13 years in the making, S&H Kebab House is finally a reality and according to Adam Erace, the restaurant is pushing out some of the best kebabs around.

[T]he kebabs, made with chicken or leg of lamb ground in-house, skewered on metal spits and cooked over open charcoals that imbue each stick with a smoky, almost sensual undertone. Turkish pepper paste reminiscent of Tunisian harissa stoked a fire in the long, sausage-shaped Adana kebabs, while the classic, familiar shish kebabs bring cubed lamb and chicken that had been marinating for days in yogurt, onion juice and tomato paste.

For both the shish and the doner kebabs, Yuksel starts with whole legs of lamb butchered, trimmed and trussed in the S&H kitchen, and you can taste the time and effort in each tender, succulent bite.

Serendipity Brings Kebabs to South Philly [Philadelphia Weekly]
S&H Kebab House [Official Site]

David Snyder checks out S&H Kebab House on Passyunk Avenue of off South Street and leaves smiling.

 

In my first visit, I had doubts as to whether the food could live up to Kucuk’s showmanship. Baba ghanoush had an unpleasant gelatinous texture; a soupy yogurt sauce drowned manti (Turkish dumplings).

But the generous kebab sampler I had on my second trip — it fed four of us for just $21.95 — made up for it. Lamb and chicken adana (minced meat molded onto skewers) delivered respectable heat. Gyro-like döner, lamb layered with veal, was tasty; both lamb cubes and meatballs were moist and flavorful. Other dishes satisfied, too — I enjoyed the light, dill-spiked Turkish feta wrapped inside fried yufka (Turkish phyllo dough). Although I wished it had more ground lamb, it’s hard to go wrong when the eggplant-based moussaka’s topped with a thick, bubbling layer of kasar (Turkish mozzarella).

On the House [City Paper]
S&H Kebab House [Official Site]

Craig LaBan makes a lunch of the “meze” platter of five apps at Fulya Cafe.

Among the highlights were shredded carrots cooked with sweet onions in garlic yogurt, lemony tabbouleh ribboned with lettuce, a smoky mash of charred eggplant, and a classic Russian salad (potatoes, peas, carrots) that gets its authentic taste of Istanbul from a squeeze of imported Turkish mayonnaise.

GoodTaste [Philadelphia Inquirer]

Rick Nichols checks in on Fish & Grill, a real Turkish family restaurant in the Northeast near Grant and Bustleton.

Too many restaurants, frankly, rest on the laurels of “family,” as if a portrait on the mantel excused slapdash food on the plate. So I’d approached Fish & Grill with expectations lowered by un-stellar experiences.

Those anxieties, happily, were dispensed with the arrival of the appetizers – a subtly seasoned (with parsley and dill) fried eggplant and tomato salad, and airy, still-warm zucchini pancakes, given loft with egg whites, and texture with a shred of zucchini and yogurt-cheese in a whole wheat-and-semolina batter.

Mediterranean fare and a family’s care [Philadelphia Inquirer]

Farofa and French Fries is another of the blossoming number of food review blogs popping up all over. Farofa is a transplant from Sao Paulo, Brazil and French Fries is a final year med student. Together they review restaurants across Pennsylvania.

Most recently they’ve reviewed Konak Turkish Kitchen at 2nd and Vine.

Forks Down Verdict: The priest may really have fainted, and who can blame him with food this good? We’ll be back soon for some more delicious Mediterranean chow.

Farofa: **** out of 5
French Fries: **** out of 5

Konak Turkish Restaurant [Farofa And French Fries]

Craig LaBan experiences G-Ho’s Divan Turkish Kitchen and comes away impressed by a kitchen that a dream into a very good reality.

Divan, located at 22nd and Carpenter brings traditional Turkish cuisine to up-and-coming Graduate Hospital area.

The fried calamari and the grilled octopus were both extremely tender. The zucchini pancakes and the borek, crunchy tubes of phyllo filled with feta cheese all stood out as appetizers.

Even more consistently strong were the main courses. Kebabs are a staple of the menu and LaBan’s favorite dish was the doner kebab, “which stacks alternate layers of lamb breast and a blend of pureed lamb and beef on a vertical gyro-like turning spit.” “Lamb dumplings are as small as tortellini and come beneath yogurt and mint and are positively addictive.”

The dessert tray had some highlights too, “buttery baklava, baked quince, plump figs, and nut-stuffed apricots.”

All Divan Turkish Kitchen Reviews
Divan Turkish Kitchen [Official Site]

Foobooz reads the reviews so you don’t have to, Kirsten Henri pre-chewed for easy digestion.
When you start your menu with the boast “Turkish food is not one of the best foods in the world. It is the best food in the World” you’ve really painted yourself into the corner. And even if Divan Turkish Kitchen doesn’t quite live up to the boast, it winds up “perfectly fine.”
Sitting at 918 S 22nd Street, near Carpenter, Divan is a welcome addition to the G-Ho dining scene.
The best of the appetizers is the haydari, a yougut that acts more like a thick sour cream cranked up with garlic and dill, served on the Turkish equivalent of focaccia. Turkish “cigars” sound promising, sheets of Turkish pastry dough stuffed with feta and parsley, rolled into tight cylinders and deep fried rate “a fine” but would be better with more filling and less dough.
For the main course, kuzu sas, chargrilled chunks of lamb seasoned with pepper and Turkish spices “comes out surprisingly tender and richly flavored. Also worth a try is the hunkar begendi, “fall-apart lamb” served with tomato sauce and smoky eggplant puree.
Try the baklava squares for dessert and you’ll have wrapped up a good meal in still changing G-Ho.

Simply Divan – Philadelphia Weekly
Divan Turkish Kitchen [Official Site]

Istandelphia

A BYO at 22nd and Carpenter? A Turkish BYO? In a small Trinity? Yes, yes, and yes. And add to that the praise Divan�s Turkish Kitchen has been getting and you may well be venturing to a restaurant unimaginable just a couple of years ago.

The dining room is the first floor of a Trinity, with the food delivered from the basement via dumbwaiter. The brother and sister owners live above.

Appetizers focus around the fresh baked bread, rolling out of the oven every 15 minutes or so. �Sop up the mashed eggplant and minced red pepper appetizers. They also serve some stellar stuffed grape leaves.�

The main courses are mainly red meat, lamb chops seared with thyme and oregano; kebabs of lamb, beef and chicken come in generous portions for the price.

Dessert is a concentrated course of flavors, whether baklava, or the carmelized milk pudding.

�an excellent opportunity to take Philly comfort food in a refreshing new direction.�

Divan Turkish Kitchen [Official Site]

We read the reviews so you don�t have to. Here�s South Philly Review’s take on Divan Turkish Kitchen, pre-chewed for easy digestion.

Divan Turkish Kitchen is a recently opened BYOB at 22nd and Carpenter Streets. The dishes were flavorable and the best was the Sigara borek, creamy and salty feta wrapped in savory phylo dough. If only the main courses had a more authentic char-grilled Middle Eastern flavor.

Divan Turkish Kitchen [Official Site]