Observer Online | Delicious, Healthy Meals at Turcuisine

Edition of Jan. 12, 2007

Delicious, Healthy Meals at Turcuisine

Turcuisine, a casual restaurant at Worldgate in Herndon, has its origins in Cyprus, Turkey. There, Emrah Guney's grandfather started a family restaurant over a half-century ago. Guney, who owns Turcuisine with his father, Byram, both grew up working in the kitchen of the family restaurant in Turkey. In April 2005, Emrah and Byram Guney opened their own restaurant, Turcuisine, which serves Turkish and Mediterranean food.

Turkish and Mediterranean cuisine is some of the healthiest food in the world, and it is composed of sauced dishes, prepared with various cereals, vegetables and olive oil. The resulting dishes have their roots in the variety of products available in the region, the interactions with numerous cultures over many years, and the new tastes developed in the palace kitchens of the Seljuk and Ottoman empires.

Moderately priced appetizers, around $5 each, offer a variety of tastes and textures. Meze Tabaje, a mixed appetizer platter, offers seven small dishes for $10 and is plenty for a meal. Their dolma (stuffed grape leaves) is exquisite and includes pine nuts with rice filling. Calamari and calf's liver are also offered. Particularly interesting was the Hellim Kabob, a grilled pita with Halloumi cheese. The texture of the cheese is very similar to chicken when grilled.

The restaurant offers a soup of the day, which varies, and a choice of salads (house salad, Greek salad and the Coban, or shepherd's salad) accompany most meals. The Coban is a chopped salad with peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, oil and vinegar. They also offer a doner salad, which is topped with a doner kebab, a mixture of Turkish ground beef and lamb that is freshly sliced off the spit. This gives you a healthy lunch combination for a thrifty $7.

Wraps offered at lunch are inexpensive and delicious. My favorites include the doner, tavuk (chicken), and beef, made from a New York strip steak. It is hard to believe that cut of meat is used in this inexpensive dish, but the taste proves it. The lamb was less tender than the beef, but delicious nonetheless.

The menu also features items "From the Oven," including Turkish pizza, which is either round or boat shaped and served with various meats and toppings. Patrons can also create their own pide, or pizza, for $6 to start and $1 for each topping.

Turcuisine offers specialty entrees with a variety of spiced and seasoned meats. These are more expensive than the other dishes because they are larger portions. I have not been able to finish a meal there in my visits, but the leftovers heat up nicely in the microwave.

The doner kebab is served in generous quantity, and it is one of the four best meats. Other meat kebabs include lamb, beef and chicken, and they are all succulent and well seasoned. Red and yogurt sauces are served with them. The yogurt sauce is similar to the Indian raita with dill instead of mint. They also have a vegetarian kebab and a filet mignon kebab.

The lamb chops are a popular and inexpensive ($17) dish, but they are so thinly sliced that not much of the lamb tastes comes through. A small salad, rice or mashed potatoes and pita bread are included with the meals. The pita served with the meals is not made in-house.

The Turcuisine Mix combines doner kebab, tavuk shish (chicken), a lamb chop, a beef shish, made of New York strip steak, and a kofte. The kofte is made of the same mixture as the doner, but it is formed into ovals and grilled. At $19, this combination platter is a bargain and the most expensive entrée on the menu.

The Turkish desserts are interesting, particularly the rice pudding, which is similar to the standard American version but not as sweet. Baklava is also offered, and the desserts average about $4. The restaurant offers a full bar and a wine list. Children's meals are $5 and include the doner, chicken and kofte.

Turcuisine is open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday 11 a.m. to midnight, Saturday noon to midnight, and Sunday noon to 9 p.m. Happy hours are from 5 to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Décor is modern with curves being a primary motif, and red, white and black are the restaurant's signature colors.

The Mediterranean and Turkish cuisine at Turcuisine is delicious, healthy and inexpensive. The surroundings are beautiful, and the service is excellent. Lunch tends to be very busy, so dinner is a quieter time to go. The restaurant is close to the movie theater and Cold Stone Creamery, making for a triple-header of an evening.