A Turkish Feast at Bosphorus

Last week, I had a lovely dinner with some of my favorite food blogger pals - Megan, Kristen, Meghan, Emily and Elizabeth - at Bosphorus.  Megan lives right around the corner from this new Turkish restaurant and she has previously dined at Bosphorus.  She enjoyed her dining experience so much that she organized a food blogger dinner with the restaurant, which is how the six of us found ourselves at Bosphorus on Tuesday evening.

I was told that the restaurant was previously a garage of some sort but you could never tell from its present interior design.  I loved that Bosphorus had a sleek modern look to it but it still seemed warm and inviting with its lighting fixtures and unique dining booths.

Although we were offered a private dining area, we opted for a large table in the front of the restaurant so we could capture our meal through the natural light streaming from the large windows in the storefront.  Hakan, the general manager of the restaurant, created a family-style menu for us, which helped us try a lot of different dishes on their menu.

First, we were served a basket of sliced warm pita bread with a small bowl of ezme. 

Ezme is a spicy tomato and red pepper dip that is really flavorful!

Our server was incredibly friendly and attentive from the beginning to the end of our meal.  She guided us through Bosphorus' beer and wine menu with a lot of attention to detail.  I chose a glass of dry Turkish red wine - Yakut - at her suggestion, and I wasn't disappointed.

Hakan put together a meze plate for our table so that we could try a variety of their appetizers and salads.  This colorful plate included an artichoke salad, yogurt dip, hummus, red lentil patties, char-grilled whipped eggplant, vegetarian stuffed grape leaves, bulgur salad and vegetarian stuffed red peppers.

This was a fun way to start our meal because there were so many little bites to try.  Some of these went well on their own but others we spread on pita bread.  My personal favorites were the artichoke salad, red lentil patties (which were eaten in lettuce wraps), and the stuffed grape leaves.



Artichoke Salad

 We then moved onto the entrees and we split three entrees together.  The first was the Sultan's Chicken, which included a boneless chicken breast stuffed with spinach and mushroom served with dried apricots, dates and almonds, along with a potato puree.  I loved the crispy skin of the chicken and the combination of fruits with the poultry.  The potato puree was a tad salty for me but it was a big hit with others at the table and I love its presentation.

My favorite entree was the lamb kebab.  This dish included the most tender braised lamb shank wrapped in eggplant and served with vegetables in a tomato-based sauce and a bulgur pilaf. 

I'm usually not the biggest of bulgur but I definitely had a few scoops of bulgur pilaf and really enjoyed it with my lamb!

The third entree was the vegetable casserole, which was full of potatoes, eggplant, carrots and tomatoes, and served with a small bowl of yogurt.  I didn't have too much of this dish but only because I was really full from all of the other bites!

By this time, I was finishing my second glass of wine, when the desserts arrived.  Thankfully the chef had cut these desserts down in size for us since we were all stuffed from the delicious Turkish food.  Two of the desserts were easily identifiable - a moist and flavorful baklava, and semolina and almond cookies. 

But there were some other interesting desserts, like the Asure (a/k/a Noah's Dessert).  This is a pudding that includes chickpeas, beans, dry fruits and nuts.  I wasn't sold on the use of chickpeas in a dessert but this was definitely an interesting dish!

The kunefe was another fascinating dessert.  Shredded phyllo dough was baked with mozzarella and topped with a sweet syrup and nuts.  At first, I thought the mozzarella made this a bit too savory for dessert but as I ate more of it, I liked how it balanced out the sweetness of the other desserts.  I am going to do some research on this dish and maybe try to make it at home!

I had such a wonderful time at Bosphorus and I am so grateful that Megan and Hakan invited me to this dinner.  There wasn't a single dish that I didn't enjoy but perhaps, more importantly, was the outstanding service.  In addition to Hakan, who chatted with us regularly, we had the most lovely server who was so knowledgeable about the wine, the dishes, the flavors, etc.  She was always present but never felt intrusive or over the top.  While the food was delicious, this personable service definitely left a great and lasting impression on me.  I am already so in love with many of the restaurants in Inman Square and I am certain that Bosphorus will become one of my go-to spots.

Full disclosure: The meal at Bosphorus was complimentary, but as always, my opinion is honest and completely my own.

Bosphorus is located at 1164 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA.