Turkish Kitchen

Originally I was going to post this in the What's shakin' and bakin' section of my blog but there was just too much that I wanted to say. Turkish Kitchen is one of my all time favorite restaurants. I just went yesterday and I'm already craving me some more. There hasn't been one thing on their menu that I haven't liked. All the seasonings are well balanced. Meats are cooked perfectly. Every dish is full of flavor. You can tell that care and thoughtfulness was put into everything they make. My Armenian boss took me my first time and we ordered everything on the menu. For apps we had Patlican Salatasi mashed eggplant blended with herbs, Humus chick peas & tahini paste, seasonal with garlic and olive oil, Tarama Salatasi red caviar spread, blended with olive oil and lemon juices, Sigara Boregi phyllo scrolls stuffed with feta cheese pan-fried till golden brown, Mucver pan-fried zucchini pancakes served with garlicky yogurt sauce, Cacik homemade yogurt mixed with chopped cucumber, blended with garlic, mint and dill, and Manti poached beef dumplings served with garlicky yogurt sauce. For entrees we all shared the Döner Kebab vertically grilled lamb sliced very thin, served over rice, Sis Kebab chunks of baby lamb chargrilled on a skewer, served with rice and pan-fried potatoes, Etli Yabrak Dolmasi grape leaves stuffed with ground beef, rice and herbs cooked olive oil, served with rice, Piliç Topkapi boneless cornish hen stuffed with traditional rice, served with zucchini pancakes and baked potato, Akdeniz Levrek Izgara mediterranean whole sea bass, and chargrilled, served with romaine lettuce, a lemon & oil dressing. Seriously, everything was delicious. All the dips are good. The lamb is superb. I was a little afraid that the cornish hen wouldn't be cooked right but it was delicious. I normally don't like grape leaves but Turkish Kitchen makes theirs so good! You have to try it even if you're not a fan.

Last night when I went they were having 20% off because it's their 20th anniversary! Woohoo that means I can eat 20% more. What a great deal! My date and I ordered the Icli Köfte cracked wheat (bulghur) patties stuffed with ground lamb, pinenuts, black currants and walnuts as an app and it was delicious fried goodness filled with really flavorful lamb. Too bad there was only two on the plate. I could have eaten more. For entrees my date's boss, who has been to Turkish Kitchen six times, recommended the Iskender Kebab vertically grilled lamb sliced very thin, served with garlicky yogurt and tomato sauce over pita bread and I'm so glad he did. The lamb was just so damn tasty. Some parts were nicely browned and charred which is how good gyro meat is done. The garlicky yogurt had the texture and taste of ricotta cheese and the pita bread soaked up all the juices from the lamb and the sauces and was more like pasta then bread. The dish is sort of like a turkish lasagna. I ordered the Bildircin Izgara chargrilled boneless quails served with zucchini pancakes and traditional rice. The quail had a nice char to it without being dry. It was well seasoned and flavorful. I loved the rice. It was seasoned with just enough spices to give it a little bit of flavor and had the texture similar to chinese sticky rice which I love. I don't really like my rice dry and loose so it was perfect.

I recommend going to Turkish Kitchen with a big group just so you can try all the dips and apps. But it's also a great place for a romantic date. The next time I go I want to try the Arnavut Cigeri pan-fried calf’s liver served with onion and parsley mix, Ahtapot Salad chargrilled octopus salad tossed with tomatoes and onions, Pirzola baby lamb chops chargrilled and served with traditional rice, Islim Kebab baked lamb shank, wrapped with eggplant slices, served with rice, Hünkar Begendi puree eggplant topped with baked chunks of lamb or chicken marinated in a tomato sauce, and save room for dessert! I'm eying the Keskul almond pudding made with milk and cracked almonds and Revani semolina based pistachio cake soaked in honey syrup. Check out the menu with pictures on their website:

Turkish Kitchen
386 3rd Ave (27th & 28th St)
New York, NY
212-679-6633