Long Island Restaurants

Kebab House

Chefs Aydin Ay, left, and Sabri Ay of Kebab House (Newsday photo/Thomas A. Ferrara)

"You won't even know you're eating liver," our waitress promised my husband, whose nose had involuntarily wrinkled at a friend's suggestion that we order it, for the table, as an appetizer. To his surprise, as well as my own, he found himself quite taken with the crunchy little batter-fried cubes of meat. The waitress beamed, triumphant.

At Kebab House, a small and gracious Turkish restaurant in Little Neck, people usually end up satisfied. It's understandable since the food is well prepared and affordably priced. Come before 6:30 on a weeknight, and you can take advantage of the restaurant's early-bird dinner, which includes either soup or hummus, coban salad, a choice of main course, plus soda, tea or coffee. It's amazing what a mere $12.95 can buy. Hummus was rich and garlicky with an undercurrent of heat. Or you might opt for a bracing bowlful of the savory red lentil soup. Coban, the Turkish salad of chopped tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, green peppers and olives, received a sprightly kick from lots of fresh parsley.

As one who has been faced with many an overcooked chunk of grilled marinated chicken, I appreciated just how juicy and flavorsome the chicken shish kebab turned out to be. Chicken adana kebab -- spicy ground grilled chicken -- was generously portioned and delicious.

Although there was no bargain meal available on the busy weekend evening we returned, it hardly mattered, since prices were so reasonable. That evening, the owner made the rounds of tables, shaking hands and welcoming everyone to his restaurant.

Our meal began with an appetizer of tarama, the pink roe dip, salty but not overly so. Raw salted tuna with sliced raw onions was what our waitress described as Turkish sushi. I prefer the more delicate Japanese version. But sauteed eggplant, another special, was mellow and satisfying. And my husband's perception of liver was forever changed by Kebab House's irresistible rendition.

A main course of two whole char-grilled quail had lots of flavor, but you'll need skill with knife and fork to get all the meat off those tiny bones. If you favor dark meat poultry, try the chicken chops, three large, juicy bone-in butterflied drumsticks.

Kofte keba (grilled ground lamb) oozed savory juices. And a special of whole St. Peter's fish (tilapia) was grilled so that the outside crackled like parchment and the inside was tender and flaky.

We finished with creamy rice pudding, almond-stuffed apricots and the light vanilla custard called kazandibi. With dessert, our waitress brought everybody a gratis glass of port. We left feeling we'd just celebrated something.

Reviewed by Joan Reminick, 10/1/04.

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