Istanbul Restaurant - A New Favorite!

On our way home from Gojo, I turned south on Nolensville Road. As usual, we were traveling in two cars going in different directions, so I had to immediately text Ricky after passing Istanbul Restaurant. It was determined that next week, we would try out that place in Woodbine.

The exact address of the Istanbul Restaurant is 2631 Nolensville Road, between I-440 and Thompson Lane.

We went early in the evening (or late afternoon) and were the only patrons in the place. The ambience is probably not what you're looking for when you have a first date, but it is great for a business luncheon, family dinner and a get together with a bunch of friends.

The menu is vast, featuring all your heart desires on Turkish cuisine - at least from a Swiss American perspective. Plus, if one of your friends is avert to trying out something new, he or she can go with a regular old burger or cheeseburger with fries or a salad.

For the non-connoisseurs amongst us, Turkish restaurants are the place to be for meat lovers! Istanbul Restaurant, I must add, is considerate enough to offer a Veggie Platter.

Let's get to the meat though!
Being the chef in the family, Ricky is a combo-kind-of-guy, which allows him to taste different meats.
The Big Combo with Soup for $12.99 gave him five different meats: chicken breast tender, kofta, beef shish kabob, gyro and some doner served with basmati rice and either cucumber of taboulleh salad.

I went with the Istanbuhl Special for $11.99, which included a beef shish, chicken shish and shrimp shish and was also served with basmati rice and either cucumber or taboulleh salad. The price range for the food you get is unbeatable.

We both started out with lentil soup and falafel. One absolute must is the yoghurt sauce. I've tasted yoghurt sauce at another Turkish restaurant, which was not comparable to the one that Istanbul Restaurant had to offer.

As the headline of this blog tells you - we were excited. The service was beyond fabulous, and I've found blog entries and comments on other sites that confirm that only the service tops the food. When we left, our server filled two to-go drinks for us and gave me two baklava. At no extra cost.


Doggy Bag Revue

Barkley is our youngest and biggest dog. He is an easy-go-lucky pup of two years who runs you over if you don't watch out. His tail is constantly wagging and wipes kids out of our yard. Of course, none of it is intentional.

Here is what Barkley wants to share about Istanbul's doggy bag.

Falfala is like bread. I don't like bread. I like meat. The meat was OK. Yoghurt sauce stinks. I like a simple beef bone and to run like the wind.

Two wags for Istanbul Restaurant's doggy bag from Barkley (five wags for the meat).