Anatolia's Gate

My friend claims that Anatolia's Gate has the best bread and she is not even a fan of bread. With that said, of course I had to visit. 

The restaurant has a few tables and most people seem to order take out.

LAMB CURRY, OVEN ROASTED LAMB CHUNKS WITH CURRY SAUCE, BEEF ISKENDER KABOB, FRESHLY SLICED BEEF MARINATED WITH ANATOLIA'S SPECIAL SPICES, WHOLE WHEAT LAVASH BREAD WITH YOGURT SAUCE, LENTIL SOUP, AND CHICKEN GUVECH, CHICKEN BREAST PIECES WITH OVEN ROASTED VEGGIES TOMATO SAUCE AND CHEESE BAKED IN OVEN SERVED WITH LAVASH.

WHOLE WHEAT LAVASH BREAD WITH YOGURT SAUCE. The dough is pre-made but kneaded, shaped and baked to order. We wanted white bread but was given the whole wheat. IMO since bread is extremely cheap to make, it would have been nice if we were offered to try a small white bread or for them to switch the breads for us. The whole wheat bread is smeared with olive oil, seasoned with sesame seed, has a slight crispy exterior and a soft chewy texture. The accompanying yogurt sauce has a tangy yogurt taste. The lavash bread is tasty but seems like nothing special to me (only because I bake my own whole wheat pitas that puff up in a high heated oven.. am I missing the hype?).

LENTIL SOUP ($5.95). The lentil soup has a thick as well as creamy consistency and a very strong taste of lentil beans. 

CHICKEN GUVECH, CHICKEN BREAST PIECES WITH OVEN ROASTED VEGGIES TOMATO SAUCE AND CHEESE BAKED IN OVEN SERVED WITH LAVASH ($15.95). The chicken guvech tastes like a light mild salty beef gravy vegetable dish. The pieces of chicken breast taste tender and the guvech has a good amount of pre-sauteed zucchini, tomato and mushroom. The dish is also topped with a generous amount of mozzarella cheese.

BEEF ISKENDER KABOB, FRESHLY SLICED BEEF MARINATED WITH ANATOLIA'S SPECIAL SPICES. COOKED ON A VERTICAL BROILER WITH YOGURT AND TOMATO SAUCE, RICE AND SALAD ($13.45). The sliced beef tastes dry, kind of like eating soft beef jerky. The beef also has a subtle sweetness like beef jerky. Also, this is just a personal preference but I would have preferred more rice rather than yogurt and lavash bread under the sliced beef, since yogurt and bread are already available on the side.

LAMB CURRY, OVEN ROASTED LAMB CHUNKS WITH CURRY SAUCE, RICE AND SALADS SERVED WITH A FRESHLY BAKED LAVASH BREAD AND YOGURT SAUCE ($15.95). The lamb curry tastes like cooked lamb topped with curry. The curry has a light mild curry taste and tastes kind of weak, however, since I have never tried turkish curry before, I am not sure what to expect. The pieces of lamb taste tender but the restaurant could have simmered the lamb with the curry for a better tasting fused together taste. 

POSITIVES
- Friendly staff
- Waiter offered to bring hot water and lemon because he knew I was sick (WOWW even fine dining and "casual" fine dining restaurants do not do that)
- Freshly baked bread
- Free drink refills

NEGATIVES
- Price of dishes add up
- Not a good meal for dinner if you eat a lot (not very filling for me)

LITTLE THINGS
- Slight menu confusion (lentil soup should be $3.95 with a meal? We have three meals but were charged the full $5.95 price)
- Instead of a larger sized bread, would be nice to get two small ones since we ordered more than one meal (to try one white and one whole wheat)
- We tried everything the waiter recommended but I wish we tried the meat pide because it seems more unique and popular compared to what we ordered

Food: 2.5/5
Service: 2.5/5