Turkish Kitchen

For HB’s birthday celebration #3 (I think?), StB and I were going to take her to Turkish Kitchen. Of course, ShB and BB decided they wanted to come too- heck, the more the merrier, right? Of course, when StB changed our reservation, she was informed that it was okay to change as long as we were sure to be out by 9 (our reservation was for 7 pm). This of course brought up jokes about Gordon Ramsay’s 2 hour time limit…

In any case, the most important thing was definitely the food.

We started off with the fried calamari appetizer, which came with a garlicky dipping sauce. We all enjoyed the crispy, chewy calamari and enjoyed dipping the bread in the garlicky sauce even more.

BB and HB both chose to get the beef stuffed cabbage dish, which when I sampled, was filled with beef, but the cabbage kind of just dissolved in my mouth. I would have liked the cabbage to hold up a bit better, since I do like cabbage, but I liked how it was slightly sour and very flavorful.

ShB ordered the Cornish game hen, having heard that it was delicious. She was not disappointed, nor were those who tried it (I didn’t). She said it was definitely worth the $17 price tag.

StB chose to order two appetizers instead of an entree, so she could try more things, and I copied her. For her first appetizer, she chose the zucchini cakes, which were crisp, tasty and very dense. We all enjoyed a bite of the zucchini cakes.

We both chose a red caviar spread as a part of our appetizer-entrees. I really liked this dish, the most actually. There was plenty of red caviar mixed throughout a thick yogurt that we dipped our bread in liberally. I didn’t use the lemon but found the spread flavorful enough to keep eating. I was seriously stuffed and still had to sadly leave some on the plate- it was so good. I think it’s a bit much to eat on your own- HB commented that she liked it but could see herself getting tired of it quickly, so wouldn’t order it without knowing she could share it with a few people. I just nodded, munching happily away on it. StB enjoyed her dish as well, though I believe she also had trouble finishing it.

For my 2nd appetizer, I’d chosen a beef dumpling in a yogurt sauce. I liked these, though they were a bit too sour for me (HB said she liked the sour taste), and I was surprised how small they were. There wasn’t a lack, but they were about the size of my thumbnail, doughy filled with a bit of beef. Definitely interesting although I don’t think I’d ordered this again.

We were way too stuffed to do more than look at the dessert tray.. and my share of the bill was around $20. Not bad.

Yvo says: Turkish Kitchen had a great ambiance for large group dining, laid back and fairly casual. The location is great, on 3rd Avenue between 28th and 27th Streets, and the extremely reasonable prices make it even better. They do add an 18% gratuity for parties of 5 or more, but that is pretty much standard at many restaurants now so it’s not a big deal. I really enjoyed my food and overall dining experience, although if you don’t like yogurt, you may really hate Turkish Kitchen.
highly recommended