Hello Turkey
It's very nice to meet you. I've heard a lot about you but I've never had the pleasure of making your acquaintance. I've been thinking about you so much lately, and, as it's not likely for me to go ALL the way to see you, I thought I'd try to find a little bit of you here in San Diego.
Oh sure, I've had a Kabob and Turkish coffee, I've even smoked a Turkish cigarette hand rolled by my friend Ercan in Germany (and sick for the following 2 hours by the by)...., but real Turkish food, cooked and served by real Turkish people, just sounds good today. Let's roll.
A very brief search via the interweb leads me to this place.
Lezzet Cafe and Restaurant
It's south east of Barrio Logan, almost to Shelltown, on Main Street near Una Street.
Very creative paint selection..., but it looks cool/unique, and smells great as we enter.
They have a fairly standard sized indoor dining room and a large outdoor patio area with a lot of very comfy looking booths.
We decided to sit indoors and I must say, the chairs are SUPER comfortable. If they had A/C I could literally sit here all day. I'm so digging this place already.
Decor = awesome
Beer and wine are on the menu, they also have EVERYTHING Turkey, just no stuffing/cranberry sauce...jk
Moscato wine, pretty sweet but also pretty refreshing.
Very cool bar. I could easily see sitting here in winter time, or at least when it's not 100 degrees outside, and enjoy a coffee or tea.
Let's get the food rollin in, we are here to eat!
First to come out is Tandoori bread and three sauces. I'm not sure if this comes with what we ordered or if it's like chips and salsa at a Mexican restaurant. What I DO know is that it looks and smells killer.
The white sauce is Haydari. Kind of similar to a Tziki, but not really. It's like yoghurt and ground walnuts, and it's good.
The green sauce is the Avocado sauce. This was my favorite, Doesn't really taste much like avocado, but there's a lot going on in this bowl. And it's a bit spicy. Not blow you away spicy, just perfect, subtle, just enough to temp and tease but not hurt.
The last sauce is similar to a salsa, but Turkish style. No idea the name, but it's yummy.
The bread is beyond amazing. Crispy and crunchy on the outside and light and fluffy on the inside. Served piping hot. It looks like it was brushed with butter and sprinkled with sesame seeds just prior to baking.
seni seviyorum türkiye
De-lish
We also ordered the ground lamb kabob plate. It comes with salad and rice.
What can I say? I wish I knew different words other than amazing, spectacular, delicious, wonderful, etc.. New words need to be created to describe this. The smell is overwhelming. The depth of flavor is beyond comprehension.
The rice was not the star on the plate but it was terrific in it's own right. Fluffy and light. Not mushy but also not too hard, absolutely just right. Perfect flavor. It knows it's not the main event, but it plays the role of sidekick expertly.
I won't bother with more words here. Please just enjoy with your eyes.
So good
Our awesome new friend brings on the next two dishes
Grape Dolma
Rice, beef, onion, tomato, seasonings, perfection
There is magic happening in this kitchen.
Homemade Beef Manti
Beef, onion, pepper, and salt wrapped in a homemade pasta topped with some sort of sauce, I can't even begin to guess at what it was. A unique flavor, very light and delicious.
To me this dish defines this place. Fresh, handmade food, made by people who KNOW what they're doing, cooking with love, and for people they care about. Primarily people from their home who are here in a land not unfriendly but also, probably, not all that familiar. Yearning for something from home, recognizable.
The finger model is back...
This is not only great Turkish food, and I am by no means an expert on that for sure, but this is simply good food, period. If you want to eat, and eat well, come here.
seni çok seviyorum türkiye!
DVA
How interesting article! You know I love travelling. I am fond of eating yummy food at popular restaurants. Last week I visited Boston for a business meeting. It was the best opportunity to taste delicious food at Boston restaurants. I had a great time in Boston!!
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