April 2001

Dining in Highland Park is like a magic carpet ride. The recent influx of Turkish immigrants has resuled in a treasure trove of Turkish restaurants. The most dazzling gem is the recently opened 7 Hills of Istanbul. With its white walls and bright lighting, 7 Hills suggests a cross between the sun drenched Turkish plateau and a lively costal bazzar. Its raven-haired waitresses in billowy pantaloons are framed by a dowery of tribal rugs and native crafts.

On your first visit, share the vejetryan special: a large platter of all vegetarian and mostly cold appetizers that includes the familiar humus, a chick pea puree of sesame oil, patlican salatsi and mashed grilled eggplant salad; pilaki, white beans in a fruity olive oil; enginar, sauteed fresh artichoke (the edible heart and soft stem only, quartered for easy sharing); and taze fasulye, green beans and tomato salad dressed in olive oil and finally, warm, finger-sized crispy rolls of phylo filled with very salty, melted Turkish feta. A basket of warm traditional flat bread-soft,slightly raised with an open grain-accompanies the appetizer plate.

Emphasizing lamb and yogurt, the entrees are treaditional Turkish (rather than Greek or Arabic, two neighboring cultures that have left an unmistakable culinary imprint on this endlessly invaded country). The restaurant's rendition of traditional halal meat will exceed your expectations for flavor and tenderness. The lamb kebabs (kuzu sis), a simple yet difficult-to-perfect dish, are perfect. Large chunks of meat, grilled to a mouthwatering turn, reveal soft, rost centers. A grilled plum tomato and a "cake" of fragrant rice and sliced raw onion are simple, yet perfect, partners. Tavuk sis, the same dish prepared with chicken breast is also delectably moist.

Doner kabap, lamb grilled on a vertical spit - the dish most commonly associated with Turkish cuisine-is a robust portion of shave meat piled on flat bread over tangy yogurt and finished with tomato sauce. At meal's end, small cups of thick Turkish coffee are served, sweetened by nibbling on honey-steeped baklava and halavah, an dense sesame seed confection.

Bold flavors and simplre preparatioons are the hallmarks of Turkish cuisine. The only playfull aspect of the food presentation here is the red spice, sumac, dusted on the rims of the plates. A grocery next door has all of the items you need to coke and dine like a Turk, from feta cheese, halal meat and flat bread to the special Turkish coffeemaker and the small coffee cups.