My experience with Eastern European cuisine extends to a Hungarian soup my sister-in-law makes and pierogi from the frozen-food aisle of the grocery store. For the uninitiated, walking into Midtown's Eastern European Deli and Store is a bit like being transported to a foreign land.
Jars of pickled vegetables, tins of sardines and chocolates in foil wrappers glisten under the fluorescent lights. An impressive array of deli meats and cheeses and round, dense loaves of freshly baked bread conjure up visions of an outdoor picnic despite the snow blowing outside.
The store has been at its current location three and a half years. Owner Mariya Melnik, a Russian native, says she carries products from all over the world -- Russia, Poland, Israel and Germany, to name a few points of origin. Melnik's sister, Lidiya Maytahyari, is store manager.
The store was bustling during lunchtime on a recent Monday. My husband, a self-proclaimed "meatatarian," was eager to sample the sausages and other cured meats, while I was intrigued by the chocolates. We stood at the deli case and asked Maytahyari for her recommendations. "It's all good," she asserted, and proceeded to slice off no fewer than eight samples of sausage, salami and ham. She was correct in her assertion -- there was nothing we tried we wouldn't have purchased. After much deliberation, we decided on the wedding sausage ($5.99/pound) and Hungarian salami ($10.99/pound). We rounded out our meal with slices of sheep's milk cheese ($9.99/pound), house-made potato salad ($5.99/pound), a poppyseed roll and chocolates.
As the store does not have seating, we walked across the street to a coffee shop and spread out our wares.
The pungent saltiness of the salami and the mild creaminess of the wedding sausage perfectly complemented the cheese, which boasted a slightly sweet, nutty taste. The potato salad was incredibly rich, with a thick, mayonnaise-based sauce, diced hard-boiled egg and pickled green peas for a much-needed touch of acidity.
The poppyseed roll was more sweet and savory, and it was delicious -- moist and tender, with just a hint of lemon flavor. It's hard to go wrong with chocolate, and these confections were above average -- smooth and buttery, without any of the graininess indicative of an inferior product.
On my next visit, I asked Maytahyari to show me the store's best sellers, which inclued Russian-style sour cream, German-style whole-grain rye bread and honey cake. She said their jams, which have a more liquid consistency than high-pectin American jams, are perfect for cooking and sweetening yogurt.
They carry teas from all over the world, which she boasted are much better than Lipton and Red Rose. "Our customers can't believe how aromatic and flavorful they are," Maytahyari said.
Many customers come in exclusively to purchase pelmeni, a Russian dumpling stuffed with minced meat or vegetables.
Some of the more unique offerings include caviar ($15-$65), poppy crackers ($3.50 for a 10.5-oz. package), marshmallow root syrup ($8.99) and tinned Norwegian cod liver ($5.99 for a 10.6-oz. tin).
For the less adventurous, the store carries plenty of familiar items. Jelly candy, an assortment of pre-packaged cookies and crackers, and several varieties of instant coffee will be instantly recognizable to American customers.
At the Eastern European Deli and Store, meat-lovers will worship at the altar of the deli case. Dairy aficionados will thrill at the sight of creamy farmer's cheese and gut-soothing kefir, and those with an insatiable sweet tooth will marvel at the array of baked goods, chocolates and candy. The modest storefront belies a culinary treasure-trove, and those craving a taste of the exotic would be wise to check it out.
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By Carly Horton Stuart
Daily News correspondent