Aya Sofia: Finally, the Turkish Cuisine St. Louis Craves

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Along a busy stretch of Chippewa Street lies a restaurant that's proving the Turks can produce more than just a respectable area rug. Aya Sofia is celebrating four years serving lamb shanks and dolmas to hungry St. Louisans whose taste buds occasionally stray from their Midwest roots. The trendy eatery claims to be St. Louis' only Turkish restaurant and that bragging point extends to all corners of the plush pad. Upon entering, visitors can loosen up at a dimly-lit bar while waiting for a table. Come seating time, diners have their choice to chow in plain view or in any of several private booths adorned with cultural accents a-plenty. Not Turkish enough for ya?...Check out the menu.

For starters, Aya Sofia offers eight each of Soguk Mezeler (cold appetizers) and Sicak Mezeler (hot appetizers.) For larger parties or larger stomachs, appetizer platters are available. From Kilic Baligi (marinated swordfish) to Sigara Boregi (feta-stuffed filo dough,) chef Mehmet Yildiz provides to customers a heaping selection of unpronounceable meal starters; but the staff is well-versed in the language of pointing, so you'll be fine. Knowing dips and spreads tend to dominate Mediterranean appetizer menus, ToastedRav fell in line and ordered a platter loaded with humus, biber ezme (pureed, roasted red peppers,) and patlican ezme (pureed, grilled eggplant.) The dish comes with a basket of grilled pita wedges for the group's dippers and spreaders. While the humus and patlican ezme don't disappoint, both spreads bow to the biber ezme, which packs a punch of chargrilled, slightly salty flavor that compliments the pita nicely. Not wanting to ignore the chilled portion of the menu, we added the Piyaz to our tab. The white bean salad comes mixed with parsley, onions, and tomatoes, and tastes as simple as it sounds.

When entree time rolls around, ask the server for the inside tip. Ours recommended the Izgara Kofte, small beef patties infused with breadcrumbs, onions, and fourteen spices. Imagine four little hamburger patties served sans bun. The patties stay surprisingly moist with a little help from the diced onions and breadcrumbs. To say the Izgara Kofte comes slightly seasoned would be to say Michael Jackson is slightly eccentric. The spices don't burn the tongue, though; rather they add an intense flavor to an otherwise predictable dish. Though the entree comes with a side of rice, substitute pearl couscous as your starch and consider it the best tip you've ever read. For the sweet tooth among the group, Yildiz offers Baklava, a traditional Mediterranean dessert as well as a daily special. It's tough to find something less-than-glowing to write about Aya Sofia. It's not cheap, as dinner and drinks well set you back at least $30 per head, but God it's tasty. For a special occasion or if a fat stack is burning a hole in your pocket, this place is worth the trip. Check out the gallery for a few shots from ToastedRav's visit and head over to ayasofiacuisine.com for more.