Maydanoz

Good, simple Turkish food. We had one grill entrée (the chicken) and two appetizers and it was enough food for two people. At 40 euros it can’t be beat. The one star deduction is because: the house red wine was only okay-​ish, the rice and salad that come with the chicken is also only okay-​ish (the salad needs a bit more dressing), and the other grill selections are all lamb, which isn’t my favorite. Not sure what I would eat the next time unless I get the chicken again, but that is boring! But despite these small downfalls it’s a solid choice.

Surprisingly enough… I don’t have much to say about this place.
I looooove me some Turkish food and if possible, I would love to roll around in a baba ganoush like a pig gaily rolling in mud. So I was excited to sit down here while admiring the brightly tiled walls and Mediterranean décor throughout. I’m not sure about all you other Unilocalers out there, but when it comes to Turkish food, I feel like the mezes are the CLEAR winners of the table and often times I can do without the main and just stock my belly filled with little plates. So we did that and got favorites like tabbouleh, kibbeh, and some new dishes for me like walnut paste and pumpkin with cream cheese and syrup.
Hooooooooooooowever, I’m not a cheapo and I don’t mind throwing down some money on good food, but the portions… WOW! Or I should use small letters ‘wow’ because they were tiny. Imagine chopping up parsley and tomatoes to make tabbouleh. Then you put it in a bowl and garnish it with pomegranate and oil. Then you take the remnants from the chopping board and toss them into a small serving dish. We got the serving dish of left over chopped parsley and not the bowl, just to give you a sizing sampler. The food was good, not amaaaaaaaaazing compared to other places, but for 5 – 6 euro for very little, I was put off by that a bit. So, good food, tiny portions, for higher prices… I’ll probably stick to other places. Not saying it’s bad, so if you’re in the area, it’s not a bad place to check out.

This place really deserves more reviews! I have been to Maydanoz numerous times and keep going back. There’s nothing superspecial about Maydanoz, which I think is exactly why it attracts me. Back in high school I took philosophy as an elective and learned about Plato’s theory of ideas. Well, to me Maydanoz is what would be called a Platonic restaurant. When I think of the word ‘restaurant’, a place like this pops up in my head. No fusion cooking, no amuses, no original table setting or food presentation. Maydanoz is completely free of any pretense and simply serves pure, well prepared food, has very friendly service, good wine and a really nice ambiance!