Talking turkey

Hookah, Oriental carpets and ornate pottery: No, this isn’t a scene from “Aladdin.” Rather, this “whole new world” is taken directly from Bloomington’s Turkuaz Café, an authentic Turkish restaurant.
Located on Third Street two blocks west of the IU School of Law, the welcoming atmosphere of Turkuaz transports customers thousands of miles away to Turkey. Diners have the option to sit on normal dining chairs, or, after removing their shoes, they can experience the Turkish dining style by sitting on huge cushions.
Beginning my meal with strong Turkish tea, I soaked in the atmosphere as I waited for my meal. Half of the restaurant is a grocery store, specializing in Turkish and Middle Eastern cuisine. The other section is full of cushions and low tables and an oversized raised booth with elevated cushions for large parties.
I ordered what I usually do when I visit a Turkish restaurant: a muca pide, stuffed with feta, parsley, egg and spices. Pides come in either small or large portions, are shaped like canoes and are filled with unlimited possibilities of toppings. Pides at Turkuaz are served with a “Three Salad Plate,” which includes kisir (bulgar, parsley and onion), coban (tomato, cucumber, parsley and onion) and red-cabbage salads. Entrees also come with red lentil soup, a more broth-based dish with the perfect amount of spice and vegetables to complement the earthy taste of the lentils.
For vegetarians, Turkuaz Café offers eggplant and mushroom pides, in addition to vegetable sis kebabi (shish kebabs) and gozleme (Turkish pastries), stuffed with feta cheese, olives, cucumbers and onion.
If you are more on the carnivorous side, Turkish cuisine excels in lamb and beef dishes. Turkuaz favorites include kofte (ground beef patties with onion, parsley, egg and spices) and manti (baked Turkish ravioli served with garlic yogurt sauce).
I finished my meal with a shot of Turkish coffee, a requirement when dining at any Turkish restaurant. Topped with thick foam, Turkish coffee is known worldwide for its thick, strong taste and the ever-lurking dregs waiting at the bottom of the cup. Interestingly enough, the dregs are used in tasseography, or fortune-telling, through coffee grounds.
Although my fortune remained untold after dining at Turkuaz Café, the future looked promising for another visit. The unique Middle Eastern atmosphere and extensive variety of authentic dishes are by no means the equivalent of sitting in an Istanbul cafe, but it’s the closest thing you can get in southern Indiana.