When I asked our waitress at Beyoglu, the Upper East side eatery that specializes in Turkish cuisine, where the special wine listed on the menu was from, she looked puzzled. “What winery is it from?” I said, trying again, this time with what I hoped was more precision. “California,” another server offered.

The no-name Cabernet turned about to be perfectly drinkable. And, I’m happy to report that the food far exceeded the friendly but uninformed service.

We stuck with the meze and they were some of the best I’ve eaten. Patlican Domates Soslu, lightly pan fried cubes of eggplant topped with sautéed fresh tomato, was a refreshing eggplant salad with lots of texture and crunch. Zeytinyagli Ispanak, sautéed fresh spinach, shallots and dill with homemade yogurt, was surprisingly rich and buttery. Though the waitress tried to steer us away from the fried anchovies, (“I don’t like fish”) luckily we didn’t listen to her. They were crunchy on the outside, tender on the inside, and perfectly cooked as were the grilled shrimp.

All this for $58.00. A good deal and we’ll be back.

Beyoglu
1431 Third Ave.
New York, NY
212 650 0850