Welcome back, Fellow Hoppers!

As we dive into a new era of the Hoppie Hopper enterprise, we are excited to share our expanded vision for coverage across this site. While we previously zeroed in on the delectable izakaya and omakase that define much of New York’s Japanese food and cultural scene, we now widen our aperture to consider the geographic entity of “Asia” more broadly– recognizing that the region is as much (if not more) an idea in the mind of conjured space as it is a set delineation defined by borders, ports, and check points.

On that note, join us as we venture to southwest Asia to the Georgian nation, birthplace– yes– of Stalin, but also of some of the most exciting food we have had the privilege of tucking into in quite some time. What better way to cast our net far and wide to arguably one of Asia’s farthest outposts than to head to Chito Gvrito, a cozy, well-established landmark on New York’s Georgian food scene, located on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.

We started with a delicious bottle of Anemo Krakhuna, a crisp yet complex Georgian wine from the nation’s Kartli region. Georgia has long been known for its cultivation of natural wines that take years of careful work to develop and great patience through a laborious barrel-aging process that produces some of the smoothest, most sublime wine anywhere in the world. The Krakhuna white grape variety from which this bottle is derived is indigenous to Imereti in western Georgia – the name means “crispy” in the Imeretian dialect.

We admired its chalky tannins, stone fruit flavors, and a slight herbal tinge. Further, awareness of such stellar natural wines remains minimal and prices extremely reasonable. We drained the bottle and are not ashamed to admit to have rightfully ordered a second.

Chito Gvrito‘s food menu offers a variety of carefully crafted classics that make it all too easy to get carried away– what is, after all, one more plate of dumplings when they are pinched and boiled so gently, only to be bitten to yield a juicy, complex medley of flavors? (Note: vegetarians will find themselves on the outskirts of this menu, but a fine meal of non-meat options can certainly be crafted nonetheless).

We opted for the lamb and tarragon dumplings– a juicy feast of grass-fed, chopped beef and lamb, blended with tarragon and mint. Sublime, satiating, and just subtle enough to find its perfect match in the occasional, refreshing sip of Anemo Krakhuna. The interplay of flavors and textures often makes a meal so much more memorable than those we consume to simply fill up and move on. Chito Gvrito proved, early on, to be a place to linger.

Onward we flew toward the curiously compelling plate of the aubergine roll, a wallop of eggplant stuffed with walnut fenugreek garlic paste and fresh pomegranate. The sweet pop of pomegranate offset the buttery-rich eggplant and again we were reminded of the brilliant ways in which complex, possibly unexpected flavors can and will be combined in Georgian cuisine to thrill diners– heightening a convivial evening of catching up as we had not been able to do for years. A brilliant dish truly can do wonders for mind, body, and soul.

Next, an elegant presentation of chicken kababs, known as Free Range Chicken Mtsvadi arrived, boasting five massive chargrilled chunks of chicken alongside a delicate spring salad. But the real standout here was the tangy yellow plum sauce with which the meat was paired. Could not. Get. Enough. Lesson learned at Chito Gvrito: come for the food, stay for the sauces.

We dipped, scooped, and even eyed each other with some suspicion as the sauce dwindled to its final streaks. But never fear– the Chito Gvrito team is happy to supply you with an additional dash, by which point the flavor of the meat had been nearly overwhelmed (at least on my plate) with the tangy yellow plum sauce and I could not have been happier.

Finally, perhaps most significantly, who are we to visit a rarefied Georgian restaurant like Chito Gvrito and not try perhaps Georgia’s greatest culinary export: the Ajaruli, or Georgian Cheese Pie? It’s as straightforward– and miraculous– as it sounds: a scooped out hallow of fresh, homemade bread stuffed with baked eggs and an in-house cultured butter. We came. We saw. We ripped. We dipped. And we sighed with the gratitude best known to those who appreciate a great carb coupled with a great fat and really, who among us does not? If that does not describe you, fair reader, we implore you to reconsider.

New Yorkers, perhaps in particular, will gravitate to this one for its gentle suggestion of, yes, pizza, but elevated. You got kids? Get a couple for the whole table and marvel at the silence that descends as pan-generational foodies take note, and heed:

Why the blurry photo, you ask? We simply had no time. The rush to get straight into this one was undeniable, as is the broader greatness of Chito Gvrito.

We can’t wait to continue hopping around the western reaches of Asia as we broaden our views and seek out the greatest culinary delights New York has to offer.

Onward, fellow Hoppie Hoppers!