Dinner at Alaturca

If you haven't tried Turkish food before, it's actually quite tasty and certainly approachable. Roughly speaking it's fairly similar to Greek food but with more heat and spice. The space is comfortable and the high ceilings make it seem larger than it is. There's not much decor but the vibe is still pleasant and welcoming. We were a large group on a Friday evening and we had the entire semi-private upstairs area to ourselves which was really nice. The short wine list has some interesting choices from California, Italy and of course Turkey. I went for one of the cheaper options, Salmon Creek Pinot Grigio, which was just fine and worked with the dishes we enjoyed. For appetizers, we had Eggplant Salad, Piyaz, Ezme and Hummus. The Eggplant Salad is nicely baked eggplant with red and green pepper, onion, parsley, lemon juice and olive oil. The vegetables work nicely together and the lemon juice lightens the dish a bit. Piyaz is white beans, parsley, red and green pepper, onion, lemon juice and olive oil all tossed together. It's tasty and the generous amount of beans makes it fairly hearty as well. The Ezme, crushed and roasted red bell pepper with tomato and onion and spices, is served on grilled pita bread and it works as a simple starter. The Hummus was quite tasty as well, though not as thick as I usually like. The appetizers are all under $5 a pop so it's not a bad idea to sample a bit. We also shared various platters for our entrees. The Doner, or beef sirloin and lamb spiced and roasted and thinly sliced, was tasty and the meat was nice and tender. There's also a Chicken Doner with the same preparation and presentation. We also had a few of the Kebab options which all had the same spice but all were nicely prepared and the meat wasn't overdone. We couldn't resist the Sucuk and Cheese pide, which was really tasty. Not sure about the Chicken and Pineapple combo on a pide, but I'd be curious to try it if I go back. There also are a few soups and salads and a short kid's menu. Alaturca is a cute and laid-back spot that's great for a casual meal, and definitely works for big groups. Hope you have the opportunity to pop by sometime.

Alaturca

869 Geary Street in San Francisco

http://www.alaturcasf.com/