Chio Pio serves up hearty Uzbeki fare from the Times Square of the Silk Road. Unexpectedly, the food at Chio Pio comes from Uzbekistan. The Central Asian republic, with its glittering and minareted trading centers of Bukhara, Samarkand, and Tashkent, is the Times Square of the Silk Road. But while most local Uzbeki places offer a Bukharan or Samarkander take on the chow, Chio Pio has a Tashkent bent. The glass boat holds a delicious pound of it, a tender julienne of lamb tossed with crunchy shredded daikon in a light and vinegary mayo.
Chopped scallions round out the picture.
Other dishes demonstrate the same easy fusion of East and West, so much less forced than the self-congratulatory mingling favored by Manhattan chefs. I wondered why, until I discovered that Korean restaurants provide Tashkent's favorite night out. It's interesting to speculate that the Koreans, who have been in the region since Russia lost the Russo-Japanese War in 1905, are responsible for the chiles at Chio Pio, rather than the Indians or Portuguese. Open daily 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. No credit cards. Wheelchair accessible with assistance.