Ouzi at First Oasis in Bay Ridge

The Mother of BillyBlog was visiting last night (through this weekend) and she came out to our place in Bay Ridge. We dined at the affordable and delicious First Oasis. This Syrian restaurant has delectable food. Trust me, I don't use the word delectable very often, so if I say it is so, it is so.

I brought my camera along because I knew what I was having, and knew it would be blogworthy. Behold, the Lamb Ouzi:


You can see the whole menu here where you would learn that this dish, a house specialty, is a big pastry of phylo dough. And when you cut it open, steam pours out, in an aromatic blend of lamb (or chicken or veggies, depending on what you choose), rice, raisins, nuts and vegetables.
It's like shepherd's pie meets an oversized Middle Eastern manapua.

The kids split the chicken kabob. BillyBlogMom had the lamb kabob. Melanie had the sole. The First Oasis vegetarian combo platter started us all off on the right track. Delicious hummus and top-rate grape leaves, along with falafel and baba ghanoush.

I have never had a bad dining experience there. The one significant flaw is that, despite not being crowded, the service is slow. If you're in a hurry, go somewhere else. But if you go expecting a wait, you can relish the anticipation and acknowledge that, once the food passes your lips, it was worth the delay.

Read a review here.