NYC Georgian Food: Life Changing Experience Thanks to Oda House’s Adjaruli Khachapuri

Date September 23, 2013

khachpuri

If there’s two things I know, it’s that first, you probably have no idea what Georgian food is, and secondly, you also don’t know how to say adjaruli khachapuri (I have enough trouble spelling it).  And really, it’s ok.  Because until I ate at Oda House, a Georgian restaurant on the corner of 5th Street and Avenue B, I was in the same boat.  According to Wikipedia, Georgia is “a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia.  Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to south by Turkey and Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan.  The captial of Georgia is Tbilisi.” And “adjaruli khachapuri” is pronounced Ahd-Ja-Rule-Ee Ka-Cha-Pour-Ee.  So, there’s that.

Now to the life-changing information:  khachapuri is a type of Georgian cheese bread that is buttery, deep dish and freshly baked.  At Oda House, you want the adjaruli,which is a type of khachapuri baked with loads of mozzarella and feta inside and then topped off with a fresh egg when it comes to your table.  Mix it up (as seen in the video below) and it becomes buttery, cheesy scrambled egg bread.  Slice it to the best of your ability, eat, and then die.

No. Seriously. You may eat it and realize that your life has been nothing up until this moment and it’s not worth living any longer because nothing is going to taste better than this oddly-named concoction you just devoured.  Ok, maaaaaaybe it’s not quite THAT serious, but you’re going to be talking about adjaruli khachapuri, kinkali (beef and pork soup dumplings), lamb shish kebab, and whatever beef-stuffed bread Oda House is offering that night, for weeks to come.  Doesn’t it feel good to be educated?

Oda House Website
76 Avenue B at 5th Street
New York, NY 10009
212.353.3838

The photo and video above were originally on the @nycfoodguy Instagram.
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6 Responses to “NYC Georgian Food: Life Changing Experience Thanks to Oda House’s Adjaruli Khachapuri”

  1. MichaelF said:

    NYCFoodGuy’s hyperbole as to Georgian khadjapuri’s specialness is right on the money, as is his description of the generality of Georgian cuisine. My wife and I lived in Georgia for five years and traveled widely in the country. We were fortunate to have sampled the many regional variations of the Georgian culinary staples (e.g., khadjapuri, khinkhali, mtsvati) as well as the many other foods unique to the diverse regions, be they seaside, mountains or the fertile Alazani Valley in eastern Georgia. I hope to visit the Oda House in due course, and when I do (and you should too), enquire whether whoever is cooking that night can prepare you the dish called “atchma”, which is a near-relative of khadjapuri that substitutes fresh-made noodles for the bread-like base in khatchapuri. The final outcome resembles lasagna, but that doesn’t begin to describe what it tastes like. While FoodGuy justifiably went into ecstacies over the Adjarian version of khadjapuri, he (and you) will revel even more in the richness (as in butter and even more cheese) and consistency of the related dish called atchma.

  2. The NYC Food Guy said:

    @MichaelF,
    Thanks for the great comment. I just sat down with the owner and chef Maia this past weekend to interview her for a future video I’m doing on unique cuisines in the East Village. She has so much passion for Georgia and its cuisine, I’m sure she’ll be excited to hear me talking about other dishes. Let me know if you’re planning on checking out Oda House, I’ll join you. Keep the comments coming!

    – Lawrence the NYC Food Guy

  3. George Gant said:

    John Steinbeck once wrote about his travels through the former Soviet Union: “If one tried to describe Georgia using one single word, the right word would definitely be hospitality.” Georgians are certainly known for being accommodating to their guests because they consider guests to be gifts from God. Expect to be treated like royalty if visiting a Georgian’s home!
    Georgian cuisine and wine have been rated highly amongst the nations of the former Soviet Union, and usually the best restaurants in major cities of other countries were always Georgian. American writer John Steinbeck noted in his iconic Russian Journal that during travels around the USSR with legendary photographer Robert Capa in 1948, Georgia was the only place where they had a remarkably delicious dinner.

  4. Marie said:

    OMG Saw your show for the 1st time last night and this Georgian dish left me salivating, My plan is to hopefully stop by today to enjoy it myself! NYC ch. 25.1 brought me here…who needs cable. Keep up the good work food guy!

  5. Phil said:

    Hey NYCFG – I read an article on Gothamist today about this cheese bread. Quite frankly, I thought your review was much better! You should let them know how it’s done.

    http://gothamist.com/2016/02/24/adjaruli_khachapuri_oda_house.php

    -Phil

  6. NJFG said:

    not sure whether to eat it or F___ IT!!!!!

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