Low-key eatery does high-quality cuisine

John Lehndorff, Rocky Mountain News

Published March 3, 2006 at midnight

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After tasting the light and soul-satisfying fare at Denver's only Turkish restaurant, I have to wonder what took so long for a place like the Istanbul Grill to open. We wonder why there isn't a Turkish cafe in every new suburban lifestyle mall instead of those casual dining places whose names always end in "s."

The South Denver eatery started out as Ray's Grill, a standard American eatery, before friends quickly convinced owner Emre Karaoglu to switch the name and menu and offer authentic cuisine from his native Turkey.

Like all great ethnic destinations, the low-key Istanbul Grill is sequestered in a stereotypical strip mall near Kennedy Golf Course between a Korean hair salon and an Arthur Murray dance studio. The modest decorations include art and travel posters from Istanbul. When our guests mentioned how much they'd enjoyed their trip to Turkey, our homesick waitress eagerly shared photos and maps from her home region.

This is not another cookie-cutter Middle Eastern eatery. Many of the dishes sound familiar - albeit spelled a little differently, but they are prepared and seasoned with a distinctive touch.

We've tasted oodles of meze, the small plate starters, but the Grill's were unexpectedly memorable. We always order the appetizer combo ($7.49), grab baked pita triangles and commence vigorous dipping.

We couldn't get enough of the fresh garlic-infused babaganush made with grilled, chopped fresh eggplant instead of the typical smooth puree. The dynamic duo of eggplant and garlic also starred in the ratatouille-like kizartma and patican salatasi, a salad that also incorporated pepper, tomatoes and onions.

We gulped minty, grape leaf-wrapped dolma with cacik, a yogurt-cucumber dip, and even the tahini-thickened humus was a step up in texture and flavor.

Another typically ho-hum, kebob shop standard, lentil soup ($2.25 cup; $2.85 bowl), is smooth and light instead of chunky, with sophisticated notes of mint, black pepper, cumin and garlic. The well-made salads that accompany entrees are gently dressed with lemon juice and olive oil.

I don't know whether it's an appetizer or an entree, but the most wonderful dish on the menu is one I'd never encountered before. Hooray for gozleme ($5.99), square, house-made filo dough layers stuffed with Turkish feta cheese and broad- leaf parsley and then griddled until crispy.

We ripped off pieces of the unexpectedly craveable treat and gobbled them up posthaste. It was so good, we sampled it both times we visited, and we'd go back for it again.

The remainder of the menu is filled with various grilled meats or kebaps ($9.99-$12.99) served in wraps and on dinner plates that come with soup or salad and rice pilaf or french fries. We recommend the pilaf which arrives fluffy and well-buttered.

For indecisive diners like me, the easiest entree to pick was the kebap combo ($13.99). I can't get enough of the beef, lamb and chicken that has been deeply marinated in spices and then charred, not just grilled, to give it that must-eat-more flavor. The same goes for the tomato, onion and bell pepper given the same fire treatment.

The magic touch that elevated this platter to perfection was the inclusion of a single fresh Anaheim chile, fully charred, and perfectly appropriate for a Colorado meal.

We enjoyed the mild chile zip and noticed happily that some of the Turkish dishes had some nice pepper heat, an unusual characteristic in most Middle Eastern fare. Especially appealing was the adana kebap ($10.99), ground beef pumped up with red chile oil and then flamed, yet it remained juicy.

The owners are justly proud of the homemade doner ($9.99) or gyros meat served on Fridays and Saturdays. They advise arriving early because their doner already has numerous savvy fans.

Two unusual Turkish homestyle dishes are also must-orders, even as dinner side dishes. The kuru fasulye ($5.99) is a hearty white bean soup mildly seasoned with veggies, and musakka ($5.99) is a comforting casserole of ground beef, potatoes and eggplant with bechamel sauce.

For the grill's highly affordable lunch, the same meats are available in flatbread (lavash) wraps ($5.99-$6.50) with pilaf and cacik.

Since no beer or wine is served, we instead enjoyed honey rose lemonade and ayran ($1.95), a thin yogurt drink whose tartness turned out to be a fine foil for all that meat.

Lightness even ruled when it came to the meal finale. The desserts were a little less dense and not nearly as cloying as some we've encountered.

The soft baklava ($3.50) was barely moistened, not swimming, in honey syrup with a thin layer of ground nuts. Instead of a dense eggy custard, the eatery's sutlac ($2.50) rice pudding was soft and mildly sweet with thick yogurt under a sprinkling of cinnamon and pistachios.

We lingered to talk and sip cups of sweet, strong Turkish tea ($1.95) and muddy Turkish coffee ($1.95).

So often after one of these review feasts, we suffer from a well-deserved food hangover. After our multi-course Turkish adventure, we felt light on our feet and even healthy, yet satisfied.

The nice thing about this kind of dining is that it's OK to simply enjoy a tasty meal of meze: simple preparations brightened with the essential Mediterranean accents of salt, lemon, olive oil and garlic.

We extend a sincere, warm welcome to the Istanbul Grill and wish our sole Turkish eatery a long, successful life. Who knows, maybe this establishment will spawn a succession of new eateries serving gozleme.

Istanbul Grill

• Hours: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday-Thursday; until 9 p.m. Friday-Saturday

• Food: Turkish

• How much: $2.25-$7.49 starters; $9.99 to $14.99 entrees; $5.99 to $6.99

• How loud: Moderate

• Reservations: For five or more

John Lehndorff is the dining critic; lehndorffj@rockymountainnews.com or 303-892-5103

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