Bosforo in Normal Heights, San Diego

                                                        Dessert posted first, but not eaten first!

                                                        Fit for a Sultan

                                                         I didn't even get a bite of this fish

We love Turkish food!  The focus is on using fresh herbs and seasoning to enhance the natural taste of the ingredients.  Bosforo is a great introduction to Turkish food or for fans of the cuisine.  We were first offered a palate cleanser of a juice mixture of ginger, orange and hibiscus.  Delicious! I started with a glass of raki.  This is an anise-flavored alcoholic drink usually served diluted with water.  The raki was very smooth and lovely.  (Do not order this if you do not like anise or licorice!).  

For appetizers, there are several hot and cold mezze.  We had the smoked yogurt - a cold dish with cucumber and fresh dill and mint; and warm hummus with house-made pita.  The portions were generous.  The bread was excellent and the yogurt did indeed have a smoky flavor that was delicious.

For a main course, my friend had sea bass and I had "Sultan's Delight".  The latter is a classic dish of beef stew over roasted eggplant.  I love eggplant.  It was wonderful.  This was also a big portion and I had the leftovers for lunch today.  

I insisted on dessert. I had the ice cream, which was lightly flavored with olive oil.  We tend to forget that an olive is a fruit.  The best olive oil should have a slightly fruity taste and it prepared well with the ice cream.  Turkish ice cream has a different texture.  It is thickened with mastic or a powder called "salep" so it is slightly stretchy and more chewy.  My friend has baklava.  Dessert was excellent!

The staff is very good and helpful.  They were eager to talk about the menu or help with wine selections.  The restaurant has a relaxed neighborhood feel and the bar was busy with people who just came in for a drink.  A drink and mezze sounds like a perfect happy hour to me.  I'm jealous of people who live in Normal Heights, right now.  Reservations are a good idea.  By 5:30 PM, almost all the tables were full.  There is on-street parking.  We were lucky and found a spot in the same block, but it is a good idea to leave some extra time for spot-hunting.  We saw several spots on Adams on the bridge over I-805.