Here’s the UWS Dish: Saperavi’s Lobio

By Abigael T. Sidi

Sometimes I feel as if, had I one more year of writing this column, it would have turned into “Here’s the Georgian Dish.” Ever since my editors Ann Cooper and Laura Muha tipped me to Chama Mama last year, I’ve developed an unhealthy obsession with the breadth and depth of Georgian cuisine, to the point where I feel it is the true rival to French gastronomy.

The fragrance, flair and precision of Georgian culinary fare have been a revelation for me, and this week’s Saperavi – which opened only a few months ago, just a block and a half north of Chama Mama – is no exception. In fact, Saperavi might be the most authenticity-driven spot I’ve tried on the UWS (Chama Mama and Sipsteria are marvelous as well, perhaps in more modern ways). And with restaurants of this quality, I’ve developed a habit of focusing on their most “simple” (and often most affordable) dishes, trusting that they, also, will show the magic contained in the meat and fish sections of the menu.

And so, on my last visit, I forwent the superb spicy ribs ($30) I had tried in the past and set my sights on the seemingly humble lobio ($22), the national bean stew, a variation of which is served in every house and every restaurant of every village and town in Georgia, and is a mainstay of the famous Georgian feasts known as supra.

Like every dish I’ve tasted at Saperavi, the lobio, when presented to you, looks like a feast of its own, scintillating with colors and joy, complete with a side of mchadi – the delicious, light and warm Georgian cornbread, which to me feels like a fusion of pita and polenta. Along with the stew is a generous portion of the house’s vegetable pickles, which include snappy cukes (cornichons, but on the softer side); crunchy large leaves of red cabbage; the slightly tangy and floral jonjoli (Georgian bladdernut, unopened flower buds of the Staphylea colchica shrub, commonly served at supras); and, to me, the star pickle of the show, a whole head of immaculately white (seemingly blanched) garlic, whose softer undertones will amaze every garlic lover.

These briny (but not acidic or bitter) veggies provide a beautiful contrast to the hearty, buttery but delicate bean stew, prepared with the traditional tomatoes and onions but exuding flavors of delightful complexity and depth. Saperavi server Kristina divulged part of the secret, naming Trigonella caerulea – blue fenugreek, a milder and less bitter variation of its Indian counterpart – as the main spice doing the work. It infuses the lobio with warm, nutty, almost sweet undertones, elevating the stew to a unique and genuine culinary discovery. I also loved the crunchy parsley stems here and there in the stew, for some freshness and earthiness. Needless to say, I dipped my mchadi in the clay pot until nothing was left, for what proved to be a ultra-satisfying, fun meal.

But Saperavi, ranked on many social media as the best Georgian restaurant in Manhattan, has so much more to offer, it almost feels criminal to just discuss one dish (a long, agonizing issue with this column). The above-mentioned spicy ribs, cooked on a fire grill, are unapologetically porky and juicy, and prepped Memphis style (i.e., firm and bitey, not “off-the-bone”). Not a dish for the faint of heart: fat, grease, juices, the whole thing, served with a red pepper bell sauce that feels so clean and lean it reminds me of a well-executed gazpacho.

The khupati (spicy sausages) and kharcho (beef stew thickened with walnut paste and megrelian spices) are also highly recommended, and so are the more accessible khachapuris (especially the pkhlovana, where spinach is combined with the cheese) and khinkalis (national meat dumplings). And that’s not even a quarter of the menu, which also includes a splendid dessert section and, apparently, one of the best Georgian mille-feuilles (Napoleon) in town…

In terms of restaurant vibe, Saperavi is utmost gregarious, with wooden ceiling, floor and walls – a brief, rustic and cozy escape from the city where you can relax around an astonishingly delicious and generous meal; cuisine with a soul. It is open every day from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., with pickup and delivery available at these times and with vegetarian and vegan options clearly marked.

The Dish: Lobio ($22)
The Restaurant: Saperavi, 410 Amsterdam Avenue (between West 79th and 80th streets)

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