Village’s Istanbul Grill triumphs in Turkish scene, cuisine
Nestled in the Rice Village between Little Woodrow’s and The Mail Room, this gem of Turkish culinary traditions brims with ambiance and out-of-the-ordinary menu selections. A vine-covered arch marks the entrance to leafy outdoor seating.
There, in the light breeze of antique ceiling fans, under the shade of large umbrellas, are macrame-upholstered chairs and wooden tables. Turkish jig music plays softly, contributing to the distant-lands atmosphere. Our charming server, whose warmth complemented the restaurant’s charm impeccably, described the dishes in a thick, Turkish accent.
The menu is full of ethnic goodies. In particular, the Iskender Kebab caught our eyes. “This most popular and flattering dish of Turkish Cuisine,” reads the menu, “is made with tender slices of Doner kebab layered on a bed of diced, butter-roasted pide bread surrounded with yogurt and topped with our own sauce.”
Mouths watering, seduced by the lush description, we hastily ordered this and a round of appetizers, priced reasonably at about $4 each. Entrees run $8 - $9, and most are served with a rice and purple-cabbage salad. To begin, we noshed on the Patlatican Salata — an eggplant puree seasoned with lemon and tahini — that outperforms the baba ghannouj anywhere else in the Village.
On the waiter’s recommendation, we accompanied this appetizer with a Mantar — mushrooms stuffed with ricotta cheese in a deliously unique sauce — and the house-made hummus, which is served with fluffy and freshly made bread instead of the dried-out pitas found at many Mediterranean restaurants.
In addition to our Iskender entree, we feasted on the Doner Sandwich, Istanbul’s version of the traditional gyro, which the menu lauded as a “Great classic of Turkish cuisine featuring thin slabs of lamb and beef combination marinated with our own secret blend of seasoning, slowly grilled on a vertical skewer and thinly sliced.”
A quick glance behind the cashier counter confirms this claim. There in all its splendor is a floor-to-ceiling hunk of lamb turning on a spit. It sits in front of large display cases brimming with slabs of meat on skewers — the Doner kebabs, as well as chicken and other cubic meat on sticks. On customers’ requests, kebabs are plucked from the case and tossed in a large brick oven.
The indoor seating has the feel of a Turkish grandmother’s kitchen, complete with blue checkered tablecloths topped with bright-blue eyeballs, traditionally used to ward off bad luck. On the walls hang bronze medallions, instruments made of gourds, and even more eyeball-centric artwork.
Our favorite dishes of the afternoon were undoubtedly the creamy Patlatican Salata and the honey-soaked Baklava, served with three dainty forks and as flaky as it was syrupy.
The Ezme Salata, which bears a striking similarity to pico de gallo, was well-spiced but seemed out of place in the shadow of the Patlatican and Iskender. The vegetarian Lachaman, a crispy flatbread covered in a tomato-heavy vegetable mixture, tasted like a salsa-coated tortilla chip — those who do not enjoy parsley should not order this dish. At only $4, however, the disappointment was not a major setback.
As for the ultimate test of any Mediterranean restaurant, the gyro sandwich, we found ourselves underwhelmed. Inside the pita, the shredded lamb bits were expertly seasoned but a bit dry — a problem unaided by the puny serving of thin yogurt sauce on the side. The mediocre pita was even more disappointing in contrast to the still-warm-from-the-oven sesame bread along with the thyme and olive oil dip, thankfully served with all appetizers.
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