Sercan, pronounced Serjan, for those of you like me that don't speak Turkish, was a fantastic server. He was humble and kind and welcoming and eager that his customers have a good experience.
And that delightful commitment to service could not have been paired better than to be combined with this restaurant's food. The lamb... was delicious. The rice... was delicious. The hummus... was delicious. The restaurant was just beautiful.
If you check-in on Yelp you get a free glass of wine. Which is a rather unique offering in a restaurant that doesn't otherwise serve it.
And just to keep you on your toes they offer a crazy drink that I'd never heard of called salgam. It feels sometimes like the planet is being overrun by Coke and Pepsi products so when I find a restaurant that's offering a drink I'm unfamiliar with I'll order it blind. No explanation necessary we're just gonna roll with it. And this one was a doozy. It looks like red wine but it tastes salty. It's a flavor I recognize but can't immediately place. It's...like....pickle juice. I'm sure, somehow that I've got that wrong until I Google it and confirm that this remarkable drink is exactly that, pickle juice made from red carrots. Unreal. Probably not the kind of thing that's going to be my next go-to beverage but a wonderfully unique peak into a culture's culinary heritage.
Istanbul Sofra you hit all of my hot buttons. Amazing service, delightful food, a beautiful environment and a little surprise thrown in. I thoroughly enjoyed my time here and you've inspired me to search out some of the Turkish places a little closer to home.