M ARANI GLATT KOSHER GEORGIAN RESTAURANT
97-26 63RD RD REGO PARK NY 11374
VAAD HARABONIM OF QUEENS
I don’t make it a habit of going to steakhouses all that often. There’s something that makes me feel a little guilty about ordering something I could have easily made in my own kitchen in a fraction of the time without hiring a babysitter. I guess that’s what draws me to Marani whose menu is definitely different from any other kosher restaurant I’ve been to in a really good way (in other words worth hiring a babysitter for!). Besides featuring the primarily herby complex flavors that are hallmarks of Georgian cuisine many dishes obviously take hours if not days to prepare slow-cooked or braised expertly in sauces that are somehow both decadent and light.
Marani is totally packed on a Sunday evening at seven thirty. Ana the owner laughs when I ask her if it’s always like this on Sundays. “We’re busy from two p.m. until the restaurant closes at ten ” she says. I’m surprised but she says families love coming in early for dinner with children. There are a number of tables with kids in the restaurant as she mentions it but somehow the overall vibe of the room is still sophisticated and adult. Maybe it’s the ceiling-high wine racks.
Ana is an absolute wellspring of information on Georgian culture and cuisine and it’s not just because I’m taking notes. She works the room every night greeting the many familiar faces and introducing herself to newcomers setting Marani apart in the packed kosher restaurant scene as one that is absolutely obsessed with customer service. And their service is nothing short of excellent. The waiter-to-diner ratio is very high and no one seems to be waiting for their food for very long. The servers are courteous and helpful a must when most of the items on the menu have five syllables.
Georgia is a country that lies between Eastern Europe and Western Asia and as such its food has influences from and similarities to many Ashkenazi Eastern European countries. While the flavors are definitely distinct to the country and region there’s an undercurrent of familiarity that is comforting so it’s different but not too different. We order some special Georgian sodas (surprisingly low calorie for a non-diet soda. I try to never drink my calories but pear-flavored Georgian soda gets me every time!) then start out with the adjapsandali a cold salad made with slow-cooked eggplants peppers tomatoes and herbs as well as some of Marani’s famous Georgian bread.
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