Istanbul Palace

A new sign has appeared at the old KFC spot at the end of Goose Creek Rd., off Westport, which was most recently Perla de Pacifica. It seems that it is a Mediterranean restaurant that is moving from Lexington. http://www.istanbulpalace.net/ Anyone ever been to the Lexington location?

Hrm, I wonder if that's the same group that was at worldfest last year. They were talking about being from lexington, and were looking to get a place opened in louisville in the next year or so.

If it is, I am so down with it, because the food I snagged from there was quite tasty.

[Robin Garr]

Hrm, I wonder if that's the same group that was at worldfest last year. They were talking about being from lexington, and were looking to get a place opened in louisville in the next year or so.

If it is, I am so down with it, because the food I snagged from there was quite tasty.

Is it really Turkish, do you know, Josh, or pan-Middle Eastern place named after the Turkish capital?

I was there for lunch once, about a year or so ago. They had a buffet set up, and everything was tasty and fresh. Its been a while and I don't recall many details but remember thinking I would definitely go back if i was in lexington. The guy who worked there (owner? manager? not quite sure) had been involved with Oasis Mediterranean in Lexington which was terrific for a while when he was there. I liked the tabouli, which i don't like everywhere - it's kind of my litmus test for Mediterranean places. most places i've tried in louisville don't pass the test for one reason or another

Istanbul was Constantinople so I'm hoping it's all turkish. Some borek and kofte are always calling my name. As the turks say "Lyi Yiyor"!

Hrm, I wonder if that's the same group that was at worldfest last year. They were talking about being from lexington, and were looking to get a place opened in louisville in the next year or so.

If it is, I am so down with it, because the food I snagged from there was quite tasty.

Is it really Turkish, do you know, Josh, or pan-Middle Eastern place named after the Turkish capital?

In the interest of full disclosure: I'm a long-time friend of the owner from when he was at Oasis and, most recently, at Istanbul Palace, in Lexington. That being said...
1. This business did indeed participate in Worldfest last year.
2. Yes, they've moved from Lexington, and are working on getting the new location open as soon as possible.
3. Their menu's going to feature items that are variations on many of the Persian/Arabian/Lebanese/Greek/Mediterranean dishes that the people in the Louisville area have already come to know at fantastic restaurants like Shiraz, Al Watan, Grape Leaf, Sahara, Maria Bell's Greek restaurants, etc. However, the cuisine will be Turkish and the menu will feature a few specialties from the owner's hometown of Adana in Turkey. Just like with many other Mediterranean places, a lot of the meats will grilled, but the flavors and spices will be slightly different than what you're likely to find in other Mediterranean restaurants. For instance, lots of yogurt sauces and accents, a fair amount of garlic in many dishes (such as the hummus-which is a bit firmer than the creamy-textured variety at most places), and tiny sweet raisins (currants?) in the stuffed grape leaves.
I'll stop now...

Let's eat!

Just to let everyone know, the owner at Istanbul Palace is making every attempt to be ready to open for lunch and dinner from noon until 9 pm on Sunday, April 18th.

They plan to be closed on Mondays.

They are open, and they have several Turkish items.
Turkish bread is a side order, and at 2 dollars for a large round, it's worth it for any of the dips or the meze plate. They also have iskeder kebab, something I haven't seem outside of Turkish places. And of course Turkish coffee.

We ordered several things and liked it all. They have very generous portions, even for the kids' items.

Very good, we'll be back.

Oh yum! And it's right around the corner from us. We'll be there soon!

Deb

A friend and I stopped by the other night and tried the "Palace Silver Platter," a sampler of both lamb and chicken doner (gyro), several kinds of kebabs, humus, mujver (a sort of zucchini pancake - yum!), and falafel. Oh, and it came with rice, salad & pita, too. Portions were very generous. The menu said it serves two, but we couldn't finish it all - and believe me we tried as everything was delicious! We'll definitely be back for more.

My wife and I stopped by Istanbul Palace for lunch yesterday. While there are many things that need improvement (exterior/interior/atmosphere), the food was top-notch and service was excellent.

We started off with the meze, a mixed platter of appetizers. They were all excellent - in particular the baba ganoush, which wasn't bitter at all like most I've had before, and the tabouleh, which was bright and refreshing.

Entrees come with a Turkish salad and soup. The salad consisted of lettuce, cucumbers, tomato and pickled cabbage dressed with a light vinaigrette. It was fine, but not really what we were there for and neither of us ended up eating much of them. Soups were served next. We had the Turkish chicken noodle soup and the lentil soup. They were both good but not great.

As soon as our entrees hit the table we knew we were going to be pleased. The doner kebab was a large pile of savory, juicy, crispy shaved meat served with a dill yogurt sauce. My wife's Iskender kebab looked delicious - the same meat as in the doner kebab served over bread pieces and topped with yogurt and a spicy, sweet tomato sauce.

Both were really excellent and portions were quite large. We made our way through what we could before boxing up the rest, which we had today for lunch. (BTW, the leftovers warmed up beautifully and we were made happy all over again) We had to get a couple pieces of baklava before we left, which frankly was the most disappointing part of the meal - they were served blazing hot out of the microwave, which ruined the crispy, flaky texture.

Overall, we were really pleased with our visit. The service was friendly, if not a bit overbearing (The chef came out several times to ask if everything was alright.)

We will go back many times. As far as I know, this is the only Turkish restaurant in town and it happens to be very good. We are lucky to have it, although I am afraid they might not do well - the location and building leave a lot to be desired. They need a lot of good word of mouth advertising, which is why I felt compelled to finally register for the forum and actually write a post.

[Robin Garr]

... I felt compelled to finally register for the forum and actually write a post.

Welcome, Jason, and thanks for an excellent review. Now that you've broken the ice, I hope you'll stay around and talk with us about good things to eat and drink.

My family had a decent meal here. The location and ambiance are so-so. The food was good, but I guess I was expecting more from the near glowing review from Jason. The flavors were mild and subtle, but I guess I was expecting a bit more spice and adventure. Most of the meats are sweetened, which was not really what I wanted. My daughter ordered some gyro on hummus, and I thought that was the most successful. Good hummus. Service was nothing special. Decent place, but keep your expectations on the modest side...

The thought of "sweetened" meat makes my stomach turn. Is anything else "sweetened?" For the time being, I think I'll wait for more reviews before I venture over there.