Peachy Picks Almayass Our Coverage Sponsored by Fresh Origins
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Hold onto your hats Manhattan, especially you, Ellen! We've found yet another restaurant concept: Lebanese influenced by Armenian descent and Almayass is NEW to Manhattan, but not new to the world, having roots in Beirut to start with, with other worldwide locations but only this one in America. You know we love Armenian people from our dentist, Cosmopolitan Dental, to our dry cleaner, Hallak the Couture Cleaner. Almayass is family-owned; the daughter of the proprieters, Alidz Alexandrian (not available for photo) runs the New York establishment. Alidz greeted us when we arrived and Peachy began with a robust Cabernet.
Presentation matters, and we are so impressed with the taste of Alidz's mother, who decorated the venue we understand. From Chandelier to Tables, she did not miss a thing and everything possessed a beauty that was impressed upon us from the moment we entered Almayass. Mr. & Mrs. Alexandrian, Peachy would like to hear from you!
Alidz suggested we try the Basterma Almayass: Armenian pastrami canape topped with fresh quail eggs. It was a delightful beginning to an adventurous review!
For the Hot Mezze (appetizer), Peachy Deegan tried the Mantee Traditional, which was her favorite edible aspect of the evening. Oven-baked artisan made boat shape ravioli filled with seasoned fresh angus ground meat, served with fresh garlic yogurt sauce, topped with sumac was a winning combination!
The consistency is to be adored and the flavor and texture of the sauce is absolutely divine. Waiter David Rodas was a cordial waiter all evening.
Samkeh Harra-fresh snapper filet, served with sesame paste, onion, cilantro and garlic sauce had an overwhelmingly nutty taste and interesting presentation, as of course we are more used to the fish being presented as an actual fish, but we loved the experience of trying something new.
Ashta with Assaf: cream of the milk, topped with honey, almond and pistachio was a lovely dessert. The pistachios were a terrific crunchy touch, and Peachy was also pleased to be introduced to Turkish coffee, which has strength we admire.
Our esteemed panelist adds:
Al mayass is a beautiful word and a beautiful restaurant. Its meaning… “when the hanging leaves dance to the rhythm of a delicate breeze”. They describe the cuisine here as Lebanese with Armenian spice. It may have only been open since April, but a newcomer it is not, with four other restaurants throughout the Middle East.
I started with a Tallot Beau Pinot Noir from Burgundy, a very drinkable red.
For our first course, I ordered the Kebbe Sajieh, a fried mixture of meat and wheat , stuffed with walnut, pistachio and onion.
Peachy and I also split the Soujuk Al Mayass, an Armenian beef sausage canapé topped with a quail egg. This was by far my favorite dish, and an original family creation by the owner of Al Mayass.
For my main course I stuck with the sweet and sour Kebab, which is your basic braised beef served with a sweet cherry sauce. The kebab was definitely more on the spicier side.
The restaurant offers a variety of rich sauces, all of which I enjoyed. For desert I ended with the Assorted Lebanese desert which consisted of three small puddings, mostly just to cleanse the pallet; crisp and light, and some Lebanese coffee, with the exact opposite characteristic; being thick with a punch. While the food was a new type of experience for me, I could not get over the décor, best described as sophisticated without being over the top.
Peachy Picks Almayass!
Almayass is Recommended by Whom You Know.
