Village Voice Spotlights Yiasou, Liman As Two Of City’s Best Seafood Spots
The venerable Village Voice food critic Robert Sietsema has again turned his gaze to Sheepshead Bay’s waterfront, praising its rich seafood options and calling two of our seafood restaurants among the city’s best.
The list of “10 Best Bargain Seafood Restaurants” ranks Yiasou Estiatorio (2003 Emmons Avenue) and Liman (2710 Emmons Avenue) in fifth and second place, respectively. And it’s a damn good showing for the neighborhood, considering that of all 10 restaurants, only three were in Brooklyn – proving that Sheepshead Bay deserves its place as one of the city’s best foodie destinations.
The list also included six Manhattan restaurants and one in Queens (which took first place).
Of Liman, Sietsema writes:
A rustic and off-price Turkish seafood spot, Liman is charmingly located on the lip of Sheepshead Bay. Whole-fish selection runs to red mullets, porgy, smelts, sea bass, St. Peter’s fish, branzino, royal dorado, and flounder, while fried oysters and an herby octopus salad hold down the crustacean part of the menu. And mezze like flute-shape sigara bureka, arugula salad, and fried cubes of liver make perfect landlubbing starters.
Of Yiasou, he writes:
Hey, this is Sheepshead Bay, so this Greek place also makes Italian baked clams. And are they ever good, better than Randazzo’s just down the bay. Don’t miss soft but ropey charred octopus tentacles dotted with capers in a red-wine vinaigrette. Sold by the pound, your charcoal-grilled selections run to branzino, royal dorado, sea bass, and red snapper, while an excellent whole fried flounder holds down the bottom end of the fish menu, pricewise.
Now, we know what you’re thinking: What about Randazzo’s?!
While the legendary clam bar didn’t make the list, it sort of gets an honorary mention. Sietsema spotlighted it yesterday as a teaser to today’s post, writing, “Randazzo’s shines like a beacon on Sheepshead Bay, the last man standing from what was once a large population of Italian clam bars along the bay.”
And even though they didn’t make the list, it has made plenty of others. All due respect for our friends over at Randazzo’s, but it’s great to see other restaurants in the area getting their due.