Turkish Kitchen

[SobaAddict70]

So many were so good that it is hard to pick favorites. If forced to, I would give the nod to the mashed eggplant, the pan-fried calf's liver, the poached beef dumplings in a garlic yogurt sauce and the mussels stuffed with pine nuts, black currants and rice.

Turkish Kitchen (Frank Bruni)

Soba

[rozrapp]

Turkish Kitchen is a real favorite of ours. It's only a couple of blocks from our apartment, we've dined there too many times to count (lunch and dinner), and the food is always consistently well-prepared and delicious.

Sometimes, my husband and I make an entire meal of their mezzes. There are so many to choose from, both hot and cold. Two that we always include in every meal: Patlacan Salatasi - the eggplant salad Bruni mentions and Sigara Boregi - phyllo scrolls stuffed with feta, perfectly deep-fried, crispy and with never even a hint of grease. We also frequently order the excellent shepherd's salad. My favorite main course is the grilled baby lamb chops, and my husband's is the baked lamb casserole. When it comes to dessert, we favor the dried apricots stuffed with cream.

Service is always pleasant and very efficient.

If it's early in the evening, we'll go there without a reservation and not have a problem getting a table. But if you're planning on eating in prime time or with a group, reservations are a must. You can pass by some evenings as late as 11 -- particularly on the weekend -- and the place will still be jammed.

Not that Turkish Kitchen needs any help from the Times' reviewer, considering how popular it already is, but it's nice to see that Bruni agrees with me and gives it the thumbs up.

[Dryden]

We've been to Turkish Kitchen a couple of times, and while it's good, I don't think the quality of the individual dishes is quite as good as that available at Pasha on the UWS. On the other hand, Turkish Kitchen's menu is quite a bit bigger, which is nice.

Are there any other good Turkish places out there? Especially those with exceptional manti?

[rozrapp]

Are there any other good Turkish places out there?  Especially those with exceptional manti?

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A few days ago, we ate for the first time at Beyoglu, on the corner of Third Ave. & 81st St. We sampled 7 of the mezzes. Though all were very good, hummus, the eggplant salad, and spinach mixed with shallots, dill, & olive oil and topped with yogurt were outstanding. I did not think their shepherd's salad was as good as Turkish Kitchen's. My husband ordered the Doner Kebab platter. I tasted just a little of the very thinly sliced beef and lamb. They were juicy and delicious. The platter included rice and fried potatoes.

P.S. No manti on the menu.

[Stone]

These restaurants may or may not withstand the test of time.

I may or may not disagree.

(Does Bruni have an editor, or is he the last word on his reviews?)

[wannabechef]

I probably shouldn't be writing this. I know I shouldn't. I don't want this secret to get out. But it needs to. This post will be brief because I think that these pics speak for themselves.

Turkish Kitchen is one of the first (if not THE first) upscale Turkish restaurant in the city. They are reliably good for dinner - (but I think there are better Turkish options in the city now) - However, their brunch is simply spectacular. It is around $18 for an open buffet and they have 2 seatings on Sat and Sun.

The brunch consists of excellent versions of literally almost every Turkish dish I can think of. Everything from meze (maybe 10 different types), to fresh baked bread, to kebabs, fish, doner, baklava and other exciting deserts. I've been to Turkey numerous times and am actually married to a Turk - and this gets both of our stamps of approval. It's insanely good. If you want to get a good sampling of what Turkish food is all about - from breakfast to lunch, to dinner and desert, go here. I think its a bit early for Raki though - so you can get traditional Turkish tea, or coffee.

So, go with an empty stomach, and don't tell anyone else!

A SECTION of the savory portion:

Desert table view 1

Desert table view 2

~WBC

[Pan]

Thanks for that great post, WBC. I promise not to tell anyone.

And here's their website.

[alacarte]

I've been to Turkish Kitchen many times for dinner, and can confirm that it's excellent. In particular, their levrek sis (grilled fish kebab), tarama, and cigar boureki are standouts.

I've never been for their brunch, but I don't doubt that it's very good too. Turkish coffee seems like a great way to start the day. But I always thought it odd that they would stray from their core competency to include herring, bagels, and hot dogs & french fries on their menu.

[wannabechef]

But I always thought it odd that they would stray from their core competency to include herring, bagels, and hot dogs & french fries on their menu.

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Huh?

[zeitoun]

My turkish work colleague has been meaning to take me there for the past 6 months but our plans always fell through. After looking at your pictures I just can't forgive myself anymore..

BTW, he also mentionned a couple of Turkish places located in Sheepshead Bay (i think they do brunch too) which are supposedly very good too, have you tried any? if so how so they compare to Turkish Kitchen?

[alacarte]

But I always thought it odd that they would stray from their core competency to include herring, bagels, and hot dogs & french fries on their menu.

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Huh?

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click here for Sunday brunch menu

[wannabechef]

But I always thought it odd that they would stray from their core competency to include herring, bagels, and hot dogs & french fries on their menu.

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Huh?

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click here for Sunday brunch menu

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Hah - you're right. I don't remember seeing that stuff when I was there but I wouldn't be surprised. I ignored the omlette station because there was so much other good stuff there I didn't want to fill up on eggs. As for the hot dog - the Turks use hot dogs in strange places sometimes - so I'm not really surprised about that. Now bagels - thats definately not Turkish! Guess they're trying to have something for everyone. I'd stick to the Turkish stuff though.

[Daniel]

Turkish Kitchen

386 3rd Ave, New York 10016

Btwn 27th & 28th St

Phone: 212-679-6633

Fax: 212-679-1830

There are few places where everything clicks for me. The service, the food, the idea or message a restaurant is trying to convey.. If there even is one.. The Turkish Kitchen, is one of those places that really has it down.. Every tiny detail has been meticulously considered by the owner, for the sole purpose of sharing his love of life and food with the us.. You are not just a dollar sign, but a transported guest to this man's country, his home..

The place has a real warm feel to it.. It is dark and sophisticated without being stuffy or having an attitude.. The staff is really professional and most accommodating .. I have eaten most things on the menu and I can honestly say, I have not had a bad dish..Obviously, some things are better then others, but this restaurant and its owner would not settle for mediocrity..

The last time I was there we had an awesome meal..

We started with an assortment of four dips.. From left to right there is Humus, Barbunya Pilaki aka (Red Kidney Beans with lemon and olive oil), Patlican Salatasi aka (Eggplant dip blended with herbs), Yalanci Dolma (Grape Leaves stuffed with rice,onion,pine nut, black currants and herbs).. All of these dishes were really good.. I must say the Humus is especially outrageous.. One of, if not the best, I have ever had.. Perfect amount of garlic, it was rich and creamy.. Served with hot Turkish Bread, it was fantastic.. Not to mention the fact that I loved this bread to no end.. Smokey, hot from the oven, burnt on the outside, soft on the inside.. The next time I go back, I might not order all four dishes. I might just go beans and humus for a cold appetizer, strictly to save room for other dishes..

Next we moved on to an assortment of Hot Appetizers:

Going clockwise you have calamari served with a garlic sauce, Kofte (cracked wheat patties stuffed with ground lamb,pine nuts, black currants and walnuts), Phylo stuffed with feta and fried, Zucchini pancakes served with garlic yogurt sauce.. This plate was the least favorite assortment. .I am not really a fan of fried calamari, but for a pedestrian dish like this, it is a good version.. I really enjoyed the cracked wheat patty stuffed with lamb, spices and nuts.. This is really a terrific dish, I have had it at several other places but these were really spiced so well.. MY girlfriend absolutely loved the phylo stuffed with feta.. Another common dish, but its the common dishes where the skill and superiority of a Kitchen shines.. Turkish Kitchen does not go through the motions on anything.. There are not trays of these already fried, getting soggy sitting in the back somewhere.. It arrives hot and perfect.. The same applies to the Zucchini Cake. Crisp, with a refreshing garlicky sauce.. Not my favorite, but no slouch..

Here is a shot of my favorite of this plate, Cracked wheat stuffed with lamb, pine nuts, and spices.. It is really just so good..

I often get myself in trouble at places with large menus that offer such a wide variety of dishes.. I often get overwhelmed and instead of deciding, I order everything.. We were drinking and having a good time and the waiters were being really helpful.. Spacing out the meal at a great pace and helping arrange the progression..

There were two dishes I was not going to leave the restaurant without having.. The first was the lahmacun... I have had lahmacun at a few places, most recently my friends mother's house.. But I must say, this was the best I have ever had.. Its basically a really crispy thin spicy lamb pizza..

The second dish was the fried calves liver.. These last two dishes we were really starting to get in to some authentic, a little more adventurous eating.. Perfectly fried, perfectly seasoned, perfect in crunch and richness.. I wish they served this at the movies instead of popcorn, I would certainly go a lot more..

At this point I was ready to stop eating physically. Mentally, I was still on the amuse.. I was ready to look at dessert when one last thing caught my eye.. It was something under the daily specials.. It was a lamb casserole with peas,herbs and tomato sauce, cooked in a pastry dough.. This was a really traditional as told to us by our waiter.. In keeping with the fantastic service, It was opened table side and served to us..

Served to us on the crust of the pastry it was a classy presentation.. I was really lambed out at this point, but found it to be really tasty and different from my previous lamb dishes.. Very pretty.

Our last entree was a whole char-grilled sea bass.. Again, it was brought to the table and then de-boned and filleted by our waiter.. It was a great fish.. My only problem was the plating.. Not the prettiest of presentations, but the fish spoke for itself.. The grill really did all the work on this dish, really adding a wonderful flavor..

Since we were at the point of gluttony, why stop? After really enjoying the food, we felt compelled, to report back to Egullet.. We forced ourselves to have several desserts.. I was really not expecting too much from the desserts.. I figured I would order a few and maybe find one that was decent.. I have not had much experience with Turkish Desserts.. With the exception of a couple of over sweet pistachio cakes, i didn't know what existed..

Well we ordered three desserts and really enjoyed them all.. I dont know the exact names and probably wont do it justice in my description, but they were very enjoyable..

A glutinous like log cake.. It was rolled in cinnamon and was fantastic..

A fried flaky type cake soaked in honey.. This was my favorite dessert that I had that night.. Would get it again in a second..

Homemade vanilla ice cream served with pistachios.. Very good ice cream, liked the topping..

A really pretty fruit presentation we did not order but, they still brought to us...

So after a few bottles of really nice Turkish Wine and a ton of food, we were really so impressed.. Not just with the food, but with everything about this place.. The Turkish Kitchen is not only a great insight into Turkish Cuisine and Culture, but a clear example of how to successfully approach anything you do in life.. With passion, heart, and class..

Edited October 25, 2005 by Daniel (log)

[Pan]

Great report! Though I hope you two don't wake up regretting having eaten all that food.

Where's the place located?

[Daniel]

Thanks for reminding me.. I added the information to the beginning of my first post.. So far so good

Edited October 25, 2005 by Daniel (log)

[Pan]

Oh, I know this place. It used to have a different name, which slips my mind at the moment. But it's been quite a while. I used to enjoy drinking the Turkish cherry soda they sell with my doner kebab or whatever. Yeah, I do remember their desserts were great. Gosh, this is probably 4 years ago. I was a chowhound at the time, and I remember Jim Leff touting the place.

[Cleo]

Wow, great report and what a feast! I've been wanting to try Turkish Kitchen for quite a while, now I really want to try it.

Oh, I know this place. It used to have a different name, which slips my mind at the moment. But it's been quite a while. I used to enjoy drinking the Turkish cherry soda they sell with my doner kebab or whatever. Yeah, I do remember their desserts were great. Gosh, this is probably 4 years ago. I was a chowhound at the time, and I remember Jim Leff touting the place.

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It's been there for about 10 years.

[ludja]

Homemade vanilla ice cream served with pistachios.. Very good ice cream, liked the topping..

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Great report; interesting to see dishes I had not heard of and the fruit presentation is amazing.

I'm curious re: the pistachios served with the ice cream. Were they just finely chopped or were they blended with a mixture of sugar or something else? I can't tell from the photo.

Thanks!

[alacarte]

This is a regular haunt for me too. Love it.

Excellent cigar boureki (those cigar-shaped phyllo dough things stuffed with feta), creamy tarama (Turkish version of taramasalata) and fish kebabs, very fresh and grilled simply and served with lemon and green salad. And yes, the service is among the most pleasant and least pretentious you're going to find in the city.

They also have a bizarre weekend buffet brunch that combines Turkish food and the usual scrambled eggs. Go, and ignore the scrambled eggs.

[Pan]

Wow, great report and what a feast!  I've been wanting to try Turkish Kitchen for quite a while, now I really want to try it.

Oh, I know this place. It used to have a different name, which slips my mind at the moment. But it's been quite a while. I used to enjoy drinking the Turkish cherry soda they sell with my doner kebab or whatever. Yeah, I do remember their desserts were great. Gosh, this is probably 4 years ago. I was a chowhound at the time, and I remember Jim Leff touting the place.

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It's been there for about 10 years.

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Did it use to have a different name, or am I confusing it with a place in the same area but on 2nd Av. (or that was on 2nd Av.), perhaps?

[Daniel]

I'm curious re: the pistachios served with the ice cream. Were they just finely chopped or were they blended with a mixture of sugar or something else? I can't tell from the photo.

Thanks!

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Here is a better picture.. The waiter actually topped everything with finely chopped pistachios.. I think they were just the nuts...

[ludja]

hmmm.... pistachios

[wannabechef]

Guys, go for the brunch! It has to be one of the best brunches in the city. You can sample almost every dish they have there for one price (self service, all you can eat). The Turkish Kitchen has been around forever. I think it's one of the city's first Turkish restaurants (at least "upscale")

Check out my review and photos of the brunch here:

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...ndpost&p=877460

~WBC