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Cafe Mediterranca
Where: 423A Hancock St., North Quincy
Telephone: 617-786-1771
Hours: Mon.-Thurs. 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m.-11 p.m., Sun. 4-9 p.m.
Good choices: Hummus, tabbouleh, baba ganoush, kofta, grape leaves, cigar borek, lamb kebab, doner kebab, swordfish kebab, rice pudding, baklava, kadayif.
Credit Cards: American Express, Discover, Mastercard, Visa.
Access: Bathrooms not accessible.
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Restaurant reviewed 04/29/99 by Bob English
The best thing about being a Cheap Eater is finding a treasure in an unexpected place. Such is the case with Cafe Mediterranea, an inconspicuous storefront restaurant on Hancock Street, Quincy's main drag.
From the hypnotic Turkish music playing over the speakers to the friendly Turkish couple cooking in the back to the authentic Turkish menu, Cafe Mediterranea is a small slice of Istanbul in North Quincy. Owners Senol and Rahime Melekoglu grew up in Turkey - she in Istanbul, he near the Black Sea - and both worked in the food business there.
When they moved to the Boston area, they looked around for an affordable spot that might attract other Middle Easterners, and ended up two blocks from the North Quincy T station.
The food here reflects the climate and feel of the mild Mediterranean. Whole grains, fresh herbs, pungent spices, olive oil, yogurt, and lemon are used in abundance. You could make a feast from the appetizer menu alone: A meze plate, or appetizer combination, includes four choices for $6.40. We sampled the tabbouleh, baba ganoush, grape leaves, and hummus. If you know these foods only by the bland supermarket versions, you are in for a sensory treat.
The tabbouleh is a perfect blend of flavors: lemon, scallion, bulgur, parsley, diced tomato, and olive oil, with a mouth-cleansing dose of fresh mint. The hummus is among the best we've had stateside: a perfect consistency - not too thick, not too soupy - with just the right amount of garlic and tahini. The amount of lemon may make one pucker, but that's the way we like it. The grape leaves are tender aromatic miniatures neatly stuffed with rice, pine nuts, herb, and dill. A basket of pita bread comes with the plate.
Another winning appetizer does not appear on the menu, but is found in the refrigerator case up front. Called cigar borek ($3.60), it's three rolled-up tubes of phyllo - thin, flaky pastry - stuffed with feta cheese and parsley, then deep-fried. They are crisp on the outside, creamy on the inside.
Just as the Italians are known for their pasta, the Turks and their neighbors are known for their shish kebabs. Among the entrees, a personal favorite is the kofta kebab ($8.45), which is a spicy grilled ground beef and lamb mixture, flecked with crushed red pepper.
The entrees are attractively presented, the meat or fish off the skewer, resting on a fluffy bed of rice pilaf. It's all surrounded by grilled vegetables such as tomatoes and peppers, as well as shredded carrots and onions, which are raw.
The swordfish kebab ($9.45) is identical, except it features chunks of moist, grilled, slightly lemony fish. Ditto for the chicken kebab ($8.45), which even the picky kids in our group polished off. The lamb kebab ($8.95) consists of six thick, tender chunks of meat with an intoxicating aroma and flavor.
Doner kebabs ($9.45) are served on Friday and Saturday nights only. These gyros are to Turkey what hamburgers are to America: a sacred staple. Strips of lamb and beef are mixed together, then grilled on a rotisserie, and rolled up in pita bread with grilled tomatoes, peppers, and onions. Or, you can have it the way the Istanbulis eat it: a plate of diced pita bread covered with a thin layer of tomato sauce, yogurt, and finally, the paper-thin slices of meat. It's a different presentation; our only quibble was that the meat could have been warmer.
All entrees come with a shepherd salad, a generous portion of diced tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, and scallions served on a crisp bed of lettuce and drizzled with lemon juice and olive oil. Cafe Mediterranea also offers all sorts of roll-up sandwiches, and soup, salad, and sandwich combos, ranging from $4.60 to $5.60.
By this point, you may be feeling rather virtuous: After all, you've had more than your day's allotment of veggies in just one meal. But don't get too smug. Dessert awaits. And it's not just baklava ($1.50 and delectably sticky).
There's also rice pudding ($2.25), velvety and smooth - not mushy or lumpy - with much more custard and less rice than is usually the case. Senol was a baker in Turkey, and it shows. Or try the kadayif ($1.50), shredded dough with walnuts bathed in sugar and syrup. The sekerpare ($1.50) is a spongy semolina cake soaked in syrup and cut with lemon, then baked - if you like to mainline your sugar, that's the one for you.
There are only 10 tables in this small space, but they are placed well apart from one another so that you never feel you are sharing your meal - and your conversation - with a stranger. Off-street parking is plentiful. Beer and wine are served here, as well as Turkish coffee, guaranteed to keep you awake forever.
Tips & hits
