Arsi's Pateseria

Bullseye.

Rhymes with "cheese pie" (slice; $2.50). The tangy stratum of feta, cut with ricotta to tame its saltiness, is moist, even weepy, and the ruffled pastry top is a little oily; you, shrewdly, will already have the napkin dispenser in your sights. Another wise maneuver at this Romanian-Armenian bakery is to pack along something for later, something more than photos. Shown below (but not yet sampled by me): a croissant; an uncut sheet of spinach pie; trays of sweet cheese and "cheery" turnovers.

Arsi's Pateseria
39-39 47th Ave. (39-40th Sts.), Sunnyside, Queens
718-786-3276
Open from 6:00 till 6:00

Comments

[Dave Cook]

By email, a reader comments:

I like the ones with mushroom & dill and eggplant filling. Both without cheese. One time we ordered several "bullseye" pastry in smaller size. They come in about 8-inch round aluminum pans, for $6/each. The lady who works there was so nice. She said, "You can order whatever filling you want, we'll make it." She suggested leeks with a little bit of cheese. It was very good, mildly sweet with just a hint of cheese. None of the 6 pans we ordered was greasy at all. The one with chicken filling is good too. In general, the pastry (the philo sheets) used for the "bulseye" are lighter than the Turkish style bureks, which also come in round bullseye form and sold in Sunnyside Turkish stores. There are times I crave for the much thicker and soggier bureks I tasted a few times in Istanbul. Any tip for a good burek place?

The croissants from Arsi's are OK. Cheaper than other bakeries selling croissant of comparable quality in the neighborhood.

from a Sunnysider

[Dave Cook]

Though I can't recall a Turkish burek in the style you mentioned, at least not in Sunnyside, you might enjoy Tony & Tina's, if you're willing to hike to the Bronx.