Turkey's ancient reach spreads as far as Highland Park

By CHRISTOPHER THUMANN
November 14, 2004

Turkey is a nation that's literally caught between two realities, an Islamic democracy with one foot planted firmly in Eastern Europe and another on Iraq's northern border. But while it's easy to assume that these realities constantly push their influence into this ancient region, it's really the other way around.

Historically, as the Eastern half of the Roman Empire and eventually the seat of the Ottoman Empire, Turkey has spread its influence from the Arabian peninsula to the European reaches of Spain and Austria. And its foods, showcased nightly at 7 Hills of Istanbul, a Turkish restaurant in Highland Park, have gone along for the ride.

These foods are highly refined, as sophisticated as those you'll find in other world-class cuisines such as Chinese and French. And yet they remain loyal to other even more ancient roots. I'll explain.

Royal Ottoman kitchens employed hundreds of kitchen staffers at a time to prepare meals for thousands of people, and these numbers allowed a high degree of competition and specialization among the ranks. Chefs, for instance, could practically dedicate their careers to rice and grain pilafs while others in those busy kitchens worked on their own contributions to the royal tables, resulting in highly refined, centuries-old recipes.

But the country's nomadic roots, dating back to Roman times, tilted the cuisine toward a main ingredient's pure flavor. A lamb kebab might have been "perfected" over time, but the lamb's flavor was never drowned out by too much sauce or spice. That's what makes 7 Hills so Turkish. Its menu is full of the grains, beans, meats, vegetables and yogurts that make up that nation's broad palate. And in many cases, the stars of these exotic foods remain primal and pure.

My entree was a good example. Grilled fish is a staple all around the Mediterranean -- one of four seas bordering Turkey -- so 7 Hills offered two grilled fish specials on the night of my visit that seemed too good to pass up. I tried the Grilled Orata ($25.50), a beautifully presented whole bream whose edible skin was rubbed with a delicious crust of minced garlic and seasonings. The creamy, smoke-scented flesh, imbued with just a delicate memory of its former salt-water home, came easily off the bones. Served alongside was a bright side salad of Romaine lettuce, cucumbers and red onions dressed with a palate-cleansing, citrusy vinaigrette.

Large cubes of tender lamb made up the Kuzu Sis ($18.50), a classic kebab entree of marinated meat with accompaniments of red onion, parsley and a choice of white rice, yellow rice or "sweet" rice, a warmly spiced starch studded with pine nuts and raisins. Like the fish, the meat's flavor was deepened with smoke nuances and some subtle spicing. But the moist lamb's ultimate flavor was its own bold gaminess.

We also sampled two hot pastry-based appetizers. The Sigara Boregi ($7.50), a simple-looking starter, featured five cigar-shaped pastries made from a light, crispy, airy dough rolled around a filling of Turkish feta cheese dotted with parsley. The cheese was pleasantly mild with a light tang that wasn't overly assertive, while the pastry offered good supporting flavor and a fun contrast of textures.

The second starter, Kayseri Boregi ($7.50), was a little disappointing. This Turkish appetizer is filled with a mix of pastrami, red peppers and onions and is topped with a melted mozzarella cheese. The appetizer was listed as a "hot" one, and it arrived warm, but the cheese on top was a little stiff, suggesting that it had been melted there much earlier and had just been rewarmed. The flavors were good, though together they reminded me of a quesadilla.

Our third appetizer was a familiar one called Zeytinyagli Yaprak Dolmasi ($6.95), or stuffed grape leaves. This popular Mediterranean finger food commonly contains ground lamb, but here the app is meatless, stuffed instead with an intriguing and ultimately delicious mix of raisins, onion, pine nuts and rice. The subtle sweetness of the onions combined well with the richness that the nuts and rice provided, while extra virgin olive oil added more nuances.

One of our desserts was also very familiar: Baklava ($4.75). This butter-soaked pastry features multiple layers of paper-thin phyllo dough, nuts and spices, all of which is soaked after baking with a honey sauce. If you're a fan of this quintessential Turkish dessert, 7 Hills' version may be your favorite. Also good was the sobiyet ($4.75), a sort of cream-filled baklava. That is, that's what we were expecting, based on the menu description and our helpful waiter's suggestion. I didn't see any cream, but I thought I caught a taste of hazelnut or almond paste in between the dough layers. A cup of Turkish coffee helped balance the intense sweetness of both desserts.

The dining room's muscular decor of Turkish pottery, carpets, and even swords, rifles and pistols enhance the menu's primal feel and advance the exotic atmosphere at 7 Hills of Istanbul. Its further evidence that Turkey is still exporting its influence, even as far away as Highland Park.