My law partner Jamie and I decided to lunch at Antalya Red Square, 5131 Mayfield Road, Mayfield Hts. OH. I previously blogged about a lovely lunch I enjoyed there, and today I went back to try some more goodies.
The food at Antalya is exquisitely fresh and so reasonably priced! Turns out, as I learned today, that the chef used to cook at Anatolia Cafe.
For my drink today, I tried the Cherry Juice, which was not excessively sweet, and was redolent with the aroma and flavor of cherry.
We were again started with a basket of that lovely oven-charred bread:
We decided to split an appetizer, and it was a fabulous choice:
Stuffed Grape Leaves (Yalanci Dolma)
Both the leaves and the stuffing were very fresh - how many times have you ordered this dish somewhere, and the leaves are stringy and tough, and it tastes like it was put together last week and refrigerated until you ordered it? I could not get over the freshness - the leaves melted in the mouth, and even the pine nuts were deliciously fresh.
We again went for the incredible lunch bargain of soup and sandwich (for $6.50!). We both selected the Red Lentil Soup, which I had enjoyed on my previous visit. It was served hot and toothsome:
Then - it was Jamie who realized that this soup would benefit from some zing, so we asked for chile pepper, which the server promptly brought:
Ahh - that's better!
The chile- which had a distinctive flavor, but not excessive bite, found its way into everything else we ate! Jamie had the Lamb Adana, which I photographed the last time I was here. I decided to try the Humus. Each sandwich came with a side of yogurt-cucumber sauce. I wondered - would the addition of the chile powder mute the cucumber enough for my palate?
No - but it was an interesting try. But luckily for Miss-I-Hate-Cucumber me, I didn't think the Humus really needed the dressing, the way a meat or falafel sandwich might.
The Humus was rich with Tahini flavor and most delicious. With a sprinkle of chile flakes, it was an awesomely good lunch.
I know it looks kind of dark from the outside, but trust me - inside Antalya is a bright space with food well worth playing with!
The food at Antalya is exquisitely fresh and so reasonably priced! Turns out, as I learned today, that the chef used to cook at Anatolia Cafe.
For my drink today, I tried the Cherry Juice, which was not excessively sweet, and was redolent with the aroma and flavor of cherry.
We were again started with a basket of that lovely oven-charred bread:
We decided to split an appetizer, and it was a fabulous choice:
Stuffed Grape Leaves (Yalanci Dolma)
Both the leaves and the stuffing were very fresh - how many times have you ordered this dish somewhere, and the leaves are stringy and tough, and it tastes like it was put together last week and refrigerated until you ordered it? I could not get over the freshness - the leaves melted in the mouth, and even the pine nuts were deliciously fresh.
We again went for the incredible lunch bargain of soup and sandwich (for $6.50!). We both selected the Red Lentil Soup, which I had enjoyed on my previous visit. It was served hot and toothsome:
Then - it was Jamie who realized that this soup would benefit from some zing, so we asked for chile pepper, which the server promptly brought:
Ahh - that's better!
The chile- which had a distinctive flavor, but not excessive bite, found its way into everything else we ate! Jamie had the Lamb Adana, which I photographed the last time I was here. I decided to try the Humus. Each sandwich came with a side of yogurt-cucumber sauce. I wondered - would the addition of the chile powder mute the cucumber enough for my palate?
No - but it was an interesting try. But luckily for Miss-I-Hate-Cucumber me, I didn't think the Humus really needed the dressing, the way a meat or falafel sandwich might.
The Humus was rich with Tahini flavor and most delicious. With a sprinkle of chile flakes, it was an awesomely good lunch.
I know it looks kind of dark from the outside, but trust me - inside Antalya is a bright space with food well worth playing with!
Nancy --
ReplyDeleteI also had their hummos the time that I went and very much enjoyed it. It was served with a nice grilled pita bread that just complimented the coolness of the hummos very well.
Perhaps now that they are having some regulars for lunch, I should try it again. The last time I went, I was the only person in the restaurant the entire time I was there. It felt a little weird.
Excellent photos!!
You just made me so much hungry. :)) Antalya seems to have very nice cuisine.
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