there is a difference between cold and hot. Cold comes first. We love how they love order.
We ordered the hot one (the agreement is we order one but will happily try as many as the place thinks we should) but Gabriel insisted that we try the mixed appetizer plate, which is a cold appetizer selection. Eggplant rolls, sweet peppers with walnut paste and carrots and beets with walnut and Georgian spices will ignite your appetite. The peppers had just the right amount of kick and the beet was delightful on the bread.
Meet your new best friend. Gabriel told us this was better than pizza on the phone before we met it and him and Peachy rolled her eyes to herself but said nothing as we are in love with pizza. We cannot verbally describe how amazing the Khachapuri is, which is your new pal above, better than some pizza and truly sensational. It is legendary Georgian baked flat cheese bread, a warm appetizer. Three cheeses come to this party:
1. Sulguny, from Georgia
2. Something like mozzarella but from Georgia
3. Feta from France
YOU MUST GO TO PEPELA IMMEDIATELY AND TRY THIS.
It smelled incredible and the truth is Peachy did eat half of it on her way from point A to point B.
As a main course to be healthy we asked what is your best fish Gabriel? Gabriel said Branzino and it was another big hit. Pan Fried Branzino Fish served with baby potatoes, tomatoes, fresh greens and Georgian spices was grilled to perfection and so fresh and flavorful.
It would be a vast understatement to say Pepela is Terrific Takeout.
We will have to return for a proper review. We can hear the Khachapuri calling!
Gabriel is new to Twitter so do follow him!
