Novak`s serves up hearty Hungarian fare

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January4,2O07
Novak'sservesup heartyHungarianfare
Albany restaurant'sauthenticofferingsarerich and spicy
BYDIANEREYNOLDS,
Specialto theStatesman
Journal
Forthoseof us whoseprimaryacquaintance
withpaprika
wasthesprinkle
atopdeviledeggs,it wasa
revelation
to eatat Novak'sHungarian
Restaurant
in Albanywherethatspiceieignssupreme.
TuckedbehindG.l.Joe's(acrossfromtheHeritage
MallShopping
Center)is a22-year-old,
family-run
enterprise.
We weregladwe hadreservations
becausethe placewas packed,andseveraldrop-ins
werewaitingfora table.
Afterpassingan enticingdisplayof bakedgoodsin the entrywayanda floor-to-ceiling
muralof
Budapest,
we wereseatedin themaindiningarea.Lighting-wai
intimate,
andthed6ior incorporated
Hungarian
ceramics
andartwork.
Novak'spridesitselfon authentic
Hungarian
fare.MatildaandJosephNovakemigrated
fromHungary
in 1957.and
openedtheirrestaurant
in 1984.
Although
theyremaininvolved
in thedayto-dayoperation,
it is managed
by theirdaughterKaren.
FormanyAmericans,.knowledge_of
Hungary's
cuisinemaybe limitedto goulash;
disheswithexotic
namessuchas P0rk6ltor B6csiSzeletmightdrawa blankstare.
Hungarian
foodis rich.and
spicyandhasthereputation
of beinga bitheavierthanthatto which
- a litflegoesa longway.
Americanpalatesareaccustomed
In additionto paprika,recipesare notedfor the useof greenpeppers,tomatoes,sourcream,
poppyseeds,
greenbeans,cabbage,
apricots,
nuts,fruitjams,garlicandnoodles.
Thebillof fareat Novak's
wasextensive
andrequired
timeto assimilate.
Fortunately,
descriptions
anda well-versed
staffsupplied
uswithan excellent
ideaaboutingredients
andpreparation.
According
to the hostdss,
the Hungarian
specialties
were"setin stone";the restof the menu
gradually
hasexpanded
to includeothertypesof foodandseasonal
specials.
soup,salad,breadandvegetables
camewithalmostall of theentr6es.
Eightof thedinnerscouldbe orderedin a "lite"sizethatcost$2 less.
Appetizers
ran$4.95to $10.95withoptionssuchas pite;a beer-battered
trioof onionrings,
mushrooms
andzucchini;
spinach-artichoke
dip;smokedsalmonmousse;
or a farmer'sptitter
containing
meats,cheese,bread,crackers
andsalads.
We passedon the appetizers
becauseI plannedto saveroomfor the tantalizing
desserts.
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Porkandbeefdominated
thedinnermenu.
porkschnitzel
($1a.95);
Hungarian
meatloaf
Possibilities
included
in threeincarnations
on creamed
- cubedsirlointip in
BeefP0rkOlt
andapplekraut($14.50);
cabbage($1a.50);
countrypork-ribs
- pork
noodles(full,$12.25;lite,$10.25);
Sz6kelyTdltdttK6poszta
mushroom
sauceoverhomemade
- homemade
porksausage
or Kolb6sz
with
cabbagerollstoppedwithsourcream($12.75or $10.75);
garlicandspices($12.95
or $10.95).
plateswereavailable.
Severalcombination
- chickenin a creamypaprikasauceover
I selectedNovak's
dish,ChickenPaprikds
signature
homemade
noodles($12.25)
likewise
Magyar...
My companion
stayedtraditionalwith
Gulyas(Goulash)
Soupbilledas "authentic
slightlyspicy"withbeef,carrotsand potatoesin beefbrothservedwith Langos(friedbread)and a
greensalad($12.95).
Two kindsof housemade
breadarrivedwithour salads.Theespecially
tastybutterwaswhippedwith
garlic,parsleyandpaprikaand.
My chickennoodlesoupwassoothing
andfullof flavorwithlotsof carrots,
celeryandsmall
noodlelike
dumplings
thatresembled
Germanspaetzle.
Thecucumber
saladreminded
meof myGermangrandmother's
versionwithdilledslicesof
in a sugar/vinegar
cucumber
andonionthathadbeenmarinated
solution
thentoppedwitha dollopof
paprika-laced
sourcream.I lovedit.
My partner'sgreensaladboasteda better-than-average
housemade
bleucheesedressing.
piecesof chickenweresmothered
My bite-sized
Ourentr6essurpassed
theirexplanation.
in a
paprikd-sauce
thatpossessed
a considerable
commendable
afterbite
of heat;the homemade
noodles
weredelicious.
AlthoughI am normally
nota fanof mixedvegetables,
theherbed,al denteblendof cauliflower,
broccoli,carrotsandzucchiniwas far betterthanI anticipated.
My partner'ssmallbowlof gulyassoupwasovershadowed
by a friedbreadpuffthe sizeof a football.
jamsappeared
Containers
of garliccloves,strawberry
andapricot
as condiments.
Theideawasto dipthebreadeitherin thejamor to rubit withfreshgarlicandsopup somegulyas.
greasy- reminiscent
Thebreadwashuge,hot,goodandslightly
of beignets,
NativeAmerican
frybreadandMexican
sopapillas.
As advertised,
the gulyassoupwaszesty- andveryenjoyable.
Eventhoughthe bowllooked
undersized,
by thetimemy partnerdispensed
withthebread,he stillhadhalfof hisservingleftand
tookit home.
We soldieredon to evaluatethe20 desserts.Mostwere$4.50to $5.95exceptfor the Edible
Box(fortwopeople,$8.50)andthefive-dessert
Chocolate
combo($17.95)
The Hungarian
specialties
won our hearts.My cohortdecidedon DobosTortawith its twelvelayersof
alternating
cookietypestrataand milk-chocolate
cream($5.95)AnyonefamiliarwithAustrianpastry
wouldrecognize
the relatively
dry styleof thetorta.My partnersaidit grewon him,but he couldnot
finishhisslice.
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(crdpes):Mama'sFavoriteHappily,our servertalkedme intotryingoneeachof thetwo palacsintas
- andTurosPalacsinta
with lemon-accented
cream
filledwithgroundwalnutsandapricotpreserves
powderedsugar($4.95).Theywerebothtenderanddelectable,
butthe creamcheesecheese.and
filledTuroswas thefrontrunner.
cake,mousse,icecream,Swedishcream,crdmebr0l6eand
Otherofferingswerestrudel,poppyseed
tiramisuplusseveralvarietiesof tortasandcheesecakes.
witha $10gift
Throughout
the evening,thestaffwasefficient,friendiyandcaring.We werepresented
becauseit was ourfirstvisit.
certificate
ethniccuisine.Novak'sprovideda wonderful
It is alwaysa pleasureto encounterinteresting
price.I lookforwardto returning.
goodfoodat a reasonable
with hearty,comforting,
experience
DianeReynoldsis a freelancerestaurantcriticfor the SfafesmanJournal.Reynoldsdines
unannounced,
and mealsarepaid for by the SfafesmanJournal
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