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| - I came here with a big group on New Year's Eve for an early dinner - there were seven of us, and we made a reservation for this little room that's slightly separated from the rest of the dining area. It was nice to have a bit of a private space where we could all talk and share big plates of fooooood.
We ordered a few drinks - the server let me have a taste of the raspberry ale before I ordered it, and I'm glad she did since it was surprisingly watery and not what I'd hoped for. I got a cosmopolitan instead which was well-made. My boyfriend's mom got the "Bade" - a drink with vodka, Grand Marnier, and lime, and wasn't too impressed.
That was really the only low point. We moved on to the appetizer platter - we went with the large size, which the menu says serves 4, but we stretched it. I can't even remember the names of everything on it - there were dolmades, hummus, baba ganoush, tabbouli, cacick (yogurt/dill dip), soslu patican (eggplants cooked in tomato sauce with spices), and I think one more thing as well - maybe the ezme salad dip? Most everything was very good, and became even better when eaten with hot pita. I loved the hummus, which had a stronger-than-usual tahini flavor, and people also raved about the baba ganoush which was unlike any I've had before. It was smoky - like the eggplant had been thoroughly roasted first. I'm not a big baba fan, but this might be the best version of it that I've had. I liked the hummus so much that I ordered more of it - even after I felt full from the entrees, I couldn't resist another bite of pita dipped in hummus. Addictive.
For entrees, we got the Iskender kebab (lamb with yogurt/tomato garlic sauce), then two different combo entrees. Can't remember what they were - let's say chicken shish kebab, chicken adana kebab, and then a lamb combo of doner kebab and lamb shish kebab. Okay, just kidding, I can remember what they were. Everything was great - the best part was how juicy they were! I can't believe how many times I've had dry kebabs at Middle Eastern restaurants, but these were really moist. It was wild - we all noticed it and were really impressed. I liked the chicken shish kebab and the Iskender kebab among my favorites.
Too full for dessert!
This is a great place to go to share food with friends - you'll want to try everything.
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