There are several franchises of this well-regarded Lebanese/Armenian restaurant in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Qatar, but it is only in Manhattan and at their flagship restaurant in Beirut that the Alexandrian family runs the business themselves. The menu is almost the same worldwide, being tweaked a bit based on the availability of products in the different countries, but it is Mrs. Alexandrian, who lends her elegant designer’s touch to every restaurant, allowing them each to stand alone as a work of art. Several members of the Manhattan Sideways team sat in the beautiful lounge area on comfortable couches one afternoon and had a fascinating experience at Almayass. We learned about the differences in Mediterranean cooking – from one country to the next. As best described by a family member, “our dishes are similar to that of Israel and Turkey but with an Armenian touch. This is what makes us special. No one else serves this kind of food in Manhattan.” The entire menu is based on family recipes that have been passed down from generation to generation. We sampled a number of spectacular dishes, savoring every bite along the way. Mantee Traditional – shaped like a mini ravioli, but crisp and stuffed with ground meat and topped with a yogurt sauce and sumac was our first dish, and then came Basterma Almayass, the restaurant’s specialty. As someone described, “It has a layered taste — there is a lot going on with a baguette on the bottom, Armenian pastrami in the middle and a quail egg placed on top,” but they agreed it all melded well together. The Sweet and Sour Kebab consisting of ground beef topped with a superb sauce of wild cherries that only grow in a small region of the Middle East was a favorite of many. For me, it was the Armenian Subereg that was the best. The multi-layered light and fluffy dough interspersed with cheese was elegant and delicious. With a blend of unique spices and their love of Lebanese food, the Alexandrian family hopes to continue to enchant New Yorkers with their restaurant, food and family members.
