Photo courtesy of Berkay Demirkan/Design Medialand.
Ankara (1320 19th Street NW) opened this week in the space formerly occupied by Levante’s, another Turkish restaurant that closed—ostensibly for renovations—in January. The space has been updated to feel a bit more upscale while remaining accessible to those of us seeking a casual happy hour snack with friends on the patio.
Owned and operated by a gaggle of members of the Aslanturk family, most of whom came to the D.C. area from Ankara (the Turkish capital), the restaurant’s menu features dishes from various regions of the country. Marketing manager Erin Gorman, who is married to Utku Aslanturk, said they hope to add additional regional specialties once they’ve gotten into the groove of running the place: this is the family’s first foray into the restaurant business.
Chef Jorge Chicas, who was the executive chef at Zaytinya back when it opened in 2002, consulted on development of the menu, which includes a broad range of Turkish classics from hot and cold meze to flatbreads baked in the wood-burning oven, grilled meats and seafood, several full-size entrees, and desserts. Entrees and some of the grilled items aren’t available at lunch, but you’ll still be able to order favorites like a lamb burger, a meatball sandwich served in a pide with sumac onions, and—everyone’s favorite—doner kebab. (Wondering what a pide is? Check out our Turkish Essentials Menu Decoder.)
As far as highlights go, you’ll want to pop the addictive mücver (hot little zucchini fritters flecked with herbs and smeared with garlic-yogurt sauce) like potato chips, and the flatbread pides are sure to be popular (though the eggplant pide I tried tasted oddly Chinese to me). Dishes I’ve yet to try but can’t wait to come back for include the midye tavasi (deep-fried mussels served in walnut sauce) and a salad of citrus fruits tossed with red onions, mint, and pomegranate seeds. For dessert, the baklava is among the best I’ve tried, but I’m especially excited about the künefe, a rich cheese-filled pastry soaked in sugar syrup and cream and served hot from the oven.
They’re also serving a traditional Turkish breakfast (er, brunch—this is D.C., after all) on Saturdays and Sundays starting in June. A prix-fixe option includes freshly baked bread, various jams and honey, salads, a choice of several a la carte dishes, as well as coffee, tea, and a mimosa for $35.
Happy hour runs from 5-7 pm every weekday and includes a small menu of $5-$9 snacks and $4-$6 house wines, beers, and select rail drinks. You can enjoy it on the patio while the weather holds.
