Wow how time flies . . we had a very enjoyable lunch at this Turkish restaurant about three years ago. And then we walked back to our apartment at the Hotel Beacon on Broadway. THIS TIME ! We were back in New York, NY in early Sept, 2024 for 2 weeks to take in the US Tennis Open. My wife and I decided to rent an Airbnb brownstone apartment in Upper Manhattan . . not our best idea because we were too far from all the cool stuff Downtown. In fact we agreed that a return lunch visit here was a must. On Sat, Sept 14th we jumped on the subway to Broadway, Manhattan. After some shopping at Bloomingdale’s on 3rd Ave we took the subway to Columbus Circle and walked the short distance to here.
We arrived at the front entrance just after 2pm. A very cheerful server named Sahin welcomed us with a huge smile and showed us to a table at the rear of the restaurant. A server named Baran came by within a short time to help us. FIRST UP ! I ordered an EFES Pilsener which last time I was here came with a beautiful matching stem glass. In fact on that occasion I offered to buy a single glass for $20 but the manager declined to break up his set of 24 glasses.
A serve of complimentary house baked artisan bread arrived quickly . . a rarity these days as many restaurants now charge for their bread.YEAH BABY ! My ice cold EFES Pilsener arrived with a chilled matching stem glass. A good beer always tastes better in a beautiful glass and it did ! We were a bit hungry and the warmed up artisan bread made our tummies happy. GOTTA HAVE IT ! Our biggest memory for our previous lunch visit here three years ago was the SPINACH BOREK ( Phyllo dough stuffed with spinach and feta cheese ) insanely delicious. ENTREES ! I ordered the Doner Kebab “Turkish Gyro” ( Ground lamb and beef cooked on a rotating spit then thinly sliced, served with rice, lettuce and red cabbage garnish ).
My wife decided on the Chicken Saute ( Chunks of chicken with mushrooms, green pepper, red pepper, garlic and tomatoes sautéed in heavy cream and olive oil, served with rice ). WHOO HOO ! Our amazing looking Spinach Borek arrived screaming eat me eat me . . and we did. It doesn’t get much better ! About 15 minutes later our fabulous looking entrees arrived. FAVOR FLAVOR FLAVOR ! Every mouthful was bursting with the deliciousness that Turkish cuisine is known for. DESSERT ! We ordered a Pistachio / Walnut Baklava combo which was the perfect sweet finish. After paying the bill we thanked Baran our server for making our lunch a memorable one. SENSATIONAL DINING SPOT !
