Last but Not Least

Bug was thoughtful and took me to Istanbul Grill on the last day of my 365 project, as it was with the sign outside of the restaurant that we embarked on this little-over-year long pictorial chronicle.

 
Day 1 of 365

It was thundering and pouring out so we scurried through the door and handed the hostess the newspaper in its wet plastic sleeve that was left at the doorstep. At the bar were two patrons and one table with diners, more than I expected 30 minutes after opening on a stormy day. The restaurant was refreshingly cool, contrasting the steamy rain outside.

Ayran was on my mind, even though I made a glass two days ago. The salted yogurt drink has a dry and cleansing sensation on my palate, yet is thirst quenching. Aside from being a great drink, I desired it  more to confirm whether I correctly remembered the flavor and texture from the last/first time I tried it 15 months earlier. Alas, ayran was unavailable.

Bug selected patlican dip ($5.95), better known as baba ganoush, to start our meal. Smoky from the mashed eggplants with a thick, garlicky blend of tahini and a bit of lemon, this appetizer is substantial as a meal with the soft and toasty warm pitas that arrive in abundance.

Day 365/365 - Patlican (baba ganoush)

When we ate here the first time, which was the second day the restaurant opened, we were offered a second basket of pitas after we gobbled through our first basket, having ordered the mixed appetizer that comes with 7 items from their cold appetizer offerings. The basket was just as plentiful as pictured below. At the time, I felt embarrassed.

Day 365/365 - Pita

As is my tendency, I made a few substitutions to my order. These substitutions were listed on the menu, so I did not expect any issues. Substitutions are soup in place of fries for an additional $1.50, and rice in place of pita for an additional $1.00.

With a choice between chicken soup with mushrooms and red lentil, I selected red lentil. A large bowl arrived several minutes after the patlican dip. The soup had a thin yet full texture with a light flavor of mint in the paprika-seasoned spicy tomato soup. A thinner soup, even with blended lentils, this is a beautiful summer time soup that is dissimilar to thicker, sweet American tomato soup.

Day 365/365 - Red lentil soup

Several minutes later, our "sandwiches" arrived. Bug ordered a kofte sandwich ($8.95) with no substitutions, so he received a wonderful batch of batter dipped fries and a grilled pita to wrap his kofte, ground, seasoned, then grilled lamb, and salad. To Bug's disappointment, the platter came with (only) three pieces of kofte. He enjoyed the moist kofte separately, making a sandwich out of his and my salad and cacik, a thin yogurt sauce made with fresh dill and cucumbers similar to tzatziki.  

Day 365/365 - Kofte sandwich

I ordered the chicken adana sandwich ($8.95) and substituted the fries and pita with soup (above) and rice. The lightly seasoned rice was nearly perfectly done. I'm also a perfectionist when it comes to rice texture.

The chicken adana (ground, seasoned, then grilled chicken) was beautifully spiced with paprika, along with red peppers, onions, and garlic. I believe my order came with cacik, since we received two cups. It was fully utilized as a dip for the pita that came with our appetizer and fries I stole from Bug's platter.

Day 365/365 - Chicken adana

We were sated, but Bug saw the kazandibi dancing seductively before my eyes. This semolina milk pudding dessert that apparently means "bottom of pot," a description of the scorched (caramelized) layer creating the uniqueness of the dessert, not scraps or undesirable elements. The slight bitterness with the lightly sweetened custard melds harmoniously with the dusting of cinnamon.

Day 365/365 - Kazandibi

While I thoroughly enjoyed my chicken adana with pilaf, kazandibi is always the highlight of my meal. Indian ras malai is my favorite dessert. Kazandibi is not far behind.

As far as what the next 365 days hold for me. Bug and I have tossed around of a few weekly project ideas, start date unknown. Since we have begun receiving our vegetables from Fresh Fork Market, at least over the summertime, a short-term project could center around our bag of goodies -- cooked with recipes or posed.

Another idea would be posting a salad/soup meal per week, which would also include chili, stew, and curries. I'm poor about precisely documenting made up or heavily altered printed recipes; although, the latter probably fairs a bit better. Recipes with an abundance of "a bit of this" and "to taste" is rather tedious to follow...

- Cassaendra

Istanbul Grill
2505 Professor Ave
Cleveland, OH 44113
Tel: (216) 298-4450

Last Copper

Breakfast was made up partly of leftovers from dinner last night; namely, the last of the Copper River salmon. The majority of the ingredients were from our Fresh Fork Market bag -- zucchini, beet greens, and tomatoes from last week; lettuce, radishes, and eggs from this week.

The pan-fried salmon was warmed on the stove with a teaspoon of shoyu and black pepper, then sprinkled with shichimi togarashi. The fried egg was dusted with shiso furikake for a bit of salted tartness. Crisp lettuce, peppery radish slices, sweet tomatoes, and seaweed salad satisfied my need for something cold and crisp. The sizzling zucchini and red peppers were sweet and crisp. Steamed beet greens (originally with sliced beets) were too beautiful a shade of maroon to not include. Its addition was also an easy way to serve 5 items instead of 4 (bad luck - some habits are hard to break).

Day 363/365

After breakfast, I had a taste for ayran, a savory Turkish yogurt drink. In our bag this week, we also received a quart of Velvet-View yogurt. With a much thinner consistency than most factory yogurts, this is best poured rather than spooned into a receptacle. Also, it is not as sour. Hooray!

I didn't feel like taking out our 64 oz carafe blender to make 1 cup of ayran, sacrificing the froth. Instead, I mixed a pinch of salt into my cup of yogurt. Additional water was unnecessary since the yogurt was already velvety. A wonderful cap to breakfast.

- Cassaendra

Fresh Fork Market

365 Days

I've decided to start a project - 365 days of pictures.

No rules.

Why? Just because. This will be a day to day meander and a test of my tenacity.

Istanbul Grill in Tremont is our favorite Turkish restaurant, with decent prices, delicious food, and great service. Chicken adana, grilled, skewered ground chicken and spices, is our favorite entree and kazandibi, semolina milk pudding, is our favorite dessert.

Let's see how this project goes - especially without continuous net access since our router went boom 2 weeks ago. :)

- Cassaendra

Istanbul Grill
2505 Professor Ave
Cleveland, OH 44113
Tel: (216) 298-4450

Istanbul Revisited

Our first visit to Istanbul Grill was the restaurant's second evening open. We had a fabulous time with great food and good service.

As a result of a combination of reasons like being creatures of habit, indecisive, and frugal, we ordered the same dish -- the Dinner for Two ($39):
:: small mixed appetizer (two people)
:: mixed grill kebab entrée
:: two desserts

I was curious about a drink listed as "Ayran" ($1.50) and inquired with our spritely server. She described it as a savory yogurt drink. I must have appeared hesitant, as she quickly asked whether I would like to try a sample.

A minute later, she returned with a tumbler of a viscous white liquid. Slightly thicker than milk and a sourness similar to plain yogurt, this would have made a mundane drink. However, once the drink was swallowed, the salty flavor came through along with a palate cleansing dryness. I shared a sip with Bug, who nodded with approval.

Our server returned for our verdict. Bug nursed the remainder in the tumbler, while I enjoyed my goblet of ayran throughout the meal.

A few minutes later, our appetizer arrived.

Appetizer

This time around, the rice in the dolma, stuffed grape leaves, had a better consistency but wasn't as sweet so it didn't have as unusual a flavor.

What a difference 6 months makes. The garlicky soslu patlican dip, similar to baba gannoush with its chunks of eggplant, tomatoes, and bell peppers mixed with minced onions, garlic, and parsley, did not make me slink away. I enjoyed it immensely, but diverted my time towards devouring the other offerings that I picked at on our previous trip because of their inclusion of raw onions or profuse amounts of garlic (coming from a raw onion and garlic hater).

My plate

Ezme salad and kisir were in my sights tonight. The salad, made with parsley, tomatoes, onions, peppers, walnuts, and lemon olive oil, was refreshing after months of winter food.

Kisir, a salad of parsley, bulghur wheat, scallions, red and green peppers, olive oil, and lemon is similar to tabbouleh; as such, it was another refreshing dish due to its piquancy and texture.

Mixed grill

Our entrée arrived before we could finish our appetizer, so we rearranged our small table to accommodate the large platter of chicken and lamb shish kebab, döner, and adana over pilaf. This worked out rather conveniently, since we were able to enjoy part of the appetizer, which consisted largely of vegetables, together with the grilled meats and rice scooped onto the pitas. I am sure I ate my allotment of pitas for the month!

While the flavor of the rice remained delicious, it was overcooked on this visit. As a fanatic of their adana, ground lamb and beef seasoned with herbs, spices, and vegetables, grilled on skewers, and the availability of the appetizers, the disappointment of the pilaf was a memory as I left most of it for Bug, who felt similarly.

Adana, being mostly meat, doesn't feel quite as heavy to me as chopped skewered whole meat. A skewer of adana with rice pilaf and a plate of salad with lemon olive oil dressing would be a meal that I would love to eat many times a week!

As with our previous trip, we packed up at least a third of the entrée to take home, and picked out our dessert -- kadayif and kazandibi.

Sugar and spice

Kadyif, shredded wheat with pistachios and honey, was sweet compared with the less assertive kazandibi, a thick pudding dusted with cinnamon. Both desserts were delectable, but our dessert palates, at least of late, have been leaning towards less sweet.

Our server was wonderful, and the food was, for the most part, excellent. Yet again, a fantastic experience overall. Our next trip won't come too soon.

- Cassaendra

Istanbul Grill
2505 Professor Ave
Cleveland, OH 44113-4610
Tel: (216) 298-4450

Istanbul not Constantinople

For years, I thought about trying Turkish food at Anatolia Cafe, a restaurant located within a strip mall on Cedar Road in Cleveland Heights, until we noticed the mall had been leveled. They relocated to Lee Road, a road we seldom travel along, so the thought was filed away in an "out of sight, out of mind" pile, despite being less than 2 miles (~4 minutes) away from its original location.

In July, the Taste of Tremont introduced two new restaurants to the neighborhood, Istanbul Turkish Grill and La Fuega.

Taste of Tremont

Several weeks after the Taste of Tremont, Bug and I peered into the storefront window of Istanbul Turkish Grill and noticed stirring within. Diners! We had already prepared dinner so we decided to eat there the next day.

Upon entering the restaurant, my eyes were immediately drawn to the long, elegant bar. This was formerly Hotz Cafe, a bar that opened in 1919 and relocated a few years ago to a spot a couple blocks away.

Reading the descriptions of the skewered meats and starters offered, we sat there dumbfounded, unable to decide what to order.

We wanted to try everything.

We debated what to try until we came upon the perfect meal listed under Dinner Specials.

Dinner for Two $39.00

The special included a mixed appetizer platter, mixed grilled meat combination platter, and two desserts. Aside from buffets, mixed platters are a great way to taste a broad array of food a restaurant offers, especially with new cuisines.

Our appetizer platter included several of our Mediterranean favorites along with new dishes we were curious to try. Humus, yalanci dolma, barbunya pilaki, patlican dip, soslu patlican, kisir, ezme salad, crumbled feta, and olives.

Humus was made to my flavor, appearance, and textural ideal -- a luxuriant paste with an intense flavor of garbanzo beans and tahini with just the right nudge of garlic and citrus.

I can't emphasize how garlicky the patlican dip, similar to baba ghanoush, was. When Bug exhaled, I was accosted with garlic fumes. Knowing this, he took every opportunity to speak with Hs and Fs.

We have made and ordered stuffed grape leaves, but the dolma served here surprised us by its mild sweetness in addition to the expected piquant, spiced, and nutty flavor. I prefer the rice and leaves to be firmer; otherwise, I expect this to be our new way of making dolmades.

I took a small sample of the soslu patlican and ezme salad due the inclusion of raw onions. Yes, it's a childish peeve. Soslu patlican consists of eggplant, tomato, bell pepper, garlic, onions, and parsley. Ezme salad is made with tomatoes, walnuts, onions, peppers, parsley, and lemon olive oil. The addition of nuts provided an unexpected flavor.

Kisir, similar to tabbouleh, is a blend of cracked wheat, parsley, scallions, red and green peppers, olive oil, and lemon. While this also had onions, the other vegetables helped to dilute its sharpness, so I ate few bites.

A few minutes after we gobbled up our appetizer and a second basket of pita, a heavy, large platter of chicken adana, lamb chop, beef and lamb adana, döner, pilaf, and vegetables made its way toward us.

Lamb, beef, and goat are my favorite meats. I am not quite as fond of poultry; however, the chicken this evening was my favorite.

The lamb and beef adana was fantastic, but I am still tickled by my excitement for the chicken. Adana is a process where a mixture of minced meat, chopped red bell peppers, parsley, and seasoning is grilled over charcoal along wide, flat skewers. Onions and paprika are added to lamb and beef adana. Adana-izing resulted in flavorful and juicy morsels akin to eating stew in one small bite. It was Willy Wonka magical.

Döner made of lamb and beef, similar to gyro meat, was served in slices. What is not to like about juicy, marinated grilled beef and lamb? The skewered lamb chops were impressively tender and juicy. Bug was swooning by this point.

Grilled tomatoes, onions, and red bell peppers were firm and added a color to the dish and helped to lessen my guilty conscience.

I have had pilaf served 100s of times, and find it mind boggling that I almost always leave feeling underwhelmed by the texture and/or flavor. The pilaf was moist, fluffy, and flavorful such that it could be served on its own, but not so robust where it detracts from the main ingredients.

The owner stopped by to chat with us as we were partway through our meal. We passionately expressed how impressed we were with the quality and the chef's skill in preparing our meal. We found out it was their second night open. He also mentioned that the meat is butchered on site, which he felt greatly affects the quality of meal preparation.

I remarked how fortunate we were to have a nearby Turkish restaurant as the nearest one that I knew of was Anatolia Cafe. He was interested to hear of our experience there. I confessed that we never got around to trying the place despite being urged by my eastern European coworkers. He then revealed that the chef was the head chef of Anatolia.

Shortly after Bug packed the leftovers, our table was cleared for the generous portions of kadayif, a luscious haystack of shredded wheat stuffed with pistachios and a ladle of honey, and kazandibi, a milky pudding with cinnamon. The pudding is more appropriate for a subtle conclusion to a meal, while the shredded wheat is a perfect cure for a sweet tooth.

On the way home, all I chattered about was our return visit.

- Cassaendra

Istanbul Turkish Grill
2505 Professor Ave
Cleveland, OH 44113
Tel: (216) 298-4450