How Do You Spell G-U-T-B-O-M-B? Chicken Tabaka at Kebeer in Brighton Beach
Crisp, greasy, garlicky, and resting counterintuitively in a pool of broth--chicken tabaka is the pride of Georgian cooking.
How apropos that fried chicken should be the centerpiece of the cooking of both Georgias. Chicken tabaka--sometimes facetiously called "road kill" chicken--features a full young bird flattened in an Italian sort of way, fried in an American sort of way, heaped with crushed garlic in a Russian sort of way, and resting in a pool of broth, a combo that only the Georgians could have hooked up. The dish has since become a standard throughout the former Soviet Union, and would probably be welcome any place in the world it might set down.
The version shown above, scored at Kebeer, is excellent in every way, and the flesh is moist and bursting with flavor. The only problem is how to cut it, as the cutlery provided is never adequate. Who cares? You'll end up showering yourself with highly scented fluid anyway.
Kebeer is a German-style beer garden that recently sprung up in the old Eastern Feast space under the Q and B tracks, where they turn to make a final spring into Brighton Beach. While the beer list is mainly German, the food is mainly Uzbekistani, with some Georgian, Russian, and American thrown in. Yes, there's even some German food, on a menu so large that you'd better bring assistants to scan it for you. 1003 Brighton Beach Avenue, Brooklyn, 718-934-9608
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