DC Anonymous

Food: 4/5  Vibe: 3/5  Service: 2/5  Value: 4/5  Overall: 3/5

The question is: what to do with the belly dancer?

More on that later. This night started out with a "I don't know, what do YOU want to do conversation?" Somehow we were reminded of the Deep Ellum arts walk and passing by this place.

Speaking of which, if they still have those CTs of some guys' head up at Pawn, check them out. Fairly impressive. Also, go buy something at Hal's. Furthermore, refuse to refer to Public Trust as anything other than Art Prostitute.

On the way, we debated and chose to return a call from the event planner and the girl with too many handbags. Shockingly, they decide to join us.

We drop a few quarters in to one of the meters and dodge the sidewalk gremlins to enter under the red neon of Something Something Grill.

It's a smallish restaurant with only two tables for 6 and a bunch of randomly assorted doubles. Still, it's a warm spot and the server is friendly if a little confused.

We ask for an order of falafel and cucumber salad. The orders come promptly. The falafels are reasonably tasty morsels, but they are so uniform and exactly breaded, that I have a feeling they were not necessarily made to order.

However, the cucumber salad is a refreshing mix of gourd and yogurt that nicely balances the falafel.

So far, things are ok.

The other two arrive reasonably on time. I vowed that if she referred to one of her bags as "ELL-Vee" I was going to smack her.

Anyway, on another occasion, I was derided by a local dining mistress for denigrating the combination platter. So you know what? COMBO PLATTER - forthewin

The other two go for some other things, but since they've never committed to the club, my social phobias prevent me from tasting their plates. Luckily, everything they've ordered is also on out combination platter. Ha! Take that, well adjusted diners.

The combo plate is a massive selection of rice and a variety of kebab style meats, from spicy ground meat, lamb cube, lamb chop to chicken. Curiously, our vegetables and rice are nowhere to be found.

The sausage at Istanbul is an exercise in salt. My systolic blood pressure was up a good 10-20 mmHg after that piece. However, the lamb chop and cube were great. Within the variety of spices there's a richness to the items that makes this an easy meal to imagine coming back for.

The rice was somewhat dry, but not so much that it didn't work against some of the meats' sauces. I would have thought it would have been dressed up a little more.

The carrots and squash were prepared well; slightly crunchy without being undercooked. Too bad it was so late. Also, our extra rice never came. The drinks also seemed to take an inordinate amount of time considering water and beer don't strike me as the most complicated order we've made in the last month.

Then, the belly dancer. I'm never really sure what to do with this situation. I'll say that the music at this Istanbul is nowhere near as deafening as at Cafe Istanbul, which I think is kind of good.

I mean, I understand that this is an ancient and social dance, but let's face some facts. Here in the U.S. I don't think people really care about joining in a big party with the other tables around us. Also, we were actually in a conversation since the other two are leaving Dallas permanently in about a month or so, but now we're yelling and leaning over the table.

You can't ignore it for fear of being rude, and even if you try you get a veil on the head or something. I really don't know how I feel about the situation.

I'm also really trying not to be too base, but oh let's just say it: I'd always hoped the harem would me more Haifa Wehbe than Jenny Craig - oooh, so insensitive to the gentle details of the dance and the expression of the dancer.

Maybe some raks gothique would mix this up a little.

Well, with that over with, what were the final impressions? The food was solid overall. Tab came to about 20 a person. The service was friendly, but our server needed a little confidence.

Go back? Sure. Overall, I probably wouldn't say the dishes really popped like they did at Afghan Grill, but realistically, I probably won't be driving out there on a whim. However, you won't have to deal with the Park Cities situation like at Cafe Istanbul.

Yes, go eat here.

2 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

WhitneyTM Anonymous

Food: 4/5  Vibe: 4/5  Service: 4/5  Value: 4/5  Overall: 4/5

Looking for somewhere to have dinner tonight? Print out the coupon (link above on right; offer current as of May/June 2008) and go try out Istanbul Grill at 25% off! We went last night, and this place is really a gem (not to mention warm fuzzies for doing your part to reinvigorate Deep Ellum). This place is cozy and cool, and the food is authentic and VERY flavorful. Full of surprises, too, if you're not used to it, which you're probably not since Dallas has little to offer in the Mediterranean category. A delicious culinary adventure with great service in an authentic atmosphere. Mmm...falafel. Good times.

2 months, 1 week ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )