Turkish Food ???

What are your experiences with Turkish Food ???

I think it's very tasty. Is there something in particular you're interested in? I go to a small place called Gyro King at 25 Grove St. across from the San Francisco Main Library. It's a lunch only place and the name is deceptive since it serves a wide range of Turkish goodies all made by the ladies of the family that owns and runs it.

Truth be told, Turkish food is a lot like Greek food or Lebanese food which makes historical sense since the Turks occupied these countries for a long time and they sit next to each other.

Here's a list of Bay Area Turkish places: http://saudigrrl.proboards27.com/index.cgi?board=restaurants&action=display&num=1076789768 .

I've also eaten at A La Turca and it's good too (and open for dinner) but I prefer the sunnier, busier atmosphere at Gyro King.

In the past few years several Turkish restaurants have opened in Boston. One of the newest is Babasco, at 1022 Commonwealth Avenue. They specialize in many kinds of kebab, but there are also a good number of salads and cold dishes, as well as daily specials, interesting soft drinks, and desserts that we have yet to try because we're always too full from the main meal.

Lucky Bishop and I have eaten there several times recently and haven't been disappointed yet, and we're nowhere close to running through all the choices on the menu. Not only that, the staff are extremely friendly and happy to share their cuisine - the first time we went was late on a Sunday night, in a light snowstorm (in spite of which, we were NOT the only customers or the last ones to come in.) The host was friendly and pleased with our enthusasm for his food, and the next time we came in, several weeks later, he remebered us!

I agree with BT that it is similar to other kinds of Middle Eastern food, although personally I find it more reminiscent of Bulgarian food than of Greek (again - no surprise, since the Bulgarians also were ruled by the Turks for about 500 years, until the early part of the 20th century.)

We get home made Turkish Food from our friends here in Talent. Every so often he'll whip up some Baklava. Always Gyros. He's got a spit outside. (really). Just don't mention Greek food around him, as he'll rail on about the Greeks stealing all their cooking concepts.

I like Turkish Taffy

In Highland Park, NJ, there is a very nice Turkish restaurant by the name of "7 Hills of Istanbul". Naturally, all of the lamb dishes are great. I also enjoyed the Shepherd's Salad.

The only thing that I did not enjoy was the Turkish Coffee. Although I love strong Espresso, the Turkish Coffee was just too thick and too bitter for me to consider it enjoyable. I assume that this is an acquired taste.

I've cooked lots of Turkish food in restaurants and at home. Turkish breads are wonderful. My husband and I like to make a Turkish style pita with chernushka, a black seed from the thyme family, and serve it with Red Lentil soup. There is a store we like to frequent in Overland Park, KS. called the Mediterranean Market. (Bill Voss, it's right across the street from where Peaches was) The owner is Turkish and a very good cook and very nice. His salads, kabobs and vegetables are vibrantly flavored. Another kitchen I'd like to hang out in and learn more.

Last night a friend and I went to The Riviera Restaurant in Clemson to try their Turkish Night Buffet. I've been eating at the Riviera for years but had never tried Turkish night. They have it twice a week.

It was outstanding. My friend and I each had two plates, trying a little of everything, and were completely stuffed by the end of the meal. I really enjoyed the different varieties of eggplant they had to offer. Kisir, wheat salad, was completely new to me and very tasty. Their pita bread had more flavor than the bland pitas you find at the store. The baklava, lentil balls, and cheese pastry were all very good as well.

The true revelation was the rice. Wedding rice, as it was labeled, on the buffet, is one of the tastiest things I have ever consumed. Fragrant and flavorful, it was truly memorable. I tried to guess what was in it but came up short. Saffron, perhaps? I ended my meal with a little more wedding rice and the taste and scent stayed with me a long time.

I believe they put jasmine in the rice..

my friend puts saffron in his rice.

I'm just made about saffron,
saffron's mad about me.
I'm just mad about saffron,
she's just mad about me.
They call me Mellow Yellow(quite rightly)

Donovan

It could have been saffron, it could have been jasmine, all I know is that it was out of this world. It was pretty decadent, and eating a whole lot of it would make your stomach explode, but I really loved it. It's not on the restaurant's main menu, which is a shame, but now I know I can have it as a treat twice a month during Turkish night.

one of my favorite restaurants in DC is a turkish restaurant: Cafe Divan. It's in Georgetown on Wisconsin Ave. We love taking guests there. Not only is the place trendy in design, the food is very authentic - owned and operated by a multi-generation turkish chef.

here's an article from the Washington City Paper (the city's largest and most respected free paper)

Ottoman sultans used to require their cooks to specialize in particular dishes, whether kebabs or pilafs, which the chefs would work to perfect over a lifetime in the kitchen. Cavit Ozturk, the owner of Café Divan in Georgetown, embodies the spirit of this ancient tradition. Ozturk has 38 years of experience in Turkish restaurants, including 13 years in the kitchen before moving into management. His father was a chef, his grandfather was a chef, and his great-grandfather was a chef. The roots of Ozturk’s restaurant stretch back to the era of the once powerful Ottoman empire. Chef Yucel Atalay, who himself has 20 years of experience in Turkish cooking, works with the owner to make this history come alive in a stylish, wood-and-glass environment. Cafe Divan’s wood-­burning-oven pides put to shame many others in town— particularly its sucuk pide, a bubbly, boat-shaped flatbread with rounds of spicy, aromatic sucak sausage imported directly from the Turkish town that made the links famous. Atalay shows off his grill skills with some of his kebabs, which boast a nice char that gives way to the fragrant meat underneath. The appetizers can be hit or miss, from a deliciously eggy-and-cheesy zucchini patty called müjver to overly oily dolmas. But as those sultan chefs would tell you if they were around today, perfection is always impossible.
Tim Carman (5/4/2006)


additional comments from patrons can be found at :http://restaurants.washingtoncitypaper.com/restaurant.php?rID=374

In addition to the food being great, the prices are very affordable.