Yesterday my friend and I went here for lunch, and it was every bit as wonderful as I expected it to be. It always appears to be empty inside, but I've heard many sporadic rumblings about how surprisingly delicious and fresh the food is. It's also not every day you see a restaurant specializing in Azerbaijani food, so this has been on my short list of places to try for quite a while.
First of all, the space is clean and decorated in an understated but attractive way. There's definitely a Mediterranean decor, but it's not over the top or in your face. Our waiter was very friendly and helpful, especially since I knew very little about what was on the menu, and our food came out quickly. When we sat down we were the only people there, and he put on music in the background which I thought was nice. (The 80's love ballads were an interesting choice, but with the dimly lit and exotic ambiance maybe they're used to helping set the mood.) :)
The food itself was really the star of the show. I tried two of the bottled soft drinks they had, which were both very different from our standard American sodas and were both delicious. Dushes is a pear flavored soda that is sweet and crisp and looks like ginger ale. Tarhun is a tarragon flavored soda, which is also surprisingly sweet, and is bright, bright green. Literally, it looks like you're drinking mouth wash. Next we ordered the khachapuri appetizer, which was wonderful, as well. The version of khachapuri that they make is a mix of farmers, mozzarella and ricotta cheeses in a phyllo dough, and the appetizer comes with two large squares of them. They were cooked well, warm throughout, and weren't very greasy at all. If anything, my only recommendation would be to make it even cheesier, but maybe it's just my gluttonous American brain telling me that more cheese is always better! We also both ordered the chicken kebab lunch special. It comes with the chicken, a side salad (drizzled with a yummy ranch type of dressing), basmati rice, tandoori bread and their special house sauce. The rice and salad were both good, but really nothing out of the ordinary. The bread was delicious, kind of like a mix between pita and naan, but some pieces were burnt and more crispy than I would like. The house sauce, however, was really a stand out. It was like a tomato paste / garlic / spicy pepper combo that was sweet and savory with a kick of heat. And finally, by far the best thing on my plate, the chicken itself. I rarely order chicken out at restaurants after one too many experiences that have left me grossed out or concerned for my health. I was going to order the steak kebab, and our waiter recommended the chicken because it's a more tender meat, closer to lamb which is what is traditionally enjoyed. So I went with it because why not? This chicken was cooked perfectly, it was tender, it was spiced well but the flavor wasn't overwhelming or greasy. The chicken was really the highlight of the entire meal, as it should be!
People seem to complain about the prices, and I will say that for our two lunch specials, two sodas and the appetizer we split it came out to about $30 (before tip). But I was so full for the rest of the day I barely ate dinner. So bottom line: totally worth it, and I'm happy I work down the street because I'll be going back! read more