Dining Out: Go to Sunnyside to spend Halloween in Transylvania

By Alexandra K. Mosca

Transylvania Restaurant

Sunnyside

786-9401

Looking for a place to spend Halloween night? Why not go to Transylvania? No, not the real Transylvania, in Romania. But rather, Transylvania Restaurant in Sunnyside. It’s a lot closer to home, has that Halloween ambiance and it offers entertainment and good food, to boot.

My day job is as a funeral director, so I just had to grab my colleague and check this place out. After all, Halloween is “our holiday.”

We found a metered parking space right outside the door of the restaurant, which announced by way of a large poster that it is under new management. In we walked to the roomy, attractive restaurant, which has a band shell strategically located in its center for the live Romanian and international music offered Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings.

The decor is comely. Walls are covered in red-flocked wallpaper, and tables, all bedecked with a silk floral centerpiece, allow four diners to sit comfortably under the mirrored ceiling. In contrast to the serene setting, they don’t lack for a sense of humor at Transylvania. This appealing place was heavy on the Halloween decorations. Pumpkins, spider webs, Frankenstein faces and skeleton masks were everywhere, along with a colorful sign which read in big letters “Happy Halloween!”

Then we saw it! And this was no Halloween decoration. On the far wall, across from the bandshell, prominently displayed, was a portrait of the man of the hour – Dracula. The real Count Dracula, that is, the 15th century Romanian ruler Vlad Tempes or as he is more ominously known, “Vlad the Impaler.”

I sipped my Cabernet Sauvignon as I read the encapsulated legend of Dracula and Transylvania on the back of the menu. The name Dracula, I learned, is the Romanian name for devil or dragon.

My glass of wine was filled almost to the brim, with a taste faintly reminiscent of the Communion wine of my youth. I liked it, and at $4 a glass it was quite reasonable. It’s a Romanian Wine, by the brand name of Premiat, I was told.

What does one eat in Transylvania? No specials were offered during the week — only on the weekend. So, we chose from the menu, which is heavy on organ meats. Rather squeamish we may be, for funeral directors, we nonetheless stayed away from the fried, breaded veal with brains, veal liver, sautéed chicken livers and calf sweet breads. Still, these selections made us chuckle. Such appropriate Halloween fare.

We opted instead to begin our meal with the Salad Transylvania, a large salad of fresh, mixed greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers and pickles, garnished with lemon wedges and topped with a shaving of Bulgarian cheese. It was more than enough for two.

Our waitress was friendly and attentive, explaining the food ingredients and apologizing for her English, which was more than adequate.

For an appetizer, I ordered the Romanian Meatballs, my companion ordered the stuffed mushrooms, and we shared.

The bite-sized meatballs were a tender mixture of pork and veal, very unlike traditional meatballs made of chopped meat. The petite stuffed mushrooms were also different, stuffed with ground pork rather than the more common crab meat stuffing. One caution, both appetizers were smaller in size and less moist than their Americanized counterparts.

As an entree I tried the Tochitura Moldova — veal and pork chunks in a Romanian tomato-based sauce, served with a mound of polenta, which was topped with a fried egg. It was tasty and filling.

My companion stuck with Romanian steak, a mainstay on any Romanian menu. His steak was served as ordered, the portion satisfying, and accompanied by three ice-cream scoop size portions of mashed potatoes.

“If you were looking for a simple meat and potato meal, this would be it,” he said.

Several selections were listed under the dessert heading. What most enticed me was the cheese dumpling with sour cream and jam. It was more a large pastry than a dumpling — sweet to the taste and served warm. My companion chose the Transylvania Crepes with jam, a delicate crepe quartered and filled with sweet jam. The restaurant also offers a crepe with a pureed plum filling.

We dug into our desserts. As darkness descended, the lighted wall sconces now cast an eerie glow on our surroundings. The holiday decorations were all aglow and the face of Dracula had taken on a sinister air. It was beginning to look a lot like Halloween.

The Bottom Line

Transylvania is an attractive, interesting place, given the connotation and history behind the name. It’s the place to go when you’re in the mood for something “different.”

Chef’s Choice

Salad Transylvania – Mixed greens, tomatoes, etc. topped with Bulgarian cheese….$4.95

Chopped eggplant salad…4.50

Veal sour soup Transylvania…$4

Romanian meatballs…$5.95

Stuffed mushrooms…$4.95

Mixed grill à la Transylvania – (for 2) Combination platter of chicken, Romanian steak, pork & Romanian sausage…$24.95

Stuffed cabbage (stuffed w/ pork) with polenta…$12.95

Transylvania Crepes w/jam…$3.50

Assorted Pastries…$3.50 each

Cuisine: Romanian/Continental

Setting: Attractive