Masterly Syrian Lamb, Raw and Cooked

The first report on First Oasis is a good one. Raw kibbeh—minced lamb with cracked wheat, onion, spices, and olive oil—is a delicious way to start, myclawyer advises. Lamb also stars in the terrific ouzi, a Syrian pie of sorts: meat, vegetables, rice, raisins, and nuts baked in phyllo.

The vegetable version of ouzi is rave-worthy, too, as is hummus with toasted pita. Finish with a cup of Syrian-style coffee, thick and sweet. “Everything about this place was fabulous,” myclawyer adds—and well worth the hour-and-a-half subway schlep to Bay Ridge from Queens.

The owner, a “delightful fellow named Said,” had a restaurant in the Village until rising rents chased him away. Manhattan’s loss is Brooklyn’s gain.

First Oasis [Bay Ridge]
9218 Fourth Avenue (near 92nd Street), Brooklyn
718-238-4505

Board Link: First Oasis, Syrian in Bay Ridge