/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65775449/SOW39b.0.jpg)
Offering Middle Eastern food with roots more specifically in Syria and Jordan, Sakib recently appeared on Bedford Avenue near the Williamsburg Bridge, and was the subject of a glowing New York Times review. There, one can get Arabic pies something like individual pizzas, topped with ground meat, spinach, cheese, or the spice and sesame-seed mixture called zattar; flaky hand pies called bureks with a variety of fillings; kebabs and falafel; and all of the appetizing bread dips expected on such a menu.
But there are surprises among the sandwiches, which are rolled into imperially thin pitas and not the cardboard pocket-pita variety. Labneh is a Middle Eastern yogurt that’s been concentrated by being strained through a fine sieve or cheesecloth. This results in a creamy and thick texture that’s a fit sandwich filling.
At Sakib — the name of co-owner Mohammad Ayasrah’s hometown in Jordan — a pita is slathered with labneh and then heaped with lettuce, cucumbers, and fresh mint before being rolled up into a tubular sandwich ($6.50). I ordered with curiosity and some skepticism as to how good it would be. But when the tangy yogurt, amplified with cooling mint, flooded my mouth, I realized what a triumph of the sandwich maker’s art it was. Sometimes, a simple sandwich uncontaminated with mayo, mustard, or ketchup is best. 349 Bedford Ave, at South 4th Street, Williamsburg
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19370102/SOW39a.jpg)
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19370104/SOW39c.jpg)
Loading comments...