The Eighth Hungarian Tribe, 1984 (11. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1984-05-01 / 5. szám
THE HUNGARIAN RESTAURANTS OF THE METROPOLITAN AREA ~r\\Tn<777. THE RED TULIP There was a time some years ago when one could visit New York and, after a shopping spree or an afternoon at one of the theatres in the Times Square area, go up to the Yorkville section of Manhattan for dinner at any one of a number of fine Hungarian restaurants. But, unfortunately, those days are gone. Today, there are only a few of them left. And, one of the best of these survivors, is the Red Tulip at 439 East 75th Street. It is owned and operated by Kaznerand Mariana Kovács. Mr. Kovács is from Budapest, while Mrs. Kovács came from the Transdanubian village of Sarszentlorinc. A former carpenter-designer by trade, Mr. Kovács worked for more than two years on converting his place of business into a “touch of home”. The results of his decorative efforts is an ambience which combines a Transylvanian motif with Magyar peasant art and artifacts, ceramics, furniture, and paintings. The charming decor is such that, the moment one enters this superb dining establishment, it’s like stepping into Hungary. Although Mr. Kovács may be an expert in woodwork and interior decoration, nevertheless he is also just as adept in kitchen-lore. He is the “right arm” of his wife. Mariana, the head “honcho of the kitchen”, and helps her to prepare the daily menu, sees to it that his patrons are well taken care of by his staff of waiters, and makes sure that customers are entertained nonstop by the trio of Gypsy musicians. That he is also a hard taskmaster, in this regard, is manifested by the fact that the Red Tulip is no place to go to for dinner and go to sleep over the “chicken-in-the-pot soup”. The place really jumps. It is exuberantly alive! May, 1984 The Red Tulip offers an appetizing variety of Hungarian dishes from meggykeszoce, a cinnamon-garnished soup of sour cherries and sour cream, to a wide selection of entrees, of which three of the very best, according to notations on the menu, are the result of “secret family recipes”. One of these is a whopping dish of tender, delicious, braised veal shank that has become so popular with patrons that Mrs. Kovács is ready to throw in the towel. “I’m so tired of cooking it night after night that I’d love to take it off the menu, but the customers won’t let me. Some of them never order anything else,” she told Jay Jacops of Gourmet magazine in a recent interview, who believes that “there are marked resemblances between Hungarian and Creole cooking.” The other best bet on the menu is stuffed cabbage, the recipe for which, Mrs. Kovács claims, she inherited from her grandmother. In that case, her grandmother must have been some cook, because the Red Tulip ranks tops as a source for stuffed cabbage! The third selection from the items listed as made from “secret family recipes” is Hortobágy Rostélyos, which George Lang, the world famous restauranteur, says is “one of the national foods of Hungary.” It can be, Lang says, either “a simple braised steak, or a stuffed and rolled steak.” Spotlighting these three selections does not mean, however, that the other entrees offered on the menu are not palate-pleasing. On the contrary, the Roast Duck, Roast Pheasant, Roast Goose, and Chicken Paprikas, for example, can easily satisfy the tastebuds of even the most discriminating among gourmets and connoisseurs of Hungarian culinary art. To be soul-satisfying, a Hungarian dinner, accompanied by a suitable wine of Hungarian vintage, must be followed with a dessert and, to reach such a state of gastronomic ecstacy, all one has to do is to try the “Palacsinta Gundel Módra”! If this dish does not elevate the diner to “Seventh Heaven”, nothing ever will! Compared to some of the other Hungarian restaurants in New York, the prices at the Red Tulip are surprisingly reasonable. The service (a la carte) ranges from S3.00 for an appetizer to $12.90 for an entree. Desserts are from $2.00. Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, the Red Tulip serves dinner only from 6:00-12:00 P.M. from Wednesday through Saturday and from 5:00-11:00 P.M. on Sundays. Major credit cards are accepted. If you’re looking for a Hungarian restaurant in New York with a charming romantic atmosphere garnished with Gypsy music and which serves Hungarian foods at their best, the Red Tulip is it! HELP WANTED We would like to hear from anyone interested in joining our staff and in representing our publication in either the Passaic/ Paterson or Trenton areas. If interested write to: BETHLEN PRESS P.O. Box 2203 Union, N.J. 07083 Page 13 1
