AY Kitchen

• Cuisine(s): Turkish
  Hours: Sun-Thu 11am-11pm, Fri-Sat 11am-11:45pm
  Price: $$$
• Payment Types: All Major Credit Cards
  Features: Takeout, Delivery
  Serving: Dinner, Lunch
• Alcohol: Beer, Wine
  Reservations: Accepted, Not Necessary
  Parking: Street

Description

Though this space at the corner of 28th and Lex has long seemed doomed, maybe this Turkish restaurant"s going to make it. The tablecloths are white and starched, the glasses have stems, the space is elegant and quiet, and the meat is halal. A survey of the mainly vegetarian meze (call them Turkish tapas) was encouraging: a spinach-stuffed borek pastry was nicely turned out, the imam bayildi (a stuffed baby eggplant) even better. The thing that amazed us most was the octopus salad, which might have been filched from a very good Sicilian restaurant, though the fried calamari was below par. And the place features lamb galore, if you"re in the mood for flesh.