74 THE QUEENS COURIER • BUZZ • MAY 26, 2016 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com Queens County Savings Bank and Queens Botanical Garden invite you to Enjoy the Garden Upcoming Events Bird Walk with New York City Audubon June 4 Festival de las Flores June 26 Taiwan: A World of Orchids August 12, 13 , 14 Stop by any Queens County Savings Bank branch location for free passes* while supplies last. 877-786-6560 • myNYCB.com queensbotanical.org *Maximum of four (4) passes per household. Offer may be discontinued at any time at the sole discretion of the bank. New York Community Bank is not affiliated with Queens Botanical Garden in any way. © New York Community Bank - Member FDIC dining out TURKISH DELIGHTS BY BRADLEY HAWKS Turkish delights are no longer just the rosewater sugary sweets offered to Edmund by The White Witch in Narnia. The soft pink confections have stepped out of the wardrobe and onto the wooden cutting board of the grilled halloumi platter at Ovelia. Known in Turkey as loukoumi, the rose petal confections are plated alongside dried fi gs, offering a sweet contrast to the salty cheese and savory slices of bastourma—a cured and air-dried pastrami-like beef. “My family actually originates from Anatolia, a region of Turkey,” chefowner Peter Giannakis explained. During a recent vacation to Greece, Giannakis discovered a restaurant serving Anatolian cuisine. “It was delicious,” he said, “and it reminded me of a lot of fl avors from home, so I decided to add a little bit of that to our menu.” While Ovelia remains one of the neighborhood’s most respected Greek eateries, some other exciting new fl avors now take a costarring role on the menu. The Melitzanosalata, for instance, arrives with a warm basket of toasted pita triangles, all to be dunked into a mound of fi re-roasted eggplant which has been brightened with sundried tomatoes and fennel. The Politiki salad is a deceptively simple dish, created with a colorful mélange of shredded white and red cabbage mixed with peppery arugula, carrots, celery and lemon. A more distinctly Turkish plate is Ovelia’s crispy take on a lahmatzoun, which involves a wafer-thin, crisp fl atbread spread with a tangy bolognese of minced lamb, pork, beef, onions and parsley. It is intended, as are many of the new dishes, to be enjoyed as a sharing plate. “It’s a lot more fun to share,” Giannakis said, “and it’s really the true essence of the Greek experience. We are still Greek, but now also a little different. These are things you won’t fi nd in your typical taverna.” Favorites like the Greek coffeecrusted OVELIA PSISTARIA 34-01 30th Ave., Astoria 718-721-7217 www.ovelia-ny.com skirt steak and the wildly popular saganaki burger remain on the menu, as do the sesame-crusted cubes of feta drizzled with honey. But now guests can enjoy some new fl avors, as well—like the tas kebab, a daily rendition of a Smyrnean beef stew served over a skillet of plump fries or cut pasta. The curry in the Garidopilafi adds an unexpectedly welcomed spice to the shrimp over a pleasantly unorthodox bed of wild rice and chickpeas. Mousaka is now served in individual clay dishes, as well as Ovelia’s incredibly addictive pastitzio, which is still often offered as a special. The Kreatopita—a kantaifi wrapped leg of lamb pie—was such a hit during brunch, it has now graduated to the dinner menu as well. The cocktail menu has also evolved, including jazzed-up versions of everything ranging from a fi g-infused old fashioned to a more sophisticated take on a whiskey sour. Desserts are some of the most exciting newcomers on the menu. An ice cream sundae is built with kaimaki ice cream, which is made with salepi, a regional root vegetable that has been ground into fl our and blended with a hint of saffron. “The mastika that is added is the real star,” Giannakis claimed, “and it lends the ice cream its wonderful gumminess.” The whole mound is drizzled with sweet, dark cherries. Alongside the decadent creation is a piece of sokofreta— essentially a Greek afterdinner cookie dipped in milk chocolate. “Change is always good,” Giannakis said, smiling after explaining the process of making the unique ice cream treat. I certainly agree. But sometimes, as in this case, change is great. View Over 200 Reviews at QNS.COM Adrian& Rocky’s CATERING “FOR THE VERY BEST IN BUFFET STYLE CATERING” CATERING FOR ALL OCCASIONS BARTENDING & WAITRESS SERVICE AVAILABLE! Call 718.845.5525 132-08 Cross Bay Boulevard • Ozone Park SERVING QUEENS FOR OVER 20 YEARS • Business Meetings • Engagement Parties • Cocktail Parties • BBQ’s • Christenings • Communions • Anniversaries • Showers • Sweet 16’s • Graduations EXPERIENCE “The Original” Planning a Party? Our Specialties or Fax 718.845.5643 VISIT US AT WWW.ADRIANSCATERERS.COM EMAIL ADRIANS1@VERIZON.NET All Major Credit Cards Accepted • DELIVERY IS FREE OF CHARGE WITH ALL CATERING PACKAGES
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