NEW YORK, NY – It is at Nar, the latest Turkish restaurant to open in New York’s Flatiron District, that the restauranteurs Andy E. Arkun (The Polo), Erhan Bahceci (Food Cellar Market), and Zeynep Tansung (Izmir Commodity Exchange) seek to bring a contemporary flair to traditional Turkish cuisine.
NAR Interior
From a quick glance on the street, Nar could almost be mistaken for a Parisian cafe, with a pair of chairs perfectly poised on the sidewalk. Yet once you walk in, you’re immediately reminded of the Aegean coast.
The bright turquoise (the French word for ‘Turkey’ is turque, after all) floods the interior, particularly with the seating of the restaurant. Mirrors add visual depth to the space, making the space feel more inviting.
A sweeping and grand painting of the 13th century poet Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī, or more commonly known as Rumi, can also be seen in the reflections of these mirrors. These intricate details are tucked away to transport diners to the Mediterranean for the several hours they are there.
Meze Sampler (Photo Credit: Nar’s Press Release)
Diners familiar with other Mediterranean or Balkan cuisines may feel at home when they see menu offerings such as a meze sampler (pictured on the left) — containing babaganoush, pea hummus, muhammara, and pistachio dip, or shakshuka, a brunch offering popular within the city.
Yet the menu also showcases some of the more unique aspects of traditional Turkish cooking – think a pudding made with strings of chicken breast, or a bed of sliced halloumi cheese nestled between slices of caramelized beef sausage from Gaziantep. The dishes certainly do not shy away from flavor – the iriskit is packed with spices such as paprika and cumin, complemented by the delicate sweetness of the caramelizing brought by orange juice and maple syrup.
Order the braised lamb shank (“Sultan’s Bliss”), and you’ll find it similarly flavorful and cooked to perfection – with its juicy, tender, melt-in-your-mouth goodness (which only 3+ hours of slow cooking can produce) – you’ll be left hoping that they’ll double the serving size in the future. The eggplant caviar that it rests atop, which has a texture comparable to hummus, also adds a smoothness to the dish that leaves your tastebuds begging for more. Other notable menu highlights include lightly battered and crunchy zucchini blossoms filled with two types of Turkish cheese and its signature item, skewered Urgasa quail seasoned generously with salt and pepper and tenderly enveloped by wine leaves.
If there’s one thing that you cannot leave Nar without trying, it is kazandibi, a Turkish dessert made from chicken breast (if they didn’t list this explicitly you’d never know) with its origins supposedly stemming from Ottoman Empire kitchens. With the consistency of a rice pudding (although the strands of chicken breast keep you on your toes while consuming it), kazandibi is creamy, milky, and subtly sweet – the cinnamon dusted on top adds warmth and isn’t overpowering as some cinnamon-coated desserts are. Again, the chefs have brought variation in texture to the dessert menu as well – by burning the outside of the dessert, the contrast between the hard shell and the half gummy, half runny interior takes your sensations on an unforgettable adventure.
Cocktails: Hot Mediterranean Night (on left) and Barefoot Walk (virgin)
Beyond its food offerings, Nar also offers an extensive cocktail and wine menu. It leaps at the opportunity to infuse cocktails with Turkish accents, such as raki, maras pepper, brewed Turkish tea, while also offering the more conventional mules and Negronis. Part of their spirit menu is dedicated exclusively to raki, Turkey’s national drink made of twice-distilled grapes, as well. NAR is a lovely new addition to NYC’s food scene, delighting both those familiar and new to Turkish food.
NAR is located in NYC’s Flatiron District at 34 East 20th Street, New York, NY 10003. Its dinner menu is available online. Reservations can be made on their website. Currently, they are open for dinner service: Sunday – Wednesday 5pm – 11pm; Thursday – Saturday 5pm – 12am.