Posts tagged Turkish

Flaming cheese. A belly dancer toting a sword. Dancing on the tables. Napkins being thrown in the air. Shots of Ouzo.

That’s just a glimpse of the first Folio Weekly Bite Club dinner of 2012. Oh, and then there was the food: an amazing assortment of traditional Greek and Turkish fare!

After a performance from one of Taverna Yamas belly dancers, guests started with cold “pikilia” or appetizers, in a family-style setting: tzatziki (homemade yogurt, cucumber, garlic and dill), taramosalata (caviar spread), melitzanoalata (roasted eggplant spread), hummus (chickpeas, olive oil, and garlic), pita and dolmades (grape leaves stuffed with rice). The taramosalata and dolmades were instant hits. Next up was the Greek Village Salad. Taverna Yamas offers this version in addition to a more traditional Greek salad, which contains romaine lettuce. The Village is a lettuce-free colorful bouquet of ripe tomatoes, cucumber wedges, thin slivers of red onion, crunchy peppers, Kalamata olives, feta cheese, olive oil and oregano.

You can’t have cold appetizers without their warm counterparts. Platters of hot pikila including spanakopita, baked phyllo dough with layers of feta and spinach, keftedes (ground beef and fresh herbs), calamari and a red dipping sauce, and lamb ribs with ladolemono sauce, were distributed. Within minutes, plates were cleaned!

A surprise of flaming cheese with brandy, or saganaki, was served on sizzling pans to each table. The salty cheese spread perfectly atop chewy pita wedges.

As pants began to tighten, friendly waitstaff donned plates of chicken kebab, filet mignon kebab, pork tenderloin with spinach and leek rice and lemon potatoes. And a complimentary shot of Ouzo: Greece’s famous anise-flavored liquor, was passed around. Opa!

More belly dancing and dancing atop a table took center stage between courses. Guests enjoyed the combination of music, dance and cheerful ambiance.

Last but by no means least was a trio of desserts. The baklava, layers of phyllo dough, honey, walnut, cinnamon and cloves, was joined by ek mek, or shredded phyllo dough with walnuts, a custard creme and whipped topping, and galaktoboureko (say that three times fast, I dare you!): honey phyllo with custard. 

Joining the hustle and bustle of Tinseltown in December of 2010, Taverna Yamas currently seats 350 patrons but recently broke ground on an expanded area that will soon be home to a hookah lounge with tapas-style menu and more outdoor seating.

Taverna Yamas offers happy hour from 3 to 6 p.m. (half priced well liquors, house wines, beer, and a large selection of appetizers), daily lunch specials, $4 Martini Wednesdays and live entertainment on the weekend.