By Judah S. Harris
If you’re searching for authentic shwarma and other Israeli and Middle Eastern grilled meats and salads, a quick trip to nearby Queens offers at present about five glatt kosher choices within less than a two-mile radius.
Most of these Israeli restaurants are situated on Main Street, the commercial hub in Kew Gardens Hills, and though establishments of this genre seem to come and go (sometimes over months, not years), one that has had the strongest staying power is at the corner of the busy intersection of Main Street and Jewel Avenue. It’s called Grill Point, and it’s likely that a significant majority of native Israelis living anywhere in the New York area have heard of it and eaten there (some are regulars and you can spot them instantly).
While it’s current emanation, ownership and name are about five years old, the Main and Jewel location has always been the most popular shwarma place for reasons that extend beyond geographical considerations — though the intersection is a key factor — to both the kitchen and the camaraderie. Grill Point is a “hang out” of sorts, and signs of friendship often spill out onto the sidewalk.
On a recent evening, the restaurant was filled to capacity with groups of diners and others eating solo.
Small bowls of dips and vegetables – cabbage with amba (mango and vinegar), pureed tomatoes with hot peppers, and pickles — arrive at the table as diners take their seats and are given the menu. Especially with the bounty of Middle Eastern salads that either come with the meat entrees, or that can be ordered separately, pita or the larger lafa bread is mandatory (the lafa is baked in the tabun brick-clay oven up front). Whole-wheat pita is available, but not made on the premises.
A plate of Adana Kabobs ($15.95), three pieces of grilled, minced meat, cooked on metal skewers (spiced but not spicy), arrived with couscous topped with cooked vegetables and a side of Israeli salad. The Israeli salad was fresh, but a bit too much on the crunchy side, since the cucumbers were left unpeeled. Customers are given a plate to take up to the salad bar, and Chumus can be ordered separately. Made from fresh chickpeas and drizzled with olive oil, its consistency is smooth and taste lighter than the commercial variety sold in neighborhood stores.
Other house salads include a number of eggplant varieties: Romanian Eggplant with a slightly smoky flavor, Eggplant in Tomato Sauce, and Babaganoush, with its noticeably sweet taste. Try Turkish Salad for more tang, and Israeli potato salad, which has chopped eggs, carrots and peas, and some parsley (a combination salad can be ordered for $11.95). Cole slaw, very lightly dressed, pickled turnip and cooked okra are other possibilities.
The ambience at Grill Point is semi-decorative, not ornate. Walnut wood tables, stone tile floors, and framed, signed photographs of Israeli scenes provide casual dining, and there are tall chairs up front where customers can buy their own food and sit at the big windows looking out to the street, watching the passersby (who can watch them as well), and slowly sipping tea with nana (mint).
On busy nights, which are most nights, the restaurant is not quiet. It’s active with the banter of customers and the sounds of staff, who shout out menu orders to each other, but also take the time to come over to the table to say hello. Yossi, the butcher at Grill Point, a nephew of the owner, and a naturally friendly guy, explains about the meats they prepare and touts the shwarma. Theirs is different than many of the other shwarma places, he says. They don’t buy chicken pieces, rather cut off the chicken legs, remove the meat, and then build the large shwarma spit, adding spices. They also have a turkey and lamb combo and can go through four large vertical shwarma rotisseries in a day.
