All Brooklyn news
Neighborhood Map
Bay Ridge
  • Bensonhurst, Dyker Heights
Brooklyn Heights
  • Downtown, DUMBO
Carroll Gardens
  • Cobble Hill, Red Hook, Boerum Hill
Fort Greene
  • Clinton Hill, Crown Heights
North Brooklyn
  • Williamsburg, Greenpoint, Bushwick
Park Slope
  • Prospect Heights, Windsor Terrace, Greenwood Heights
GO Brooklyn
Dining Guide
Where to GO
Events calendar
Classifieds
The Brooklyn Wire
Not Just Nets
Police Blotter
Perspective
Parenting
Politics
Transit
Podcasts
Brooklyn Cyclones
Special sections
About The Paper
Mobile site
Twitter
Facebook
RSS Feeds

It’s time to get Syria about Middle Eastern food

By Gersh Kuntzman
The Brooklyn Paper
Enlarge this image
The Brooklyn Paper / Gersh Kuntzman
Jouhan Daod has opened Palmyra, a Syrian restaurant that replaces Olive Vine on Court Street in Carroll Gardens.

Tools

Print this story
Facebook this
Tweet this
Digg this
Del.icio.us

Jouhan Daod was a household name in Syria when he was on the national soccer team. Though he’s lived in Brooklyn for 11 years, Daod is still serving his native land by transforming the Olive Vine Cafe on Court Street into Palmyra, which offers a Syrian take on Middle Eastern food.

Daod’s falafel, for example, is a bit nuttier and chunkier. His babaganouj is smokier. And his lamb pizza — a Syrian version called safiha — has a more nuanced salty-sweet taste thanks to a pomegranate molassas.

Pedulla Tile

“We’re trying to go further than Olive Vine did,” said Daod, who opened Palmyra on Monday.

The menu certainly does that. Daod not only serves breakfast all day (try the Sultan, which is a mix of boiled eggs, humus, fava beans, cucumber and tomatoes, $9), but his menu goes beyond the usual grape leaves, salads and lentil soup to include panini sandwiches ($6), a burger ($8), Syrian red beans ($3), and bastorma (which sounds like “pastrami” because it tastes like it, too, $5).

And everyone in town offers chicken wings, but Palmyra’s jawaneh ($6) are transcendent: breaded and deep-fried, they’re juicy and a bit sweet — which makes a nice contrast to the hot dipping sauce. And believe it or not, the greatest surprise on the menu are the sweet potato fries ($6), which are crispy and addictive.

So, the soccer thing didn’t work out, but Daod is excited about his new venture.

“I have such a passion for food,” he said.

Palmyra [316 Court St. between Sackett and Degraw streets, (718) 797-1110].

©2010 Community Newspaper Group

←Music: You can learn how to make — and play — this thing!
→Keeping Brooklyn healthy: Hospital leaders weigh in

Reader Feedback

Stephanie G. from Caroll Gardens says:
I'm glad you wrote this piece because it's important to keep neighborhood businesses going. With the economy the way it is, we have to help each other. Anyway, I live and work in the area and was sad to see the old place close. So, I'm hoping this will be my new favorite place. Maybe I'll try the wings and fries next week.
Feb. 12, 2010, 10:34 pm
mohammad from prospect heights says:
Jouhan Daoud was never on the Syrian National team and as far as I know the Babaganush they offer at Palmyra is from cans and not made on the premise. I know him very well and heard this fable about him being in the Syrian National Team. When he got here ten years ago and not eleven, he could not do two push ups. Thanks to Creatin and may be Steroid (he told me many times that he was going to shoot some steroid and that he knows where to get it) for the way he looks now. Again, Jouhan Daoud was never on the Syrian National Team.
Oct. 15, 2010, 7:35 pm
Justine from Boreum Hill says:
I've come here many times with my husband or girlfriends and it's always been a nive experience. The food is good, it's byob and the price is right. Service is also nice.
Mohammad, I don't understand what you have against this restaurant.
Nov. 23, 2010, 9:02 am
Mohammad from prospect heights says:
To Justine

I have known Jouhan Daoud for years and have seen nothing from him except for lies and cheating. He lies about almost everything. He cheated his old partners, and his new investors out of their money. He cheats the government out of taxes by cooking the books. He cheats the labor department by claiming the wrong number of employees. He cheats his employees by making them work long hours with no benefits. He cheats morals and common good by hiring illegal aliens while denying that while taking advantage of them while abusing them. He should be investigated by the police, labor department and immigration. I also forgot, I saw him few times stick his finger in the customer's soup to check its temperature, and the funny thing is that the health department did not see this. I have a long list and would love to tell what I know about this cheat.
July 7, 2011, 1:35 am
Bklyn Foodie says:
Mohammad is a liar and is extremely jealous of Jouhan - he stole from Jouhan and his brother! Everything he has said is all lies - he has nothing to do with the business and knows nothing about it so don't believe anything he has to say.
March 26, 10:56 am
Bklyn Foodie says:
Mohammad is a liar and is extremely jealous of Jouhan - he stole from Jouhan and his brother so he is the only thief in this scenario! Everything he has said is all lies - he has nothing to do with the business and knows nothing about it so don't believe anything he has to say.
March 26, 10:58 am

Enter your comment below

By submitting this comment, you agree to the following terms:

You agree that you, and not BrooklynPaper.com or its affiliates, are fully responsible for the content that you post. You agree not to post any abusive, obscene, vulgar, slanderous, hateful, threatening or sexually-oriented material or any material that may violate applicable law; doing so may lead to the removal of your post and to your being permanently banned from posting to the site. You grant to BrooklynPaper.com the royalty-free, irrevocable, perpetual and fully sublicensable license to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, create derivative works from, distribute, perform and display such content in whole or in part world-wide and to incorporate it in other works in any form, media or technology now known or later developed.

First name
Last name
Your neighborhood
Email address
Daytime phone

Your letter must be signed and include all of the information requested above. (Only your name and neighborhood are published with the letter.) Letters should be as brief as possible; while they may discuss any topic of interest to our readers, priority will be given to letters that relate to stories covered by The Brooklyn Paper.

Letters will be edited at the sole discretion of the editor, may be published in whole or part in any media, and upon publication become the property of The Brooklyn Paper. The earlier in the week you send your letter, the better.

Marilyn Manning Gardening

Links