As one might expect from Fahri Ozdil of Café Mediterranean, Turkey, his native land, is the genesis of many dishes on his menu. But as Walter Winchell often said, now, the rest of the story — and in this case, much more of that story.
For certain, how Café Mediterranean got to be what it is today began in Turkey. “I start having work in the kitchen when I was six years old. I was in the kitchen learning the Turkish cuisine, which is the hardest cuisine in the world. And I did this work for a long time, until I was 18-19, and then I had army duty. When I came back from that duty in army, I moved from the kitchen to the service part (of the restaurant business),” he said.
“The most important thing (in Turkey) is hospitality,” Ozdil claims. There, he remembers that serving his patrons was of paramount importance. Warm greetings from a host station, seating at the table, and being attentive at all times to the needs of each guest is the essence of that hospitality. “This is what we bring here, exactly,” he stated.
While his Turkish experience informs his menu, other experiences have built upon those early days. Along the way to opening his café on Erie Avenue in Hyde Park, Ozdil spent several years in the cruise industry, on big ships plying the Caribbean and also sailing the Pacific from the Panama Canal to Alaska. On cruise ships, food, and the presentation of food, is at the heart of the experience. In the foodservice operations aboard ship, Ozdil learned the preferences of the American palate. Most of those on the ships to which he was assigned were American tourists. This demographic caused the kitchens and food direction on those ships to cater to American tastes and preferences. “I knew already most of what it was to serve people, but I learned more about what American people want; what they expect.”
From that knowledge, Ozdil built his Turkish menu at Café Mediterranean around the taste profiles that he knew his potential patrons would favor and enjoy. Easier than it might seem, he stated. “Turkey is like French and Italian food, and they (those countries) influence the food in Turkey. In Istanbul, there is a heavy emphasis on lamb and goat. We don’t have goat on our menu, but we may be putting goat (on the menu). People have been asking for it. Goat you have to cook special. But here, kebabs — lamb — and shawarma, they are the big ones that most peoples, they are ordering from our menu.”
Speaking of special cooking, unquestionably the top item in the lamb category is the lamb shank, which takes time and patience to make. In its raw, uncooked state, lamb shank is as tough as shoe leather due to all the connective tissue. As are most slow cooked braises of this type, the shank meat is flavorful. The trick is to braise the meat over low heat for hours on end, until the meat becomes fall-apart tender. So, how does one do that? Ozdil said this: “We start with the lamb shank, and we use the fresh celery, onion, the carrot, garlic — all fresh — bay leaf, and we boil like six hours; slow (over low heat). The meat, it gets really tender, so tender you cannot believe it. Then after that with the liquid we make with fresh and dry herbs, and the tomato and pepper paste, we make a beautiful red sauce. Really, really tastes wonderful,” he said.
“People, they are coming here for this dish. We are seeing a lot of new faces, and mostly they hear from friends and family, or even they come in from out of town — California, New York, all over, and they hear about us. And they order the lamb shank when they see it on the menu,” Ozdil said.
“And the appetizers, they are very popular too. All the appetizers I make and the people, they order them, especially the cold appetizers,” he stated. These are listed under “Small Plates” on the menu and feature many Middle East and Mediterranean favorites. Among my favorites, eaten with warm pita bread, is eggplant marinara, a combination of tomatoes, roasted eggplant, garlic, green peppers, and onions. Another has to be the house-made hummus, creamy combo of chickpeas, tahini, garlic, and herbs.
While those two stand out for me, the rest are all delightfully good also. For a refreshing, light, chilled appetizer, my go-to is labneh (spelled without the “h” on the menu), a concoction of yogurt, garlic, walnuts, and fresh dill. The consistency of labneh is achieved by straining the yogurt to a finer degree, and adding salt to arrive at a taste that is mildly sour, but delightfully so, and unlike plain yogurt would be. Another fine choice is the stuffed grape leaves plate. Seasoned rice, pine nuts, raisins, and fresh dill make for a marvelous flavor treat within the grape leaf wrap.
See you at Café Mediterranean!
