Turquoise Cafe

Perhaps the owners' desire for "a simple, modern" Turkish restaurant had gone too far. It almost made us wish for a belly dancer to appear.

As GWiv can attest, I have been quite remiss in posting a review on what I consider to be the finest currently operating restaurant in Roscoe Village. The above statement from today's review in the Trib has forced my hand.http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/custom/friday/chi-0409160436sep17,1,4614006.story

Turquoise opened earlier this summer. When I had initially heard that a Middle-Eastern restaurant was opening in the 'hood, I was quite pleased. I expected a simple lunch/dinner place in the vein of Oasis Cafe, Petra or even Zou Zou. So imagine my surprise, to find the tables covered with white cloths, a dark wooded interior and a pretty good wine list. Our first lunch was spot on: both food and service. To start, we were given a small plate of an eggplant spread. Flecked with red pepper, it was smoky with just the right hint of garlic. The house-made bread, spongy and sprinkled with sesame seeds, was equally excellent. Like the Trib's critic, we went on to order sogurme and the lahmacun. Just as she describes, the sogurme is another smoky eggplant spread. This one mixed with thick yogurt, chili oil and topped with toasted walnuts and carrots. The lahmacun is also as she describes, thin bread topped with ground beef, spices and tomatoes. It should be topped with tomatoes, parsley and onions and then sprinkled with lemon. For entrees, we had the adnana kabob, a wonderfully spicy ground lamb mixture, which is alternated with grilled red peppers and served with a yogurt sauce, a paper thing flat bread, and perfectly cooked rice. Unlike the Trib's critic, I found the dish to be aesthetically pleasing -- the colors of the pepper and the lamb only highlighted by the white dishes. Thor's PA had the chicken kabob. Yes, it is made with the typical bland chicken breast; however, the chunks were perfectly cooked and spiced well.

The service merely heightened the experience. The wait staff is charming. The first time we went, we each ordered a glass of wine. Opening a new bottle, they essentially poured the entire bottle into those glasses. (On the subject of wine, the Chilean White Rioja is a particularly good match for their food.) The second fantastic service experience was the last time we went. The waitress, who has a particular fondness for Thor, played with him during our main courses allowing us to eat undisturbed. That experience was shared by other folks in the neighborhood.

Like a lot of other ethnic restaurants, Turquoise has its Turkish menu and an Americanized menu. Honestly, I've never tried the Americanized stuff. I'm not sure whether this menu exists because of their perception of their neighborhood's palate, which may be true, given Piazza Bella's continued popularity. But then maybe not. Suffice to say, I don't think they need to dumb down their food to build a clientele. From what I understand, the owners are very active in Chicago's Turkish Chamber of Commerce. This understanding was empirically confirmed the night that the restaurant had a table for 20 set up outside. As the Benz', BMWs, Hummers pulled up, the table filled in one by one resulting in a very well-dressed and good-looking party. I also understand that the guest list for their official opening included Turkish models and basketball players. The restaurant has been pretty full on weekend nights with not a few diners of Turkish descent.

I'm embarrassed to admit that we often order the same thing. However, we were able to explore pretty fully the Turkish side of the menu when we were so generously hosted by our friends at Asena Corp. Tolga and his fiancee hosted TPA and I as well as GWiv, Ellen and others to a wonderful meal in July. We left well-sated and happy. I'm certain that GWiv will be willing to share the pictures (just not the soon-to-be-trademarked fork u pictures). Suffice to say, we needed neither belly dancer nor hookah to enjoy ourselves.

The subject of consistency was discussed recently on Not About Food. I am one of those people who waits to write a full review, either negative or positive, until after I've been a few times. I have been to Turquoise and have ordered from Turquoise at least 10 times since it opened and I have to say that I have never had a bad experience with either food or service. I would highly recommend a visit.

Turquoise
2147 W. Roscoe St.
773-549-3523

Went to Turquoise today and had a wonderful lunch. I had excellent grilled lamb, and my companion had a terrific-looking tuna steak salad -- each dish for $6.95, and we received 1/2 off one entree with the coupon attached to their menu flyer (which you can take outside of their front door while walking in.) Plus, great warm bread and pepper spread. Not at all crowded, which was surprising considering the price and service. (And FYI, there's a leechable wi-fi signal inside the restaurant from next door.)
>>Brent

Thanks to all of your glowing reviews, I decided to deny myself a trip to Turquoise no further. It would be futile to try and build on the detailed descriptions of these master dining adventures, so I will just confirm that every plate set down before us, from the complimentary hummus to the main courses of adana kabobs and the Turquoise mixed grill, was superb.

I went to dinner with a friend who has a particular penchant for appetizers--many is the night we've met for a "snacking dinner--yet I convinced her to ease off our usual quota in anticipation of dessert. While this was admirable, it backfired due to the substantial portions of everything else we ordered (including never-ending wine for me and cosmopolitans for her). We never made it to baklava or any other sweet (other than the basket of Frooties candies the lovely staff at the bar kept strolling by with!), and have thus promised a repeat visit within the next week.

On a final note, our overall experience there matched the excellence of the food itself. The staff was amazing, and while always available never obtrusive. Our server went above and beyond for us, from information on Turkish wines (which led to the never-ending glass, I'm afraid), to continued service after our meal when we went downstairs to their "lounge," or room with many stuffed leather sofas and a large-screen television. We shared to room with a few Turkish couples, who were watching the presidential debate (over their own never-ending glasses of choice) and delivering far more interesting commentary on the topics than I've heard in a long time.

All in all, this is just to say thanks for your wonderful posts.

Shanti

Went there and had a mixed experience. Meze/apps are very good - including eggplant dip. Nice soup. they have a really tasty salad with I believe beets in it - very large portion and great dressing. do not get the borek. The borek was a real disappointment. The borek layers were hard, like partially cooked lasagna when they are supposed to be light and flaky, almost like baklava. The filling was also very bland. Borek can have many types of fillings, but it should complement the dough. Here, nothing really worked. Note - this was not cigara borek. It was tepsi borek, unusual to find on menu in US. The borek is kind of a strange bird on the menu - it is listed in the entree section but the portion is meze-sized (we were warned, in all fairness). It was higher priced than most meze and cheaper than most entrees. So, not only was it not very good, but it was high. Borek is more like a street/snack food - it shouldn't be $10.
I got the seared tuna with white bean and pomengranate. It was tasty - white bean salad was good. Portion was generous for price. However, that large a slab of seared tuna kind of got to me. It would have been better as a meze sized dish since the pomengranate and tuna together were a tasty, but really rich combo. Kind of left my stomach unsettled.
All in all, I would go there again, and take friends who were scared of Turkish food as a gentle introduction, but, as I always say, for real Turkish food, I head to Cafe Demir (or my own kitchen).
I would definitely say for atmosphere tho, that Turquoise is tops in Chicago turkish restaurants. It's very pretty inside.
In contrast to others noticing a high number of Turks, our experience was different. Hubby and I spoke Turkish to busboy repeatedly, but no one ever picked up that he is Turkish (and I speak conversationally). Server was not Turkish. We commented on how weird it seemed that no one noticed his Turkishness, the lack of Turks in clientele and also amongst servers. Go figure.

I know that Turkish cuisine is pretty diverse. I've been impressed by the quality at Cafe Demir. Encouraging that my perceptions are backed up by someone with more insight. However, I would really love to see more of the diversity of Turkish food. Do any of the Turkish restaurants in Chicago, Cafe Demir in particular, reach for the outer reaches? Maybe off menu items?

Oh for a Turkish or other middle-eastern restaurant that took to the secret Thai menu concept and expanded our horizons!

rien

Just noticed that restaurant.com has Turquoise certificates available. $25 certificate for $10. No restrictions that I see.

http://www.restaurant.com

TURQUOISE RESTAURANT DINING CERTIFICATE RESTRICTIONS

- Valid with minimum purchase of $50 for food only.


TERMS AND CONDITIONS
- Certificate may only be applied to the food portion of the bill.
- No cash value for gift certificates.
- No cash back upon redemption or at any other time.
- Gift certificates cannot be used for taxes, tips or prior balances.
- Valid for dine in only unless otherwise stated.
- Valid for parties of 2 or more unless otherwise stated.
- With 50% OFF certificates, party size may not exceed 8 people.
- Use of gift certificates for alcoholic beverages is at the sole discretion of the merchant. Merchant agrees to comply with all state laws pertaining to same.
- Limit one (1) redemption per customer per month per restaurant.
- Limit one (1) gift certificate per redemption. Only one gift certificate can be use per party, even if the party is seated at separate tables and/or receives more than one check.
- The issuing of restaurant credit is at the sole discretion of the merchant unless otherwise required by law.
- Neither the seller nor the merchant is responsible for lost or stolen certificates or gift certificates reference numbers.
- Gift certificates cannot be combined with any other gift certificates, third party certificates, coupons, or promotions.
- Reproduction, sale or trade of this gift certificate is prohibited unless done so in compliance with the law.
- Any attempted redemption not consistent with these terms and conditions will render the gift certificate null and void.
- Void to the extent prohibited by law.
- Dining Certificates can be exchanged for Restaurant.com Mega Certificates within 90 days of purchase date. No cash back on Dining Certificates.
- Expires one (1) year from date of issue, except in CA or where otherwise prohibited by law.
purchase of $50 for food only.

- Certificate may only be proffered using the magic words. Failure to proffer certificate in said manner will result in certificate being rendered null and void.
- No free mints if you use the gift certificate. Yeah, that means you, bub.
- Credit checks and security clearance must be completed prior to using the gift certificate. Failure to pass such a check will result in the server rendering the certificate null and void, or rendering the holder of the certificate unconscious, at the server's dicretion.
- Do not taunt the gift certificate.
- Valid for parties of 3 adults and one child only on alternate Tuesdays of months with an "R" in the name. Parties of 4 adults and 2 children are prohibited from even looking at the gift certificate. Parties of more than 4 adults constitute a conspiracy, and will be reported to the proper authorities.

only valid in months with a W

Only Leap Year.
Members of the truly secret,secret menu club.
Willing to table dance.
Most important,hattyn must so decree!

I ate at Turquoise Cafe a few months ago, and had a great dinner. We tried multiple versions of their eggplant spreads which were good, as others have said. Our (non-Turkish) entree's, though, we very good--bordering on excellent. Part of our experience may be that we had no expectations, because we just stumbled upon it, and decided to go in and try it out.

I had their seafood risotto which was chockful of fresh, perfectly cooked seafood. The flavor was rich, a little on tomato-y side, and unctuous. A friend ordered the salt-baked fish (can't recall the exact fish), and it was delicately carved for our viewing pleasure tableside (old-school style). It was moist and delicate. I probably wouldn't order the fish if I was alone, because in comparison with some of the other dishes, it ranks a little low on the flavor scale--but a great addition for the those who like to share their meals.

They offer a full bar--and make a solid, fairly priced martini.

And the service was great too. The servers all seemed to love their job and food in general. We ended up talking to them at the end of our meal about the great ethnic restaurants in Chicago. They were relatively new to Chicago, and so, were very interested--one of them even took notes!

Despite, or perhaps because of, living so close to Sunday Breakfast Row-- the strip of Roscoe that includes the wildly popular Kitsch'n and Victory's Banner, the overlooked Brett's, an unusually posh Starbucks and, I noticed today, a strip where even the Guatemalan place (El Tinajon) is open on Sunday morning to catch overflow from its more famous and backwards-R'd neighbors-- despite that, or because of it, I am notably jaundiced about the whole idea of breakfast. So while the rest of you were making plans to crowd Edgebrook Diner for biscuits and gravy this morning, all I could think of was how unlikely it was that four spots would open up for us on the counter before my youngest broke something.

But luckily, I had a breakfast ace in the hole, a secret unknown to the hordes crowding the first block or two of S.B.R. I had spotted it yesterday:



Turkish breakfast, what's that? asked my wife when I proposed the idea. Who knows? I said. Only one way to find out.

The breakfast got off to a slightly rocky start, service-wise, first because we were marched through the utterly empty restaurant to a table far from the natural light I wanted for photos, and second because (as champagne was poured) we were asked "Do you know what you want?" without a menu, an explanation of Turkish breakfast, anything. Finally we pried the secret of Turkish breakfast out of them-- or rather we were treated to a long list of items, not always sure where one ended and the next began. We talked about what the kids might actually eat-- and then before we could order for ourselves, he was gone.

Well, as it turned out we didn't need to order because Turkish breakfast turned out to mean a bountiful plate of absolutely everything he had named, for us to dish up ourselves at the table. Here's what we had for the princely sum of $12.95 (and half that for the kids):

Hot Turkish bread with butter and honey.

Salad with feta and olives.

Crepes (plain).

Squares of something called something like soubiri, basically bread wettened and baked into savory bread pudding with feta and parsley inside:



A sort of potato mash-fry thing, with onion.

An "omelet" consisting of fried eggs with chunks of a chorizo-like sausage:



Another omelet consisting of fried eggs atop a ratatouille-like sauce of tomatoes, onions and other vegetables:



A special cheesy-scrambled egg creation for the kids, and:

Fruit. Which we ended up taking home.

Oddly, it was only as I was walking home and passed Starbucks that I realized the one thing Turkish breakfast did not include is something Turks are famous for drinking-- coffee.

Compared to the brunch buffets, which is what this resembled more than breakfast at Kitsch'n, say, this was a steal at this price and everything was fresher and more interesting than the usual desultory bins of scrambled eggs and baked halibut. The omelet with the tomato sauce was outstanding, everything else was at least interesting, and Turquoise is a nice, upscale place where you could take the in-laws on a Chicago visit. So if you can't get in to Edgebrook Diner today, you're only about 5 miles away, check it out.

Turquoise Restaurant
2147 W. Roscoe St.
773-549-3523

Mike G wrote:So if you can't get in to Edgebrook Diner today

Mike,

I did get to Edgebrook Diner today, but next Sunday Turquoise. Surprisingly, what appeals to me most is the "omelet" with fried eggs and chorizo-like sausage.

Nice pictures!

Enjoy,
Gary

Hi,

I love it! I really don't like standard breakfast food mostly for the frequency of the menu and lack of imagination. I do love the opportunity to eat breakfast from another culture, where there are a few unexpected surprises.

Another plus is the upscale qualities with prices that don't match the ambiance.

Thanks!

Regards,

Mike G wrote:The breakfast got off to a slightly rocky start, service-wise, first because we were marched through the utterly empty restaurant to a table far from the natural light I wanted for photos, and second because (as champagne was poured)

Was the champagne BYOB or is that something sold by Turquoise? Just trying to figure out the logistics in advance.

Some tasty looking pictures there, Mike.

They served it with the breakfast, all part of the price.

Being Turkish myself, I never had a chance to try Turquoise, but wanted to say few words about traditional Turkish breakfast.
Basics of Turkish breakfast are fresh bread (resembles mostly to Italian bread), feta cheese (and many other varieties of cheese like kassieri, hellim etc.), black and green olives, butter, honey, all kinds of homemade jams and fresh tomatoes and cucumbers (also maybe green peppers like the cubanella type) with a dash of olive oil, and of course, lots and lots of delicious, brewed Turkish tea. The omlette with the sausage is called "Sucuklu Yumurta" (eggs with sucuk/soujuk) and sucuk is a spicy Turkish sausage. What Mike says is named like soubiri is "Su Boregi" (water borek / pie) is much more sophisticated than bread wettened and baked into bread pudding. It is made with filo dough (a thicker version) that is handmade from scratch and boiled in water for a very short time and later prepared and baked much like the classic spinach pie we get accross in many mediterranean restaurants.
I am quite impressed with the variety. But champagne with breakfast sounds really strange to me and Turkish coffee would traditionally not accompany any meal but is enjoyed mostly after a nice, big meal.
Hope those who try it will like it,
gsoy

What Mike says is named like soubiri is "Su Boregi" (water borek / pie) is much more sophisticated than bread wettened and baked into bread pudding

Ah, our old friend the bierock/borek returns in yet another guise! I thought filo, and when I cut it apart for my son it certainly behaved like something with discrete layers, but when I asked the server about it he described it as if it were literally made from bread. I guess he was making an analogy, or his English and my understanding just didn't match up.

thanks for posting on this place. i cannot wait to try!

The menu is on their website: http://www.turquoisedining.com

It makes me hungry just looking at it. The lunch menu looks like a bargain -- most dishes $5.95 or $6.95.

Thanks for posting about this.

You know, I tried it for lunch and found it less interesting, less distinctively Turkish, than other places I've been to-- a somewhat generic pan-middle eastern grilled meat and rice dish, and a pomegranate pips, blue cheese and vinaigrette salad that didn't work. However a couple of people have been very high on the quality of dinner there, so one of these days I'll get there for that. And who knows? You might find something you like, and the price is right.

If you think you can spend $60 on food at Turquoise, you can get a $25 certificate for $5 right now at restaurant.com. (use code 16676 at checkout to cut the price from $10 to $5). No day of the week limitations.
For non-breakfast recommendations, check out this earlier post
Dinner can be wonderful. This is sea bass baked in a salt crust. Photo by gleam.

After following this thread religiously this past week, I managed to get up and get to Turquoise for breakfast today. It was very good, much as everyone described...but we didn't get the fruit plate at the end of the meal. Other diners did get it. I wonder if they didn't offer it to us because my two dining companions and I didn't completely clean the plates they brought to us?

Went to Turkoise for dinner recently, have fallen in love with the
special onion kepap with shallots, raisins and braised pommegranate
sauce...to die for. I have eaten my share of kebabs in Chicago and have visited Turkey several times, but have never had anything this good.
Also impressed with the "Imam Bayaldi "(translates to" the priest fainted") ,
3 small eggplant halves roasted to perfection and presented beautifully,
topped with thin red pepper slices. All tables filled at 9pm on a Saturday night, but the server I had was very attentive and knowledgable. Noise level higher than I prefer, but everyone seemed to be having a marvelous time, and I shall return for the onion kebap if nothing else.

baroness of beef wrote:Also impressed with the "Imam Bayaldi "(translates to" the priest fainted") ,3 small eggplant halves roasted to perfection and presented beautifully, topped with thin red pepper slices.

Baroness,

I love their version of this dish. The stuffing is a classic mixture of red pepper, onion, tomatoes, garlic, pine nuts. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts kind of dish.

And as others have commented, the Lahmacun, which is sort of a Turkish ground meat pizza, is also excellent.

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And I went for breakfast last weekend, and thought it very good. My only complaint was that all of my egg yolks came out of the kitchen cooked hard. So if you like your yolks runny, let them know when you sit down.

trixie-pea

Hmm. If anything mine were a tad underdone and runny, not that I was complaining in this age of irrational raw-eggphobia.

After eyeing Turquoise for a few months, my wife and I finally gave it a try. Boy are we glad we did. We were in the mood for good, fresh seafood and got that plus much more.

We sat at an outside table and were greeted warmly by the server who also appeared to be an owner. Within a minute, hot, baked-on-premises bread arrived at the table with a wonderful stewed eggplant spread - gratis. This was amazing, as was the high-quality olive oil we used for bread dipping. Danger - with these delicious free starters, it's easy to get full before even placing an order!

Not to be deterred, we shared the Patlican Salatasi to start. Similar to Baba Gannoush I've had elsewhere (Semiramis being my favorite so far) this stood out for two reasons: the freshness of the ingredients and the texture. While the smoked eggplant had been pureed, the rest of the ingredients (garlic, parsley, roasted pepper, onion) were small-diced, and I really enjoyed the texture contrast. This dish was perfection.

In the mood for seafood, we ordered the fish of the day - snapper baked in a salt crust - and a mixed seafood grill. The latter was not on the menu, but our host graciously offered it up when we asked for seafood recommendations. The beautiful presentation of the snapper was an accurate predictor of the flavor to come. The dish arrived with salt crust still in place, and was flambéed tableside. The crust was removed while the flames were dying, and the fish was filleted tableside. It was simply served with sliced lemon and a potato-cheese soufflé on the side. The fish was moist, fresh, and exactly what we were looking for. The mixed seafood gill was excellent as well - generous portions of shrimp, tuna, salmon and humungous scallops all seasoned simply with salt, pepper, and paprika and grilled to the perfect level of doneness. Mmm.

We wanted to try the chocolate soufflé for dessert but, alas, the bread at the beginning of the meal had done us in. Can't wait till next time!

Sounds like you had a great time. I'll definitely have to try the patlican salatasi. Thanks for the report.

One question regarding this:

Kennyz wrote:The dish arrived with salt crust still in place, and was flambéed tableside. The crust was removed while the flames were dying, and the fish was filleted tableside. It was simply served with sliced lemon and a potato-cheese soufflé on the side.

Was this a full salt "dome" crust, covering the whole fish? If so, does flaming the outside of the crust do anything besides look cool? I've made whole fish under salt domes, and that crust gets hard as plaster. I can't imagine why I'd light it on fire. Maybe I missed something in your description.

Best,
Michael / EC

It was indeed a full dome crust that seemed hard as plaster and I agree that the flames couldn't really have added much. The guy seemed to have fun doing it though, so why deprive him?

eatchicago wrote:Was this a full salt "dome" crust, covering the whole fish? If so, does flaming the outside of the crust do anything besides look cool?

Michael,

Full dome crust and it does look cool.

Turquoise




Enjoy,
Gary