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| - Would my journey to the tiny carryout kitchen in the back of the Istanbul Supermarket be a Turkish Delight or would I experience culinary fright?
I had to run some errands on the west side over my lunch hour, so I consulted by handy-dandy Yelp app in search for ideas for some carryout grub in the area. The thought of Turkish cuisine intrigued me, so I headed over to a cluster of international storefronts just south of Woodman's to check out Istanbul Supermarket.
The store is densely packed with merchandise, making it difficult to maneuver through the narrow aisles. This issue was exacerbated by the fact the staff was restocking the store shelves during my visit.
The carryout kitchen, with a tiny flattop, grill and range, is in the back of the store. Menu items on the menu include kabab, falafel, burgers, goat chops and gyros. There was a single staff person responsible to taking orders and preparing the food, which he did in a deliberate, sequential manner. He would take an order, prepare all the food from that order before taking the next order. Since the person who ordered before me ordered multiple items, I waited for at least 10 minutes until my order was taken, giving me ample time to check out the merchandise in the grocery store (who knew you could find multiple brands of pomegranate molasses in Madison?!?) Once I finally had the opportunity to order, I had to wait another 10-15 minutes before I received my lamb kababs. If you are looking for grab and go food, look elsewhere, the pace here is very deliberate. I also received a free drink (a Turkish lemonade) with my meal.
Pro tip: Make sure to check the expiration dates on the grocery items.
As much as I wanted to like it, my meal was a disappointment. While my well-trimmed lamb had a fantastic sear, it was under-seasoned and had a dry, chewy texture. The addition of a sauce would have really helped improve this dish. The salad that accompanied my meal was just OK, though the addition of Italian parsley to the greens added some appreciated zest. My dry, chewy pita reinforced the notion in my head that Banzo has the set the bar impossibly high for pita quality in the Madison city limits. On the positive side, I received some fine sporkware with my carryout container.
While it is unlikely I will return for the food, seeing the massive selection of specialty ingredients and a variety of lamb and goat cuts in the meat counter, my visit inspired me to attempt to cook more Middle Eastern food on my own.
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