02/24/09

tuesday nite is the nite

by Leahbyrd

this is my absolute favorite place to go on tuesday. they have $2 tapas. the sangria is tasty and th turkish coffe or gelato is a n ice way to end the meal.

word to the wise, go early. this is a popular l=place on tuesdays and it gets crowded.

09/15/07

My current fave restaurant in Dallas

by ericakaye1

I finally got the chance to eat at Cafe Izmir for the first time Friday. I've been a frequesnt visitor to the Izmir Deli and Kizmet for a few years, and I'm glad I made the trip next door. The place is small and cozy, and pretty crowded on the weekends, so avoid it if you liek to spread out and can't handle somewhat tight quarters. They had a live acoustic guitarist playing by the patio area, and paintings by local artists on the walls.

I was with 2 other people, neither of which had ever had Mediterranean or Persian food, so I got to order for everyone. We started with plates of hummus, ziziki, yogurt, olives, and russian chicken salad served with pita. Their chicken salad is to DIE for... creamy and tasty and goes perfectly well with the soft pita. We had the prix fixe dinner... we were brought a huge pltter with kabob, grilled chicken, lamb chops, and these fantastic pieces of grilled chicken and veggies rolled up in pita. All the meats were perfectly cooked, and had a nice charred flavor to them. This was all served with a really flavorful rice pilaf dish... perfectly cooked with a little saffron.

My friend and I both had hot tea, served Russian style in theses beautiful glass goblets with our SINFULLY decadent chocolate cake, and i had the turkish coffee.

They have a very nice wine list but we were feeling cheap and opted to have the sangria. It was somewhat weak, btu I haven't found a place other than my own kitchen that serves a stout sangria. They don't serve liquor, but the club next door sure does, along with a mean hookah!

• Pros: Ambiance, family ran, authentic Persian food
• Cons: very small, can get a LONG wait, reservations are needed

02/28/07

TERRIBLE customer service

by 2512970

Honestly, the food was pretty good (but cold when it came), but the terrible service and atmosphere ruined the experience. We came without a reservation, but were told it would only be a 15 minute wait. I was patient and only checked in after 25 minutes. I was told that they were very busy. Well, why didn't they relay that to me when they said 15 minutes initially, I asked calmly? (At no time was I rude, but I did look annoyed.) The host was patronizing and offered me a glass of wine to "relax." He was clearly laughing at me and indiginant at the idea that I would even venture to hold them loosely to their estimate. In fact, we weren't seated until 50 minutes after we arrived--not 15 (and we were only a party of 2). There were visibly open tables the whole time, by the way. After we got seated (next to a huge party that was so close to our table that when they scooted out of their chairs, they knocked our table and food dishes numerous times with their rears) it was a full 15 minutes before ANYONE came to take our drink orders or bring us a menu. After finally ordering and receiving our starters, the main course took at least 25 minutes to get there. We asked for more pita bread at this time, and didn't see the waiter again until we were done with the meal. Finally, they brought more bread (too late to enjoy) and it had a large black hair on top of it! I couldn't even talk with my dinner companion because the music was so loud...like eating in a nightclub. The ambiance was terrible. I won't be returning.

• Pros: Food was good
• Cons: service, ambiance, attitude, parking