HedgeHopper Week 3: Pasha preview

By Jordan Davis     9/11/08 7:00pm

Pasha Turkish Restaurant is a cozy little house that has been converted into a restaurant to cater to the surrounding Rice community. Located on University Blvd. between Greenbriar Dr. and Morningside Dr., Pasha caters to a variety of tastes and wallet sizes. Recommended by publications like Zagat, Texas Monthly, the Houston Chronicle and My Table, Pasha is open only for lunch and dinner, with a menu for each.The lunch menu caters to those stopping by to get a quick bite to eat. Menu items are downgraded slightly in size and are less expensive than at dinner. Try the creamy mashed chickpeas, tahini and garlic hummus as an appetizer to go along with a free order of unlimited, freshly-baked brick oven bread and olive oil infused with rosemary and ground black pepper. Also delicious are the Dolmas, delicacies of fresh white rice, crushed pine nuts, chopped onions and Turkish spices stuffed inside a rolled grape leaf.

For a real taste of the restaurant, Pasha offers a Meze Platter. This platter combines the best appetizers that the restaurant offers: hummus, meze, baba ghanoush, tabouli, eggplant salad, Dolma and labneh.

While the kebabs are all wonderfully seasoned but not overpowering, the real jewel of Pasha lies in the Doner Durum. The Doner Durum is a very simple yet elegant dish comprised of gyro slices rolled in a very thin layer of dough served in a rich and creamy yogurt sauce. Though decorated with tomatoes and herbs, this dish is not aesthetically appealing; nevertheless, it tastes incredible.

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If all this sounds like too much, try the lunch special offered Tuesday through Sunday until 3 p.m. It consists of an entrée with either the soup of the day or the Turkish salad made with freshly cut tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, red onions and parsley and sprinkled with a light lemon oil dressing. The entrée choices include selections of seasoned and marinated chopped or ground meat and vegetables served on a soft bed of lightly flavored rice.

If that does not fill the void in a hungry stomach, Pasha prides itself on its oval Turkish pizzas. These are sauceless creations that combine traditional Turkish cuisine with mozzarella to create a delicacy that is not only delicious but also appropriate to eat with a knife and fork. The restaurant also offers a selection of wonderful sandwiches and wraps for those on the go.

For the dinner menu, Pasha unveils its signature dishes in its specialties section. Dishes such as the Yogurtlu Kebab present diners with choices of chargrilled lamb, beef or chicken kebabs ladled over soft pita bread topped with a zesty garlic yogurt sauce.

Other specialties include Menemen, a stew of sautéed tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, feta cheese and eggs served on a bed of rice, and the Patlican Kebab, wonderfully marinated and chargrilled eggplant with light pepper and skewers of ground beef and lamb.

Save room for dessert. Pasha has a very light and flaky baklava, a sweet and crunchy Tel Kadayif, a creamy and flavorful rice pudding called Sutlac and an amazing caramelized flan dusted lightly with cinnamon.

Pasha usually offers all of this to customers for about ten dollars per order for lunch and fifteen dollars for dinner, but with the HedgeHopper Card, orders are discounted ten percent. For great food, great prices and a comfortable dining area, check out Pasha Turkish Restaurant and see what you think.

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