New Haven Register Review
DEEP DISH: New Haven's colorful Istanbul Café
will take you back to Historic Istanbul.
Todd Lyon
12/12/03
Long, long ago, back in 1998, I had dinner at the newly opened Istanbul Café on Crown Street in downtown
New Haven. Turkish cuisine was new to me, and my ever-curious taste buds were on high alert, ready to experience
heady flavors from an ancient, mysterious land.
The reality didn’t quite live up to the fantasy. Though the food tasted just fine, it lacked presence. I was left
with the impression that Turkish cookery was more interesting in print than on the palate; when the dishes were
cleared and the novelty had worn off, I felt no need to return.
Then, a few years later, a twisted series of events
found me on a cruise to Egypt, Greece and that ancient, mysterious land called Turkey. Never mind that I had crushing
deadlines and the ship lacked Internet service. I galloped down the gangplank at every port I could and became a human
sponge. The scenery, the humanity, the tastes and fragrances, the cultural landscapes ... among the real-life wonders I
absorbed on that trip, what surprised me most was Turkey. Though I only visited a small portion of the country, which
borders the Aegean, Mediterranean and Black Seas, I was enchanted by its beaches, vineyards, Greek and Roman ruins,
marketplaces, ornamental artistry and its people.
I also liked the food. Very much.
My trip to Turkey was a fuzzy memory
by the time my spies started spilling positive gossip about Istanbul Café. Encouraged by their enthusiasm, I went there
for dinner with friends last week — a full five years after my first visit — and I fell for Turkey all over again.
Apparently, the Cafe has steadily improved over the years, and made a quantum leap in 2001. That’s when Adnan Efe, who
had worked the kitchen at Istanbul Café since it opened, took the place over and introduced a style of cookery that is,
in the modest words of manager Inan Gurbuzer, "More authentic."
Before I’d even opened a menu, I was struck by how much
prettier the place looked. Woven table carpets, topped with squares of red linens, graced each setting. Windows were
dressed in curvy tapestries and diaphanous panels; banquette benches were adorned with millions of embroidered pillows.
My small group had chosen to sit in "Sultan’s Corner," an exotic little alcove set apart from the main dining area.
We sprawled on cushions and felt like pampered concubines in a harem.
But the food is what really got me.
Chef/owner Adnan doesn’t speak much English, so it was up to manager Inan to fill in the details. He explained that Chef Adnan is from
western Turkey, on the shores of the Aegean, but because Adnan trained and worked in high-end hotels all over his vast
country, his sensibilities are classical, not specifically regional. "Some of our recipes were developed in the kitchens
of fifth-century sultans," said Inan. "This is thousands of years of tradition."
Inan himself is from eastern Turkey. He
grew up in a region that borders Georgia, Armenia, Iran, Iraq and Syria, which might explain why he never knew, as a
child, that traditional Turkish dishes such as musakka (mousaka), dolma and baklava are also culinary staples in Greece.
As a grown-up, he became involved in the hospitality business, running hotels and restaurants in Turkey and interacting
with tourists from all over the globe. Three years ago, he adopted our country, cheered on by friends in Connecticut and
California, and has worked at the restaurant since 2001.
"Ottoman Empire cuisine" is how Inan defines the food at Istanbul Café. If your recollection of Middle Eastern history is a bit spotty, here’s an overview: From about 1300 to 1800, the
Ottoman Empire laid claim to choice properties. At its height, it spanned from the Persian Gulf to Austria, embracing
Cairo, Algiers, Baghdad, Greece, Bulgaria, Lebanon, Albania, Belgrade and Alexandria along the way. Turkish cookery, at
least Istanbul Café’s version of it, carries echoes of many of those cultures.
The Cafe’s menu offers an assortment of
salads — many of them chopped salads, including the salsa-like Antep Ezme — plus a signature soup made with spiced red
lentils. Appetizers are a cornerstone of Turkish cuisine, and in fact, the "meze" — a spread of appetizers meant to be
shared — is a favorite choice at Istanbul Café. Its version, called Soguk Meze, is an intoxicating platter of Nohut Ezme
(Turkish hummus), Patlican Salad (a pureed eggplant concoction), Ispanak Ezme (a spicy spinach and yogurt spread), Yaprak
Dolma (stuffed grape leaves that taste nothing like Greek dolmades), and other goodies. Among the entrees, lamb is
prominently featured, and reaches succulent perfection in the form of Adana Kebab ($15).
One pleasant surprise at
Istanbul Café is its breads. They’re baked daily in a brick oven, and it is this same dough that forms the base of
Karadeniz Pidesi, or Turkish pizzas. "If you don’t have Turkish pizza on the menu, you’re not a Turkish restaurant," said
Inan. I was also delighted to learn that, at lunch time, the cafe’s sandwiches are made fresh — that is, the pita bread
is cooked at the time you place your order, not before.
Vegetarians can go wild at Istanbul Café. A large number of its
offerings are meat-free. And if you’re a tea-lover like I am, you’ll enjoy the Turkish tea, freshly brewed and served in
a tiny glass cup, and which tastes especially fine with an order of Sutlac, a rice pudding sprinkled with cinnamon and
crushed walnuts.
Now is an excellent time to get to know Turkish cuisine and to get cozy at Istanbul Café.
THE ESSENTIALS
• Place: Istanbul Café, 245 Crown St., New Haven.
• Phone: (203) 787-3881.
• Hours: Lunch: noon-3 p.m. Mondays-Fridays. Dinner: 2:30-10 p.m., Mondays-Fridays; noon-11 p.m. Saturdays-Sundays.
• Reservations: Recommended, especially for large
parties and for the "Sultan's Corner," a semi-private hideaway with cushions on the floor that can seat two to four
guests.
• Food: "Ottoman Empire cuisine" is served in a comfortable room with decorative touches that are quintessentially
Turkish. At dinner, a large menu begins with salads and appetizers in the $5-$11 range. First-timers might enjoy the
Soguk Meze, a platter of vegetarian appetizers meant to be shared ($15 for small, $20 for large). Also recommended is
Mucver (zucchini fritters, $6); Ahtapot Salatasi ($11), a chopped salad with char-grilled octopus; and a spicy red lentil
soup ($4). Entrees are priced in the $14-$19 range. Standouts include the Kilic Sis, a marinated swordfish kebab ($18);
the Vegetarian Mukassa ($15); and my particular favorite, Adana Kebab, with cubes of juicy lamb cooked over a charcoal
fire ($15).
At lunch, Istanbul Café features Turkish pizzas, a specialty of the Black Sea region, which are thin-crusted
and baked in a brick oven. Five varieties are available; the house favorite is Sucuklu, with cheese and lamb sausage
($8). Sandwiches ($5-$6.50) are made on pita bread that is cooked to order, and arrive with sides of rice pilaf, spiced
bulgur, or fresh greens. Try the Babaganush ($5) or the Izgara Kofte (ground lamb and veggies, $6.50).
A few desserts are
on the menu, including Baklava ($4.50) and Sutlac ($5), a Turkish rice pudding.
• Drink: Istanbul Café has a not-quite-full bar, plus a short, respectable wine list with mostly California bottles in the $19-$60 range, and wines by the glass
for $5-$7. The Cafe also serves Turkish wines upon availability; ask your server, as they're not on the regular wine
list. Turkey's most popular beer, Efes, is offered in three varieties: Dark, Pilsner, and Extra (which tastes oddly like
Guinness), at $5 per bottle. And don't miss the Turkish coffee ($3) and the Turkish tea ($2).
• Wheelchair access: Through the front door. Restrooms are fully accessible.
• Smoking: Not allowed.
• Credit cards: All major cards accepted.
• Kids: No dedicated menu; favorites include appetizers and Turkish-style pizzas.
• Parking: At metered spaces on the street, free
after 7 p.m., or in paid lots across the street and to the left of the building, which average $6 per evening.
Todd Lyon of New Haven is a free-lance writer. Contact her at toddlyon@earthlink.net.