Cafe Divan: Turkish Cuisine

We are fans of Turkish food! I am seeing a trend toward middle eastern bias and will remedy this next week.

Steven was not a huge fan of the deep fried calamari, a bit too much breading for his taste. The aioli that it came with, however, was fantastic. They called it a "cocktail sauce," and we expected it to be yogurt-based, but it wasn't. Julia put it on pita bread and I put it on the pastirma (air-dried, spicy beef--yum!). The salads were simple and good.

Julia ordered the Kavurma, beef tenderloin with onions, peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, and rice. She enjoyed it. Steven ordered the Doner Kebab, marinated lamb/veal from a vertical spit served over rice and tomatoes. The meat was very good, but Steven said the addition of a yogurt sauce would have taken it from an 8.5 to a 10 (out of 10). I ordered the Adana Kebab, skewered hot, spicy beef with spiced onions and mixed vegetables. So good!

The service was excellent. We have had great success with take-out as well--quick and as scrumptious as sitting in.

On the college front, Julia has submitted all of her early decision and early action applications. This weekend she will complete Penn State, which has rolling admission. Whoo-hoo!

Recommendation: Try the pastirma appetizer! We would highly recommend the Kavurma and Adana Kebab as well.

Restaurant info: 1834 Wisconsin Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20007
Restaurant: 202-338-1747
Carryout: 202-338-1748
www.cafedivan.com
info@cafedivan.com

Almost every table has a wonderful window view.

Hip bar area.