Beyoglu : Turkish Delight
My mother-in-law had been raving about this chic Mediterranean spot she's been going to with her co-worker for many weeks and finally last Sunday, she was able to convince us to check it out. The place was already packed when we arrived and they told us that the wait was 45 minutes. Since we walked all the way already, we decided to wait it out. We sort of used Henri, our little boy, to charm our way into getting a table sooner...and it worked! Ha!
The space is consist of two floors although I didn't really get a chance to see the 2nd floor. The main floor is very offbeat East Mediterranean - orange and lime green painted walls, open glass windows, colorful mosaic tile tables close together. Their menu consist of an enticing array of Mediterranean mezes from the familiar hummus (chickpeas and tahini seasoned with garlic and cumin,$6) to Tarama (Carp roe caviar spread,$6)) and entrees like Kilic Sis (chargrilled swordfish with rice pilaf, $17) and Doner Kebab (vertically grilled thin pieces of lamb and beef over rice pilaf, $14.50). Mom highly recommended the Doner entree and said that she was going to order that so I told her I'd just get a portion from her and ended up just ordering a Beyoglu salad. Joel didn't really feel like eating lamb/beef that night so he tried the swordfish. Both entree choices turned out to be excellent! The lamb/beef slices were very tasty and nicely seasoned. Combining it with the grilled onions, tomatoes, rice and the yogurt (extra order) was fantastic! It was nice too with their soft semi-charred pita bread. Joel's seafood entree was just as exciting. The swordfish was juicy, buttery and wonderfully grilled. It's definitely a place to go for your authentic Turkish/Mediterranean fix!
200 E 81st St. (between 2nd and 3rd Ave)
New York, New York 10028
(212) 650-0850
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