Tanoreen

This warm Middle Eastern restaurant is tucked into an unassuming Bay Ridge corner and run by Chef/owner Rawia Bishara and her daughter. Meals graciously commence with pickled vegetables and za’atar-dusted flatbread and are followed by a tableful of unique plates brimming with flavors and colors. Turkish salad is actually a bright red tomato spread, shot with harissa and dressed with bits of diced cucumber and a drizzle of excellent olive oil. Appetizers are numerous (grape leaves are a lively sure thing), but don't miss the mansaf, a homey dish consisting of braised lamb doused in creamy yogurt and served over a mound of fluffy rice. Like so many of the other dishes, it's massive, so come hungry or armed with friends.