On our last visit to Tavi in Covington I was told that there were some menu changes in the works, Tavi and Shaya were moving away ever so slightly from lockstep. Tavi was about to embark on the addition of some local New Orleans flavors infusing some of the dishes at Tavi.
One of the new dishes was a pan-seared Kataifi- wrapped softshell crab. I love Kataifi with its shredded-coconut vibe. Its light and airy texture with crunch is its only similarity to shredded coconut, but it does add a special element to seafood.
What I did try was the new crawfish Turkish pide. I am bonkers for this flatbread, which has been on the menu at Tavi since the begnning, but it was a garlic bread with Parmesan wonder that was part of our every order here. Now it includes a blend of cheeses and crawfish aplenty. The blend of cheeses is creamy and mild, leaving the flavor of the crawfish to come through. The dough is dusted lightly with flour and appropriately charred in spots. This comes out of the same wood oven as the famous pita, and is equally thrilling.
Turkish pide is a pizza dough formed into a boat shape with pointed ends. Inside is filled with whatever is desired. In its place of origin it is usually meat and maybe tahini, but I liked the cheese version at Tavi just fine. And I like the crawfish version even better.
We’ll go back for the softshell soon, and hopefully try some of the other new dishes with local inspiration, not that the straight Mediterranean fare isn’t enough. Tavi adds a great little spice to the downtown Covington dining scene. And the locals have really embraced it.
