OCTOBER 2019 • LONGISLANDPRESS.COM 77
AZERBAIJAN GRILL
DIVINE PERSIAN CUISINE
BY ALAN KRAWITZ
When Azerbaijan Grill, a restaurant
serving Turkish and Persian fare in
Westbury, first opened in 2005, many
people in the area knew little about
this style of Mediterranean cuisine.
Chef Sammy, who owns the eatery
and asks that his last name not be
used, just started cooking and slowly
built a customer base, he recalls. As
it turns out, his eclectic menu has
staying power.
“Mediterranean food has a language
all its own, and that should be apparent
to the diner,” he says.“I’ve always
made a point of bringing a unique
style to the food I cook.”
After coming to the U.S. in 1999 from
Azerbaijan, a country located north
of Iran and south of Russia, Sammy
recalls working at a variety of parttime
jobs in the restaurant business,
including waiting tables and later as
a line cook.
“I worked at a Persian/Afghan
restaurant in Flushing and also at
a now-closed restaurant in Roslyn
Heights, where I prepared various
dishes and really started to learn the
craft of cooking,” he recalls.
But it wasn’t until after he finished a
stint working at Aladdin in Syosset in
2005 that Sammy knew he was ready
to strike out on his own by making a
“modest” investment and taking over
the then-foundering Tarkan Café in
Westbury.
“Much of my education about the
restaurant business was not so much
cooking but observing and studying
other restaurants’ operations to see
what works and what doesn’t,” he
says. “I try as much as possible to
apply positive approaches to my own
place.”
Part of that unique style includes
cooking traditional Persian and
Turkish favorites such as boneless
chicken kebab marinated with lemon
and grilled on an open fire or jujeh
kebab, Cornish hen marinated with
lemon and zafran (saffron).
Other favorites include lamb shish
kebab, vegetable moussaka (vegan
style), baba ghanouj (smooth roasted
eggplant spread), whole branzino (a
Mediterranean fish in lemon-garlic
sauce) and flaky, light spinach pie.
Asked about his experience in the
kitchen, Sammy revealed that back
in his native Azerbaijan, he never
cooked, but that he was always an
enthusiastic and adventurous diner
who enjoyed sampling new cuisines.
“The concept of a good restaurant
is supposed to be the cooking and
not just taking food, heating it and
serving it to people," he says, noting
that he “dislikes frozen food that isn't
prepared from scratch.”
He adds that he personally oversees
the from-scratch preparation of
everything Azerbaijan serves, from
the grilled fish and kebabs to the
hummus, eggplant, and traditional
desserts such as baklava and Persian
ice cream.
Although Sammy enjoys a variety of
different cuisines, he says that he still
enjoys Mediterranean cuisine best as
it can "be eaten seven days per week
and you will never tire of it.”
Looking ahead, Sammy says he has
his sights set on expansion.
“At some point soon, I would like to
expand and open another restaurant
here on Long Island,” he says.
“Ideally, I would like to do an openair,
backyard-style, Mediterranean
restaurant along the lines of Greek
cafes, such as Oasis in Flushing. But
not just yet. That is a project that is
still on the horizon.”
Azerbaijan Grill is located at 1610
Old Country Road, Westbury. It
can be reached at 516-228-0001 or
azerbaijangrill.com
MAIN DISH
Chef Sammy is the brains behind Azerbaijan Grill in Westbury.
The kebabs at Azerbaijan Grill are
as good as they get.
“Mediterranean food has a language
all its own,” Chef Sammy says.
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