Fodor's Expert Review Dai Pera

Proprietor and chef Arzu Gürdamar likes experimenting with food, and her menu includes traditional meze like köpoğlu (fried eggplant with yogurt and tomato sauce), as well as her own tasty creations, such as zucchini in strained yogurt with crushed almonds. The entrées are mainly Turkish "home-style" dishes reinterpreted to please a contemporary palate and include Dai's signature caramelized steak and delicious sliced lamb atop a creamy eggplant puree, served with cinnamon-dusted rice. The cozy, laid-back atmosphere—plain wooden furniture, posters and artwork on the walls, funky jazz music playing—makes up for the sometimes overly casual service.