Lalezar

[Rosie]

Another winner has opened in Montclair--Lalezar, 720 Bloomfield Ave, (973-233-1984); BYO. We ate here last night and judging by our one dinner we can’t wait to return.

Started off with a coban salad made with tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, scallions and parsley in a refreshing olive oil and vinegar dressing. We opted for feta cheese which was an extra $1.50.

Warm bread –not pita—was brought to our table and I could not stop eating it. Owner told us he gets it from a small place in Paterson and Corrado’s does not sell it. I even snuck a few pieces into my take out bag which is something I never do.

Some background. We were told that the chef cooked for Queen Elizabeth when she was in Turkey. Don’t know which year. Also, the owners were briefly affiliated with 7 Hills of Istanbul, Highland Park, an excellent restaurant. Lalezar means keeper of the tulips.

We also ordered lebni which was the thickest, creamiest yogurt that I have ever had. It was garnished with dill and walnuts. I thought it had sour cream in it but was told that wasn’t the case.

Lowell had the Kuzu Sis which were cubes of lamb that had been marinated and grilled. They were tasty and tender. Entrees come with a grilled tomato and pepper, a slaw and white rice or bulgur. I had a combination appetizer platter for my entrée consisting of humus, babagannus, fried eggplant in a fresh tomato sauce, and tabbouleh. Everything was delicious but I thought that the babagannus had too much tahini not allowing the eggplant flavors to dominate the dish.

We were too full for dessert and brought home some food. With tax and tip the bill was $50.

[Curlz]

...a coban salad

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A coban salad? Sounds good, but that's a new one to me. Is this traditional in Turkish cuisine? And thanks for the heads-up...I'm going to be spending a LOT more time in Montclair starting next month, as my bro and family are moving there! Hope to get to Lalezar soon, as it sounds interesting.

[Rosie]

Coban salads are common in Turkish restaurants. It's listed on the menu as Coban Salatasi.

[scarlet knight]

What is it near?

[Curlz]

If I'm not mistaken, it's on Bloomfield on the end up near Whole Foods--but on the opposite side of the street. I remember noticing a sign that said Coming Soon--Turkish restaurant somewhere in that vicinity.

[Rosie]

It is where Chelsea Grille used to be. Across from the Montclair Art Museum and from Whole Foods.

[emilymarie]

Warm bread –not pita—was brought to our table and I could not stop eating it. Owner told us he gets it from a small place in Paterson and Corrado’s does not sell it. I even snuck a few pieces into my take out bag which is something I never do.

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Would the owners not tell you where they got the bread in Paterson? What bakery? Ah, you can't beat good bread.

Thanks for the report. This place sounds very good.

[Rosie]

Warm bread –not pita—was brought to our table and I could not stop eating it. Owner told us he gets it from a small place in Paterson and Corrado’s does not sell it. I even snuck a few pieces into my take out bag which is something I never do.

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Would the owners not tell you where they got the bread in Paterson? What bakery? Ah, you can't beat good bread.

Thanks for the report. This place sounds very good.

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No, they wouldn't tell me but did say they would order it for me when I wanted to buy some.

[emilymarie]

No, they wouldn't tell me but did say they would order it for me when I wanted to buy some.

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Mmmm, how cryptic. I wonder why they won't say? Too good a secret maybe? Well, I'm going to have to go there myself and investigate--and maybe order some if it's as good as you say.

[ghostrider]

It is where Chelsea Grille used to be. Across from the Montclair Art Museum and from Whole Foods.

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That's a great little block. It's so nice to be able to fill up the car with Whole Foods goods & then stroll across the street for dinner.

Does Lalezar have the same deal with parking in the Art Museum lot after hours that the other restaurants there do?

Are you getting tired of all these questions?

Edited November 18, 2004 by ghostrider (log)

[Rosie]

Don't park at Whole Foods. We were at Lalezar during the week and parked in the museum parking lot. I don't know what the situation is on weekends.

[ghostrider]

I meant drive across the street.

Pity they don't seem to have a website - Google leads me right back to this thread - I'd like a gander at their menu. Guess I'll just have to drive over.

[waves2ya]

Thks Rosie.

Yumm...

Can't wait.

[menton1]

Would the owners not tell you where they got the bread in Paterson? What bakery? Ah, you can't beat good bread.

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An educated guess would be Fattal's on Main Street. One of the best pita breads in NJ, and usually right out of the oven there.

[ghostrider]

"bread not pita" is what was stated.

[Cornellrob]

on rosie's recommendation, went to Lalezar this past saturday. the place was jam-packed....that didn't seem to affect the service, the food quality, or the wait for our dishes.

the bread is not a pita. it is some other kind of bread -- and it is really, really good. definitely hard to stop eating. if anyone knows where to get this bread, they need to post where to get it.

i'm honestly not a big fan of montclair restaurants... with the exception of Formia (in Bloomfield), or the vegetarian indian place on bloomfield ave, i usually leave dissapointed with some aspect of the food, the overall experience, or both. not this place though. Lalezar really seems to have their act together.

the food was fresh, vibrant, and generously portioned. the service was friendly, including the two "hostesses" (they might be the owners), who were eager to tell us all about the intricacies of turkish food.

we got the ground lamb skewers and an order of stuffed cabbage - both of which are recommended.

[coughy]

I love any Meditteranean food and we went last night after a great movie. The place was packed at 9:30 and we were lucky to get the one open table. I was so looking forward to the bread you are all raving about and all they had was bland pita that ws not at all warm. When I asked about the bread they said that is all they had.

Dinner was delicious. We started with the coban salad that we mixed with cacik which is a yogurt blended with cucumbers, garlic and dill. The felafel was great as was the hummus. We loved sigara boregi which was feta cheese wrapped in phyllo.

I had Adana Kebab, ground lamb, my husband had Doner Kebab which is sliced lamb and beef and our friends both had Tavuk Sis, chicken kebabs.

We shared Baklava and Revani, a sponge cake soaked in sugar water.

With tax and tip our bill was $100. Going back next Wednesday, can't wait!

[Rosie]

I am so sorry to hear that they are not serving the bread that we loved. Perhaps they were out of it for the evening. Did you ask if they are just going to be serving the pita bread from now on?

[ghostrider]

We were there Saturday night. They had some kind of focaccia-like bread that was dull. I don't know whether this is the bread that was referred to above; the texture was OK but there was little flavor to it, nor was it warm.

The room & the staff couldn't have been nicer, but the food was a drag. The acili ezme (sp?) appetizer, a spicy mixture of tomato, onion, peppers & walnuts, was the only dish that showed any sparkle. The lentil soup was bland. My chicken tasted old - certainly not spoiled, but not fresh - was dusted with a dull herb mixture, & was greasy. OK they were grilled chicken thighs, you expect a bit of fat, I'd hoped that most of it would be grilled out of the meat & was disappointed. The accompanying bulgur pilaf was too salty for me, probably not for a normal person, but it didn't work for my low-salt taste.

My SO had the ground chicken kebabs, which she also thought were dull, though not greasy. I wasn't in a mood to sample them. As mentioned, the portions are very generous.

I really wanted to like this place, but the food was a letdown. And the entrees were jammed onto our table before I was even half finished with the soup. Granted, they were mobbed, perhaps even more than usual due to a museum event, so I took the service gaffe in stride, no big deal. But the overall experience was not what I'd expected from the reports above.

Edited December 6, 2004 by ghostrider (log)

[Rosie]

Ouch! Seems like they are suffering from becoming too popular too fast and can't handle the crowds.

[coughy]

The food was so good on Saturday, we went back last night with a group of friends. For a Wednesday night the place was jumping. The bread this time was a mixture of the cold pita and some sort of foccaccia. I was sorry but glad because who needs the carbs this time of year.

What is the problem with parking at Whole Foods? The museum parking lot had a chain across it so we couldn' t get in.

Edited December 9, 2004 by coughy (log)

[Rosie]

If you park at Whole Foods and are not shopping there you risk having your car towed.

I am disappointed to hear that they are not serving the same bread. It was worth the carbs.

[ghostrider]

Whole Foods allows you to park there for 2 hours if you're a customer, so pop in & buy something, then go eat.

[tomfromwo]

Musuem parking tip. If the chain is blocking the entrance near lalezar. There is another entrance on the next street that is never blocked. Go on bloomfied ave west of whole foods. Make left at next light. The entrance is a few hundred yards on the left(musuem will be on your left). I have never had any trouble doing this so far. Just park where other cars are parked

tom

[ghostrider]

Never say never. On those rare occasions when the museum is having an evening event, you may have a problem. Last Saturday night they had a private security guard kicking people out of the lot if they didn't have an invite to the event.