A La Turca

869 Geary (at Larkin), 345-1011

In addition to the familiar, expertly prepared mezes (such as hummus, baba ghanouj, and dolmas) and kebabs (lamb, chicken, and kofte) available in this pleasant place, which is lined with a wide wooden banquette and dominated by an open grill, you'll find such unusual dishes as pides, irresistible, long, thin, stuffed meat pies made with ground beef, chicken with mushrooms, or chicken with pineapple; alexander kebap, aka iskender, a homey dish of gyro strips piled atop cubed bread in yogurt and butter sauce; havuc kizartmasi, sautéed carrots with yogurt sauce topped with fresh minced garlic; and mucver, deep-fried zucchini fritters. We recommend you finish with rich baklava, in walnut or pistachio versions, or sutlac (rice pudding). Everything we've tried so far has been so good that we're planning on eating our way through the entire menu.