Outside of doner kebabs, I don’t know a ton about Turkish food. That’s a shame because the last time I tried some was way back at Turkish Kitchen in Gramercy. So, when I saw in the forums that there was a Turkish stand in the Bryant Park holiday market, I decided to check it out.

The stand, which is right near the corner of 6th Ave and 42nd St, has a selection of around a dozen different types of filled wraps and pastries. The flat gozemes caught my attention, but there were others that looked very much like meat filled danishes.

There were also these larger than bite-sized nuggets that I believe were made from lentils with crab meat and spinach mixed in.

The stand doesn’t have anything like a menu that I could see, so the only price I ever got was $6.50 for the Beef Gozeme, which I ordered.

It got a quick heating on the sandwich press, which left some light grillmarks behind.

I was happily surprised to find the gozeme is more substantial than I thought when I was ordering it. It’s a good size and heavier than it looked behind the counter.

I was also surprised to find that the wrapping wasn’t a flatbread, but seemingly a million layers of soft, thin, phyllo bread. Soft and slightly chewy, the gozeme was moist and much more satisfying than I’d expected.

That said, the ground beef inside wasn’t packed tight or overflowing. Having never tried it before, I can’t say if that’s the way it’s supposed to be, but of course I wouldn’t have objected to more.

I washed the gozeme down with one of the many different canned fruit nectars they were selling. This one, apricot flavored, was sweet, but not sugary and I wished there had been more of it. Next time I might have to get two, perhaps another of these and one of the other flavors.

Since I wasn’t sure how filling the gozeme was going to be, I’d picked up an order of pistachio-laden baklava as well. It was wonderful. Not as excessively thick as some I’ve had before, it also tasted fresh in a way I’d never had before.

The great sadness of Mmm…Enfes is that it’s here temporarily. This stand and the one in the Columbus Circle market are just here for the next few weeks. In the meantime, I plan to do my best to explore the other options available before they disappear.

Turkish food is a mystery to me. I know my Chinese food, I know my Japanese food, I know my Italian food but if you ask me what sort of food they serve in Turkish restaurants, I would draw a blank (or I would just check the internet). So to change that I decided to go eat at a Turkish restaurant.

The (apparently very opinionated) Chef and owner of Sip Sak, Orhan Yegen, recently opened a new spot called Bi Lokma (on 45th btw 2+3rd). It’s a tiny Turkish restaurant with a very ambitious menu for a where all the food seems to be made in advance. There are soups, salads, desserts, over a dozen appetizers and over a dozen main courses. And the best part about the menu is that almost everything on it is under $10 with the exception of 3 items.

Trying to figure out what I wanted to eat was no easy task. I found myself staring (for a long time) at the menu. I seriously could not decide what I wanted to eat, they all sounded so good. Lamb doner platter, chicken kebab, baked lamb meatballs, baked chicken with vegetables, musakka, oh mine.

Bi Lokma is a fast causal restaurant. You walk up to the cashier, place your order, pay, grab a seat and wait for your food. All of the foods are already prepared so the server (on the day that I went it was the chef himself doing the plating) simply needs to scoop the foods onto the plates and serve them. Quick and simple. Also there’s a basket of bread on the counter that is self-serve- and who doesn’t like free bread?

I ended up ordering the lamb doner platter (I think Zach will be happy to know that the lamb was cooked on a vertical spit, thumbs up!) For $9.50 you get a tin box with lamb doner, rice, a side of red cabbage, bread (not in photo), cacık and a tomatoey sauce. I have to admit, it’s not a lot of food for $9.50 and I was still hungry after I finished it. But it tasted really good especially when you mix in the cacık and tomato sauce. The lamb was great and the rice was light and fluffy.

Not really satisfied with the platter, I made a return trip and got the lamb doner gyro ($7.50). This here was a different monster. Just a little shorter than my forearm, the gyro had only 2 things in it the flatbread and the lamb doner. If you are the kind of person that thinks that vegetables are usually just in the way this gyro is for you. Nothing but tender delicious lamb wrapped in a soft and warm flatbread.

Meat meat meat nothing but meat.

Ultimately it is slightly on the expensive side (or maybe I’m just a pig and that platter is actually enough for 1 normal person) but they have so many things to choose from- and from what I have eaten, the food is fantastic. I think it’s worth the extra steps out of bounds to try it. And for the cheap people (like me) since you pay in the beginning you don’t need to leave tips.

The + (What somebody who likes this would say)

• Pretty quick at getting my food.
• Glad there is no veggies in my gyro.
• Meat on a spit, can’t go wrong with that.

The – (What somebody who doesn’t like this place would say)

• It’s a little too expensive for the amount of food you get.
• I’ll just stick with street meat, thanks.
• I’m sorry but I like a balance of veggies and meat in my gyro.

Bi Lokma, 212 E. 45th St. (btw. 2+3rd), 212-687-3842

It’s no secret that Midtown Lunch has traditionally had a bit of an Asian soup bias… aka Zach just didn’t eat non-Asian soups. And while I can respect his assessment that the majority of soups in midtown are overpriced and not terribly filling (I’m looking at you, Hale & Hearty!), I’m a soup fan, and try as I might, I can’t live on ramen alone. Though the dine-in menu at Dervish Turkish (on 47th btw. 6+7th) is pretty much out of the Midtown Lunch price range, they make a mean Red Lentil Soup that’s available for take out and it’s well under $10.

For $4.30 (including tax) you get soup and a large hunk of fresh pide, a crusty Turkish flat bread topped with black sesame seeds. The soup itself is pureed until smooth and has a hint of mint. Between the bread and the lentils, you have a decently filling meal. If you are a lentil soup fan, this is definitely worth trying. For those with a larger appetite I recommend hitting up the Biryani Cart (on 46th and 6th) a block away where you can get a single kati roll ($3) that should do the trick in terms of supplementing your meal and still keep your lunch under $10.

Got any other tips for non-Asian soups that make for a satisfying lunch? Put them in the comments.

Related:
Dervish Turkish Restaurant (Original Review 1/10/07)

I could barely contain my excitement yesterday, when I stumbled upon Gulluoglu- which opened on 52nd and 2nd Ave. last week.  Known mostly for their extensive selection of Turkish baklava, the first American branch of this popular Turkish chain opened on Coney Island Ave. in Brooklyn back in 2005, but this is their first Manhattan location.  Alot of what they sell is imported from Turkey, but I was surprised to find a good number of savory baked goods plus a menu of sandwiches and salads available.  Sadly I had already had lunch, but I could resist picking up a few things- and snapping a few photos of everything they had to offer.

Check it out after the jump…

The space is a typical cafe set up.  You order either order at the counter to go, or have a seat at one of the tables.

The savory stuff is in the back, and I was immediately drawn in by some of the unique offerings, some of which I had never seen before. (Pogača anyone?)

Like this Gul Boregi with chopped meat and spinach ($3.95).

The outside was more doughy than flaky (like you find with standard spinach pies or borekas, which they also have) and the inside was delicious.  I was there pretty late in the day, so it wasn’t hot- but even at room temperature it was soooo good.  I could eat one of these every day.  They also have a plain spinach version for the vegetarians.

Over on the sweet side, which is the first thing you see when you walk on, the options are overwhelming.  There’s a whole case full of cakes, pies, and pudding- but the real star is the baklava…

So many options… from the now standard walnut filled baklava, to the more authentic Turkish pistachio filled options, there was also one pastry with chestnut and another with cherries.  They’re pretty much all covered in syrup of some sort, and a few are covered in cream.

This assortment came out to around $7-8, and gone by 7-8pm

Everything is bite sized, so it’s hard not to just ask for one of everything.  My favorite are the ones that are soaked in cream, but eating them on the go with your hands is not recommended (I found that out the hard way).  Everything is sold by weight, but it comes out to around $1-2 for each of the bite sized pastries. They also have Gulluoglu brand ice cream, made from goats milk and imported from Turkey, in a freezer behind the counter. Pistachio flavor is topping my list at this moment…

Like I said yesterday, the place is well worth traveling to 2nd Ave. for, and while yesterday was a good start- I will most certainly be back soon to eat my way through their lunchtime offerings.

Gulluoglu, 982 2nd Ave (on 52nd), 212-813-0500

Back when I was on my quest for a real deal Greek gyro (not a Middle Eastern shawarma sandwich, or a chopped up gyro from a cart), a number of commenters mentioned Akdeniz.  Sure it’s Turkish, and not Greek, and the place is a sit down restaurant- but their gyro sandwich is under $10 (one of the few things on the menu that is) and came highly recommended.  Well I finally got around to trying the thing, which is only available during the day, and although it wasn’t what I initially was asking for, it is definitely a tasty sandwich.

I got it to go (so I didn’t have to pay tip, etc.. you know the drill), and opened the thing to find something more like a gyro burrito than a sandwich.  It is $7.50 and comes wrapped in a Turkish style of bread that is more similar to a tortilla than pita bread.

First bite in was mostly lettuce (very disappointing)

But after a few bites I hit pay dirt.  The gyro meat is a much higher quality than what you would get from a cart, or even one of the cheaper Middle Eastern places, which shouldn’t be a surprise.  Akdeniz is kind of a nice, sit down, Turkish restaurant.  The flavors were more like shawarma than a Greek gyro, but overall the “burrito” was a little dry.  It needed something…

And that’s when I realized I forgot the sauce!

Much, much better. The sauces took it from being mediocre to delicious! For some reason they do the sauces on the side here, and in my bag I had totally missed them: a white yogurt based sauce, and a vinegary hot sauce- which improved the gyro sandwich tenfold.  The fatty meat gets balanced out by the crisp lettuce and tomato, while the hot sauce gets cooled off by the creamy yogurt.  Delicious!  It took me long enough to take the suggestion, but I’m glad I did.  (Keep them coming!)

THE +

• Gyro meat is much higher quality than you find at most places in Midtown
• The two sauces are excellent, and balance each other out really nicely
• If eating a “gyro burrito” sounds good to you, this is probably your sandwich

THE -

• $7.50 is a lot for a gyro sandwich (although admittedly Akdeniz is a nice Turkish restaurant)
• If you are looking for a Greek style gyro this is not it
• There’s a lot of lettuce and tomato in the thing (which may or may not be a good thing)

Akdeniz, 19 W 46th St (btw. 5+6th), 212-575-2307

Lunch’er Joe made this pretty sweet discovery last week, and was nice enough to send along a few photos. Apparently Kanaat, the all you can eat Turkish buffet formerly known as Al Baraka on 55th btw. Lex+3rd, sells $1 samosas on the sidewalk in front of their restaurant on Fridays during lunch. I don’t know about you, but there is something about samosas being sold on the street that makes them that much more Midtown Lunch’ish, don’t you think?

In addition to the samosas, they also sell “boxed lunches”- which is not just sold in a box, but also out of a box. Check that out after the jump.

Only $6, the boxed lunch is actually available all week long inside the restaurant- but on Fridays they sell them on the sidewalk along with the samosas.  Here’s what Joe had to say about the boxed lunch:

“The chicken was well spiced and juicy – not as much heat as I would prefer, but probably traditional Turkish spices.  The peas were most likely canned, but in a tasty red oily sauce.  The white rice had some sort of inconsistent yellow coating that gave it flavor.  Salad….blah….but looked like an iceberg romaine mix.”

From the sound of it I think I’ll stick with the $11 all you can eat buffet inside… but $1 samosas.  I would totally be down with that!

Kanaat, 154 E 55th St (btw. Lex+3rd), 212-546-9007

Al Baraka, Midtown’s best only Turkish buffet, is now Kanaat Turkish Restaurant.  The chef, food and lunch buffet are exactly the same, but it is now $10.95 (up from $9.95 before).  The lamb shanks are still on the buffet, so it’s worth the extra buck, but the current trend of lunchtime price increases worries me that soon all buffets will need special exemptions to be included in the Midtown Lunch’ing price range.

Another popular buffet that has broken the $10 threshold, after the jump…

Curry Dream, the Indian Buffet on 39th St. btw. 5+6th has also raised the price of their all you can eat buffet from $9.95 to $10.95.  For Indian lunch buffets under $10, there’s still Kashmir on 8th Ave. btw. 39+40th, and the West Tandoori Club on 37th btw. 7+8th both still sitting pretty at $9.95.

In the end, as long as the lunch buffet at Spice Fusion (8th Ave. btw. 47+48th) remains at $9.95 I won’t go into panic mode.  Hopefully winning best Indian Buffet in the 2007 Midtown Lunch Readers’ Poll won’t go to their head.

Dervish is a Turkish restaurant on 47th between 6th & 7th with lunch and dinner specials that make it an obvious choice for tourists looking for something to eat before going to the Theater.  The lunch special is $14.95, and for that price you get your choice of an appetizer and an entree… a pretty good deal if you’re looking for this type of sit down meal.

For our appetizers I think we selected pretty well.  The Turkish Salad was nice with chunks of tomato, cucumber and onion tossed in a vinaigrette.  The hummus is a pretty standard choice- and was perfect for dipping the bread they bring out before the meal. But the real star was the egg roll looking bureks… stuffed with spinach and cheese these were pretty awesome.  I’ve never had a burek before- so I’m not sure how it compares with a less touristy Turkish restaurant… but these tasted pretty sweet to me.

Pics of my entree, and the +/- after the jump…

I’m a big fan of lamb, so I ordered the lamb with okra which came with a plate of a pilaf style rice.  It was ok, but nothing special.  The lamb was tender, and it had plenty of okra, but it was pretty under spiced.  My boss and co-workers each got chicken dishes (one got the chops- seen below, and one got the kebab), which were predictably plain.  They seemed to like both dishes alright, but they were nothing to write home about.

All in all, if you are looking for a reasonably priced sit down meal, for lunch, with some great variety (you get the appetizer and entree), you could do alot worse than Dervish… but it’s clear the entrees can be hit or miss.  As we were walking out, I noticed alot of people eating what looked like a plate of gyro meat over rice.  Looking at the menu, I’m pretty sure it was the Doner Kebab- and definitely the way to go.  If my boss ever takes me out to lunch there again- I will definitely order that.

THE +

• I’m looking for a nice sit down lunch, in a nice atmosphere
• $14.95 gets you an entree and appetizer (add in the bread, and it’s plenty of food)
• Great place if you want ethnic food, but your co-workers are less adventurous.  There are some pretty mild options for any palate
• The service was decent, and we were back at work within an hour

THE -

• I don’t want to pay more than $10 for lunch
• It’s sit down, so you’ve got to pay tip (making it even more expensive)
• The dishes we ate were pretty bland
• There’s bettter, cheaper Mediterranean options in Midtown
• For this price, I’d rather eat at one of the more expensive Indian Buffets (like Utsav)

Dervish Turkish Restaurant, 146 W. 47th St. (btw. 6th & 7th), 212-997-0070

I’m a big fan of the buffet.  Not any particular buffet… just buffets in general.  I like the style of eating.  I like the variety.  I like the extent to which I can embarrass myself by eating a ridiculous amount of food.  Chinese would have to be my favorite kind of buffet, because I find it very hard to order just one thing at a Chinese food restaurant.  I’m actually a huge fan of any kind of Asian food in buffet form.  Sushi is not ideal (because of the freshness), but I have found a couple that I enjoy (like the Korean/Sushi buffet Arang, in Koreatown).  Indian buffets are great.  All you can eat Naan is an added bonus… and the only time I will lower my “don’t eat the bread” buffet rule.

American buffets are ok, but they are definitely my least favorite.  The buffet that a pregnant Frances McDormand ate at in Fargo (with the meatballs) looked pretty sweet… but unfortunately fictional buffets don’t count… and even if it does exist- I doubt I’ll ever be in that small town in Minnesota.  I love the buffets in Vegas- but I usually end up eating the Asian food- so that doesn’t really count as an “American” buffet.  I haven’t been to Charles Southern Kitchen (a Soul Food Buffet in Harlem) but it’s pretty high on the list.  Fried chicken on a buffet is the greatest and worst thing of all time… but I did survive a KFC buffet off I-95 in Florida once, so I’m sure I’ll be ok.

So on Friday, I was walking in an area of Midtown I had never been before and stumbled upon something very exciting (to me, because I’m fat and love buffets).  The place was called Al-Baraka, and it was something I had never seen before in all my buffet eating… a Turkish Buffet.  It passed the price test ($9.95), and the look test (the best part about eating at a buffet is that you can go in and take a peek at what you’re paying for) so I decided to check it out.

What I ate, the food porn and the +/- all after the jump…

I am not really a Turkish food expert so I don’t know exactly what each of the dishes on the buffet were, or if it was even traditional Turkish food (the sign outside actually says “Mediterranean Cuisine”) but I can tell you this… if you are fan of veggies- stick with one of the many Indian buffets in Midtown.  This is more for the meat eaters.  There were a few vegetable dishes (a chick pea dish, a zucchini dish, and a broccoli dish) but none of them were good enough to warrant the $10 you’d be better off spending at an Indian buffet where the veggie dishes are just as good as the meat dishes.

On my first plate I started with a little of the stewed beef dish which was good.  The meat was super tender.  I also tried a stewed chicken dish which was fine, but forgettable.  The real treat of the buffet was the lamb shanks.  That’s right… lamb shanks, on a buffet- all you can eat.  The meat was fall off the bone tender, and it was clearly the big money item on the buffet.  Sort of like the Shrimp and Crab legs at a Vegas buffet.  If you are not going to eat the big money item(s), then it’s probably not worth going to that particular buffet.  Well, in this case- if you like lamb shanks, then this buffet is worth the $10.

They had a baked chicken dish (which I can best describe as being a spicier version of tandoori chicken) that was also really tender, and delicious.  It was also the only thing on the buffet that was even remotely spicy.  There was also a soup (which I didn’t try), salad, all you can eat hummus (which was nice) and they bring you some warm pita bread, and yogurt dip (with dill) to the table.   There was also two kinds of rice… a rice pilaf, and a basmati rice, both of which were good.

For dessert there were two options, both of which I tried- so I could report back to you about it (well… that’s what I tell myself anyway.  There’s nothing wrong with eating two desserts…  Get off my back!).  There was a really nice rice pudding, which was less rice and more pudding (if you are into that)… and there was this amazing cake that was soaked in this honey-like syrup and topped off with pistachios.  I believe it’s called Ravani, and it was delicious!!!!

So if you like buffets, and you like meat (especially lamb) this place is definitely worth the $10.  Although it might not be better then your favorite Indian buffet, and it will probably not be the best Turkish food you’ve ever eaten,  it’s a nice change of pace.

THE +

• It’s a buffet, so it’s all you can eat.  There’s not really a bigger plus than that…
• Turkish is a nice change of pace from all the Indian buffets in Midtown (and most of the dishes are not spicy at all)
• All you can eat hummus.  (There aren’t many good vegetarian options- but the all you can eat hummus is great)
• Lamb shanks.  All you can eat.  (Did I mention it’s all you can eat)  Although I was there on a Friday- so I cannot guarantee that there are lamb shanks every day.
• The two dessert options are pretty awesome.

THE -

• Not all the dishes are great, and the vegetarian options are not good enough to warrant the $10 price tag.  The broccoli and zucchini dishes were cooked to a mush… and the chick pea dish is not as good as what you would get at most Indian buffets in the city.  The meat is definitely where it’s at.
• Not sure if it’s the same dishes every day.  I was there on a Friday- and can’t guarantee tha the lamb shanks, or the baked spicy chicken are available every day of the week.
• You have to really love buffets… I’m sure there are better Mediterranean meals to be had in Midtown, that will totally fill you up, and will be much less than $10 (but they are not buffets!)
• At 12:45 when I walked in, it was pretty empty.  By the time I left it was packed.  Might be harder to get a seat after 1pm…

Al Baraka, 154 E. 55th St. (btw. 3rd & Lex), 212-546-9007