Barb and I enjoyed a Turkish meal last year at a new restaurant, Aspendos. It was the first week they were opened and found the food and service to be promising, but as yet, uneven.
Last Sunday we had no plans, so we decided to return to Aspendos. They have been enjoying some very good reviews, so this was the right time to check it out.
I had just received a couple of cases of wines I looked forward to enjoying. This Pinot Noir was a great find at less than half the retail price from Wineslash.com. I had enjoyed some a couple months ago. I’m thrilled that I was able to reorder 6 bottles. It was an absolutely perfectmatch for this meal.We started with this big puffy bread that came with two tasty dips: a tomato paste in olive oil and balsamic and something like hummus with olive oil. Of course, I started eating it before I remembered to snap my picture.Good job editing.We also started devouring this Smoked Roasted Eggplant immediately. It was gorgeous as well as delicious. They have a much better picture of this on their website. If you love eggplant, make sure you come and eat this dish. Barb ordered this appetizer called Zucchini Beauty. It was enormous and layered with tasty flavors like orange, fennel, dill and an excellent dressing applied with a deft hand.After knocking off the top of the Zucchini Beauty, we found a plethora of shaved zucchini. At the base of this dish, Barb saw a stop sign and said: “no mas. I surrender.” She had thoroughly enjoyed her meal and patiently watched me march on.Our server,Muratt, insisted that I try their Mucver which I told him is one of my favorite Middle Eastern dishes. It is a zucchini pancake. This one was garnished with tzatziki , evoo and pamagranite molasses. It was unique in form and presentation. I loved it.Competing with my options of Oxtail or Lambshank, was this wonderful Smoked Shirt Rib with Whipped Potatoes and a pile of, I believe, fried onions.
We were very impressed with our dinner at Aspendos. So much so that we have redirected our plans for next week’s food fest with some of our oldest and closest friends. It’s a great place to enjoy a wonderful culinary experience that will please your palate and won’t break the bank.
Our server,Murat, was a welcoming and informative man. His insights and direction made the whole dining experience a pleasure.
JoshEatsandDrinks 