Oft times in the restaurant biz, the “how” is more important than the “what.” This interrogatory bias absolutely is true for Fahri Ozdil, Turkish-born owner-operator and occasional chef of Café Mediterranean on Erie Avenue in Hyde Park.
“How we do everything is like it is done in Turkey, with the herbs and the spices. And all these dishes, like the baklava (dessert) and the moussaka (entrée) and the bread we are making in our kitchen, they are taking the time to do it right. Hours and hours to do them, because the Turkish food is the hardest cuisine (to prepare) and you have to put (in) the hours to get it tasting perfect, which we do it here in the Turkish way,” Ozdil stated.
As an example, he suggested the café’s moussaka, a dish with wide appeal in Turkey, as well as along the North Mediterranean coast and in the Mideast. He likened moussaka to Italian lasagna, except instead of noodles the dish is layered with roasted eggplant slices. No surprise, one guesses, since Ozdil claims there are more than six hundred recipes in Turkey that call for eggplant. The ground beef-lamb sauté layered with the eggplant is local or regional in origin, as are the eggplant, onions, red and green bell peppers and garlic. But how the dish is seasoned makes the difference for Ozdil. That is because almost all the herbs and spices are of Turkish origin.
“Yes, ninety percent (of the herbs and spices) from Turkey because the food, it makes much better in flavor, much better! The herbs and spices (of Turkey) are more potent in flavor. Oregano is the main herb, in Turkey oregano we put it in everything. But rosemary, cinnamon, allspice, cumin — around twenty fresh and dried herbs and the flavor you are not getting anywhere like it is here. The people, they are loving it, and some (of our patrons) they come only for that dish because it is so good,” he said, adding that many guests have visited Turkey and recognize the quality and authenticity of Café Mediterranean’s version of moussaka, as well as other menu items popular in Turkey.
In an aside, Ozdil said many people in Turkey, and even to a large extent mom-and-pop eateries there grow their own herbs in kitchen gardens, chief among them oregano. The reason? Potency and quality control, he claims. “When you are growing it, you are knowing that it is good and fresh and the best for what you are making,” he stated.
While Ozdil takes pride in all the dishes on his eatery’s menu, he especially favors the baklava he offers. According to Ozdil, his kitchen makes baklava in the time-honored, time-consuming way it has been prepared in his native land, and more generally in the diaspora that is Eastern Europe, including Greece, the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern lands. “Everywhere you are finding it in Turkey, which is not an easy thing to make. Four hours it takes to make the baklava we are making here. Now, we have the round pan we are baking it (in) and the phyllo dough does not come round (in shape) so we are cutting it to fit the pan,” he said, stating baklava is an item he has been involved in making since age six.
New round baklava, sliced and ready to serve
More important than the shape is how this specialty pastry is made. The layers of dough, which literally are paper thin, are buttered. Fresh ground pistachio nuts are layered within the dough, and later, sprinkled on top of the slices, as seen in the photo. The grinding is done in-house for a reason, according to Ozdil. Again, the how question — because grinding them at the time of preparation delivers robust flavor that would be lost over time in processed nuts that come pre-ground from a purveyor. We’ve tried the baklava on several occasions, and it is delightful, deliciously tasty, and never cloying, but just the perfect balance of texture and sweetness.
Which brings us to the bread we were treated to on a recent visit. The bread is new to the menu, made in-house and is of a type found in Turkey and nearby countries. The bread baked at Café Mediterranean is a simple formulation of flour, yeast, water and salt — no additives of any kind, Ozdil stated. There are two varieties, plain and a sesame-seed flat loaf as well. Baskets with slices of the bread are provided at table with entrée selections. Again, how it is done is yet another reason to celebrate the cuisine at Ozdil’s eatery. The bread is prepared in the Turkish way, so, authentic — the perfect Turkish complement to a menu full of Turkish meals.
The flat-loaf bread now being offered at Café Mediterranean
See you at Café Mediterranean!
