Do you know the initialism UPF? You should if you want to maintain nutritional health for yourself and your loved ones. UPF is a pernicious societal problem here in the United States — a food problem. The initials stand for ultra-processed foods, and in a standard grocery, more than 70 percent of “food” offered for sale is ultra-processed. Today, 59 percent of calories consumed by Americans come from UPFs, according to the Global Food Research Program of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The proliferation of UPFs in the US is linked to patterns of obesity and heart disease, according to the NYU School of Global Public Health. Peachy, huh?
So, why write a lead paragraph about UPFs when doing a feature article about Artemis Mediterranean Bistro? The answer is simple. Some restaurants are major contributors to the UPF calorie-count, and hence, to the problems caused by UPFs. But some restaurants do not contribute to that negative nutritional number. Artemis is one of those restaurants on the good side of that statistical ledger.
Don’t better restaurants operate the same way Artemis does, you might wonder? Sadly, not all do. As one might expect, almost the entire fast-food segment of the food service industry contributes to the UPF nutritional wasteland in one way or another. Processed meats, industrially produced sauces and dips, flavorings and sweeteners for drinks and shakes, dressings, batters, and breads all bear the UPF stamp. Here’s the shocker — UPF tentacles have snaked their way into many casual dining spots and even some fine-dine eateries incorporate industrially produced, pre-packed, shelf-stable “foods” in their pantries.
Back to Artemis, an independent bistro that deals exclusively in whole foods carefully prepared with kitchen procedures a Jewish grandmother likely would love. Here’s what Mehmet Coskum had to say: “There is no (ultra) processed food here. We do everything here from fresh ingredients and from hard work.” He gave as an example the lamb used in kebabs, roasts, chops, stews, grinds, and sauté dishes. “I buy the lamb, the leg with bone, for instance. And I separate it for all the lamb dishes we have here.” Coskum, you’ll recall, is owner/operator/often chef at Artemis Mediterranean Bistro.
So, whole food, and no UPFs — a solid choice for kosher-style dining out. We tried the Adana kebab, which falls into that category of “hard work” Coskum mentioned. “Adana is a city in southern Turkey, and this kebab (Adana its namesake), it is ground lamb, with salt, pepper, pepper paste, and then we add red (bell) pepper that we grind and take the juice out. We take the moisture out and mix it all together and that way it sticks to the skewers. There is no processed food in there,” he said. For me, Adana kebab was a first-time taste, and I loved it! The flavor is deep and rich with a smokey char and a hint of spiciness that is just right. A bite of this kebab evokes memories of the clear but subtle flavors of Turkey and the Aegean isles. Definitely a new favorite of mine. I’m betting that if you like lamb dishes generally, you will love the Adana kebab as well.
Also, we enjoyed the chicken kebabs, and again, simple whole food prepared with ingredients commonly found in kitchens for millennia. The chicken is cut into skewer-sized chunks and marinated in a mix of olive oil, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper, and other oils. In addition, for flavor and for color, the skewered chicken cubes are brushed with a combination of red pepper paste, tomato paste and paprika before grilling. Again, delicious! And from scratch start to finish. We at Dining Out have enjoyed the chicken kebab on other occasions and knew the flavors of this classically Mediterranean-style dish. Delicious!
This very week, Artemis is celebrating its 5-year anniversary, opening its doors at the beginning of June 2019. Over those years, Coskum says he and wife Serpel, have developed great ties to many in the Jewish community who dine with him regularly. Also, catering, and private parties held in one of the two side rooms at Artemis have bloomed into important aspects of the overall business. “Just last week we hosted a Jewish private party where there were over 35 guests in the group. We want people to know about that and how we can help them plan events here, or cater them too,” Coskum said.
See you at Artemis Mediterranean Bistro!
