It’s not uncommon to find a restaurant sitting side-by-side with a food market that shares the same cuisine: the taqueria next door to the Latin grocery, the Korean marketplace sharing a plaza with the Korean barbecue spot, or the Indian restaurant connecting via an open doorway to the colorful Indian bazaar. In symbiotic arrangements like these, the market serves as the restaurant’s pantry while the restaurant acts as the market’s kitchen, preparing many of the foods sold therein.
That scene can be found on busy Mayfield Road in Mayfield Heights, where a sizeable Russian/Ukrainian/Uzbek population continues to shape the culinary landscape. First there was Marakand Meats and Deli, which opened approximately two years ago. This spring, Marakand Steak House opened two doors down, serving as an introduction to both the market and Uzbek food in general. It was only while visiting the restaurant earlier this summer that I stumbled into the market, which has quickly become one of my favorite stops for prepared foods.
Both are named for the ancient city in Uzbekistan, a significant stop on the storied Silk Road. That position along the world’s great trade route shaped the cuisine over the course of centuries, drawing from Russia, China, Central Asia, Persia and beyond. Those foods are skillfully prepared and artfully presented in the restaurant, which might be the best showcase for Uzbek food in Northeast Ohio.
What had been a fast-casual shawarma spot is now a colorful and cozy full-service eatery. Fortunately for us diners unfamiliar with the cuisine, the pictorial menu offers a visual roadmap to those Silk Road classics. Brightly painted platters of food are wheeled to the table on a cart as part of a free-flowing family-style meal. Ours began with a salad ($7.99) of sliced ripe tomato, crisp cucumber and vinegar-doused onion seasoned with fresh dill.
Dumpling lovers will die over the manti, large steamed dumplings sold by the piece ($3.99). The delicate, paper-thin wrapper is filled with a mix of ground beef, lamb, onion and warm spices. They are garnished with fresh dill and served with plenty of tangy sour cream. Crisp, glossy and flaky meat pies called samsas ($4.99) are filled with cumin-scented ground beef and onion. Every table is graced by a loaf of non ($4.99), a shiny round of simple Uzbek bread.
Plov ($16.99), the national dish of Uzbekistan, is a celebratory dish of long-grained rice cooked with tender carrots, onions and raisins, which lends a pleasant sweetness. On top is a large portion of braised beef, so tender it melts into shreds. The “steak house” moniker might seem out of place here, where most meats arrive on metal skewers, but the kitchen excels at grilling. The lamb kebab ($13.99) was threaded with char-grilled pieces of juicy, medium-rare meat. Ground-meat kebabs like the chicken lula ($8.99) are hand-shaped onto metal skewers and grilled. They are exceptionally moist and flavorful. Kebabs are served with vinegar-marinated onions that add crunch and slice through the richness.
While I’m sure you can order takeout meals from Marakand restaurant, the retail market two doors down makes that move unnecessary. A large warming station is stocked with items such as plov, grilled chicken kebabs, grilled lamb, and ground beef kebabs, all sold by the pound. Other foods are sold by the piece, such as flaky samsas, steamed manti and blintz-like pancakes filled with seasoned ground beef. A variety of cold salads is also on offer.
But the prepared foods are just the icing on the cake here. There are loaves of fresh-baked Uzbek bread, smoked fish, tubs of briny pickles, frozen dumplings and a butcher shop with fresh meats and sausages. Desserts like crispy baklava, cream pastries and many-layered Napolean cake are displayed for self-service. Shelves are stocked with jarred pickled vegetables, tinned fish and packaged cookies and crackers.
A couple of notes about my restaurant experiences. During both my visits, many items on the menu were unavailable. Some were X-ed out with tape, others mentioned by our server. But the setback compelled us to shift gears, landing on one of our new favorite dishes. The fried laghman ($16.99) is a stir-fry starring thick, savory noodles, beef, lamb and vegetables. It is topped with a thin omelet that is rolled and cut into ribbons.
Another note: on my first visit, I failed to notice a 10-percent service charge included on my bill. This was on top of the gratuity that I punched into the machine. I didn’t realize it until I looked at my receipt later. On our second visit, that service charge had climbed to 18 percent, but I knew to look for it.
Marakand Steak House
5722 Mayfield Rd., Mayfield Hts., 440-544-2825, @marakand_cleveland
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