Middle Eastern Cuisine Makes Inroads In Oneonta, New York

Over the past couple of years, I've watched the landscape of Oneonta's local food scene shift and morph for the better. Back in my day, we used to walk two miles back and forth in the snow, uphill, for some marginal Chinese food from places that no longer exist. It was the best we could do for ethnic food then.

Today, there's all kinds of real deal international foods in Oneonta and beyond. There's Caribbean, Mexican, Thai, Indian, and so much more. Recently, we've been seeing more spots open up that offer authentic Middle Eastern street foods.

Star Mix Oneonta

I really enjoy this unassuming spot in Oneonta's West End, I wrote about them just a couple of months ago. Star Mix is owned by an Egyptian family, and the cuisine is a hybrid of the country's home cooking and street food. I'm a sucker for kebabs, especially kofta, which is ground meat, usually lamb, that is spiced and grilled. Spiced in this case means flavor and not heat. Kofta is ubiquitous street food all over the Middle East and South Asia, and Star Mix's version delivers the goods.

United Food Market

United Food Market is literally the new kid on the block. Opening this fall, they're a New York City bodega that has been transported to downtown Oneonta. They have chopped cheese, sandwiches, deli items, and Middle Eastern hot food, and convenience store items.

I forgot to grab lunch on my way in to work the other day, and decided to stop in and try one of their platters. The place was crowded with people waiting for orders. The gents behind the counter misheard an order, they thought a customer wanted a platter instead of a pita sandwich. I happily offered to buy the mistake order, and wound up with a chicken and lamb combo plate over rice. The finished product is drizzled with yogurt sauce and garnished with raw tomato. I was not disappointed. The meats were spiced perfectly, and swam well with the yogurt sauce. The rice was tinged with a hint of saffron adding to the flavor party. I was even given a discount for buying the mistake plate. Great service, better food!