18668 Tue Feb 05 13:51:48 -0800 2002 12 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 60030 This place was reviewed pretty favorably by the Chron a few months ago. The food is Kurdish but would be quite recognizable to anyone who's travelled in any part of Turkey, not just the east. I was hopeful, as I've been pretty disappointed by most "Turkish" eateries in the Bay Area. A friend and I started with two appetizers ... the pureed red lentil balls (or logs) and the green beans. Turkish/Kurdish vegetable mezze (appetizers)such as eggplant (patlican) and green beans (fasulye) should be heavy on the olive oil and garlic ... the beans at Silan lacked both flavors and had a peculiarly mushy (as opposed to soft and well-cooked but retaining a bit of a bite) texture almost like canned green beans. The lentil balls were alright, not completely pureed so there was some nice beany texture, but again they needed a flavor punch. They would also have been better served room temperature. Lemon squeezed on top helped some. We spread them on the pide (bread) that came with the meal which was, again, just OK. For main courses we split the lamb and eggplant cooked in clay pot (guvec in Turkish) and the lamb on bread cubes with tomato sauce. The former consisted of chunks of lamb, eggplant, green pepper and onion in a tomatoey sauce. It could have been more garlicky and the sauce-to-chunk ratio was off (too much sauce). While both the chunks (too small, IMO) and the sauce were tasty enough, the flavors weren't completely melded as they would have been if all ingredients had been placed in the clay pot and baked together for hours. I suspect the sauce was prepared separately and mixed in rather than being the natural result of slow cooking. All in all this could not begin to compare with the little bubbling cauldrons of meaty/eggplanty deliciousness found in truckstops all over Turkey (which are cooked in the same wood-fired ovens in which breads are baked). The best part of this dish was the plate of bulgur pilav and yogurt (separate, not mixed) served on the side. The pilav was mildly spicy with a bit of red pepper, both soft and crunchy at the same time (al dente, I guess), and the yogurt was sour and rich, definately full-fat. A bite of the two together was heavenly. The lamb/bread dish was the best of our meal. Turkey travellers will recognize it as Iskender or Bursa kebap -- strips of fresh pide topped with a rich tomato sauce, strips shaved grilled lamb and yogurt, and drizzled with browned butter. The difference at Silan is that the bread is not fresh but toasted, and it's not in strips but in small cubes. This dish was incredibly rich (as it should be) and redolent with garlic. The tomato sauce (puree-ish, not chunky) was snappy (perhaps the same sauce they use in the claypot, but it was perfect here) and the yogurt was smooth and creamy. The lamb (more in pieces than strips), was tasty, although it did seem to have been cooked earlier rather than shaved off a spit right before serving. The brown butter drizzled on top pulled this heart-attack-on-a-plate together. My only complaint would be that it should have been sprinkled with biber (chili pepper). Silan will provide biber on the side if you ask, but it's the sort of crushed chili you get in pizza places rather than the oiled and roasted crushed chili you find in the Middle East (which has a distinct flavor other than "hot") and which I know is available in the US. We were much too full for dessert but the waiter brought us a complimentary komposto (compote) of dried apricots, raisins, and a couple other unidentifiable fruits floating in a deliciously spiced (cardamom?) sweetened juice. Served very cold in a glass with straws and long spoons, it was refreshing and just right after the rich meal. The Chron review recommended yogurt and savory meat dishes and from this experience I'd have to agree. The lamb/bread dish was promising enough (and I'm desperate enough for Turkish food) that I'll go back, to try the bulgur balls in yogurt sauce and more lamb entrees, and skip appetizers. The friendly staff is Kurdish (don't know about the chef) and willing to suffer my bad Turkish so further investigation is in order I think. That said, Cafe Silan is not cheap at $40 for 2 appetizers, 2 entrees, and 2 teas (we were stuffed when we left though, and I am a big eater). There is wine and beer. The restaurant's decor is attractive, a good place for a quiet evening meal, Turkish music playing on the stereo. And allow me to include a final rant: where oh where is that enterprising Bay Area restaurateur who might do for Turkish food what Kokkari did for Greek food? It's so much more than stuffed grape leaves and kebaps! Cafe Silan Santa Cruz Avenue across from Flegel's furniture store Menlo Park Lunch and dinner daily Tue Feb 05 13:51:48 -0800 2002 0 foodfirst 1 60038 Thanks for filing such an extensive report! I tried Cafe Silan about 6 months ago (can't locate the post) not knowing anything about kurdish/turkish food. The staff were very friendly in helping us make our choices. I especially loved the yogurt which had a real tang and a pleasant herbal note which they said came from the homegrown culture and not from any addition. Like you, I felt the tariff was too high considering the plain surroundings. I've linked below some of the Turkish recommendations from this board. If you've tried any of these and found them wanting, please report! Link: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/17445#51804 Tue Feb 05 14:55:20 -0800 2002 60030 0 Melanie Wong 1 60111 "And allow me to include a final rant: where oh where is that enterprising Bay Area restaurateur who might do for Turkish food what Kokkari did for Greek food?" Kokkari didn't do Greek food any favors. Just popularized a "California" version of it. Prior to Kokkari, there was a great place called Samos down on Embarcadero that was very authentic, but it went the way of Enron. Currently, if you want authentic Greek food in S.F., I'd shy away from Kokkari and try Mezes (out on Chestnut) intstead. Wed Feb 06 03:05:16 -0800 2002 60030 0 Zach Georgopoulos 2 60114 What do you think of the (relatively) new Greek place out on Church St? They also have a branch in Burlingame. Is it the real thing?Thanks Wed Feb 06 03:41:57 -0800 2002 60111 0 derek 3 60149 Well, ask and you shall receive! The Greek restaurant which I was referring to in the previous post, is called Yianni's and is reviewed in todays (Feb 6th) Chronicle! address 1708 Church st. (near 29th) 647-3200 So Zach, if you see this, what is your review? Wed Feb 06 14:17:06 -0800 2002 60114 0 derek 4 60462 I actually went there a couple of months ago, but I had such a bad flu that I could barely taste or smell anything, so I refrained from reporting. That said, my sister and brother in law, who were with me, thought it was pretty good but liked Mezes better. I'll have to go back, now that my tastebuds are functioning again! I had eaten at the one in Burlingame and was unimpressed, but I've got to say that the SF restaurant had a much more complex menu, and everything certainly looked better! Sat Feb 09 23:46:09 -0800 2002 60149 0 Zach Georgopoulos 2 60124 What I meant was, all many pple imagined Greek food to be before Kokkari was gyros, and maybe flaming cheese and moussaka (the "oh I love Greek food, like they serve in Greektown in Detroit" mindset). No familiarity with meze, brilliantly prepared fresh fish, perfectly grilled lambchops, etc. Whatever you think of Kokkari at least Greek food now (to many folks) means more than a cheap wrapped sandwich (not that a good gyro isn't a lovely thing). In the same way, Turkish food (unfortunately) brings to mind kebap and *maybe* "Turkish pizza". Food memories I have of Turkey focus mostly on long, relaxed dinners of at least ten mezze followed by a main fish or meat course (grilled fish, the thin thin lamb chops called pirzola in Turkey) and a beautifully prepared salad with arrugala drizzled simply with olive oil and lemon juice. Not to mention homestyle Turkish food, like manti and guvec, red lentil soup (breakfast food), borek, I could go on and you just don't see much of it here. If an "upscale" Greek (or Greek-California) restaurant could thrive in the Bay Area then I think a Turkish place with 20 mezze could as well. So I wish a restaurateur would go that route, 'cause I rarely have time to prepare more than a mezze or two at home for myself! That said, many thanks for the Greek food rec. I'll check it out. Wed Feb 06 12:06:32 -0800 2002 60111 0 foodfirst 3 60464 Yeah, I guess I'm too much of a purist! That said, I must say Kokari (and Evia down in Palo Alto) do use excellent ingredients, and that does make a big difference. It's just that the recipes vary too much from the traditional for my tastes. Sat Feb 09 23:49:05 -0800 2002 60124 0 Zach Georgopoulos 2 60425 The last and only time I've been to Mezes I walked away extremely disappointed. I was sent there by a friend of Greek extraction who told me it was the best Greek in all SF. Well, if that is true then it is very sad. The dishes were absolutely forgettable. Kokkari failed to impress me also. It was cheap Greek at fancy prices, no more. Neither even begins to compare to the fantastic Greek food I had in Malibu. I think the place is called Taverna Tony, I forget exactly, perhaps our LA compatriots can help, it was awesome, with grilled octopus prepared to perfection, kabob to die for, delicious roast lamb, and even excellent baklava, a most difficult dessert to make (I've tried). The only other Greek meal I've had here that I liked at all was at a church festival on Mission last summer. I recommend that, I think they do it annually. David Sat Feb 09 12:05:18 -0800 2002 60111 0 Mad Russian 3 60430 Since you're north of the Gate, have you been to the place in Petaluma recently? And, here's a link to Zach's post on the Greek Orthodox church festival. Link: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/17557#52419 Sat Feb 09 13:31:07 -0800 2002 60425 0 Melanie Wong 4 60442 Hmmm... It has been quite some time. Why, is there a standout that I'm missing? David Sat Feb 09 16:45:36 -0800 2002 60430 0 Mad Russian 5 60444 Not that I know of. The last time Papa's Taverna was mentioned (link below), no one had been there for a while. Was just hoping for a more recent report. Link: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/17736#53482 Sat Feb 09 17:03:14 -0800 2002 60442 0 Melanie Wong 1 4704522 Adding a link to this older report. Thu May 21 13:56:05 -0700 2009 60030 10039 Melanie Wong