Let’s start at Afendi’s Turkish Grill, where you can find the Wedding Dress Soup – a hearty red lentil soup perfect for these winter days.  Ask for some of Afendi’s signature home baked bread to make your meal complete. Afendi’s is located at 299 N. McDowell Boulevard (between Bank of the West and CVS). Phone: (707) 763-1998

At Hunan Village, soup is on the menu year round.  At last count, Hunan’s menu included 14 different soups. Ranging from familiar favorites such as Won Ton Soup and Hot and Sour soup, Hunan also features noodle soups, beef soups and seafood and chicken soups. Hunan Village is located at 295 N. McDowell Boulevard.  Phone  (707) 763-7156

Don Pancho’s has a hearty soup menu of its own.  Served in deep bowls filled with meat, fish or chicken, these flavorful Mexican soups warm the stomach and the soul. Don Pancho’s is located at 285 North McDowell Boulevard (between CVS and Kmart)  Phone: (707) 775-2474.

At Fuji, the Japanese Miso soup is delicately flavored and delicious. Eat in or take some home for a fragrant meal. Fuji is located at 255 N McDowell Blvd (between Kmart and Hobbytown). Phone: (707) 778-8600.

For quick soup on the go, try Subway.  Every day the soup menu changes for a fresh and interesting variety. Subway is located at 221 N. McDowell, near Starbucks. Phone:  (707) 765-0240.

Every meal at Afendi's starts with a complimentary glass of Turkish tea

Every meal at Afendi’s Turkish Grill starts with a glass of hot tea.

But this is not your ordinary cup of tea. Imported from Turkey and fresh brewed at the restaurant, tea at Afendi’s signals the beginning of a magical and delicious escape from the world outside.

Here’s what happens: You enter the restaurant and remove your coat. You sit down and get yourself comfortable. Soon after, the tea arrives in delicate gold rimmed glasses with matching saucers. After adjusting the cup you carefully drop the sugar cube into the hot liquid. Then stir gently with the small Turkish teaspoon until the sugar melts.

The first sip. Then a sigh of relief. Real sugar, real tea, real dishes. Amazing what this small ritual can do. It immediately removes the diner from everything that has happened up to that moment.  All cares are left at the front door, all worries are calmed. Nothing exists except the hot sweet tea and beautiful relaxing world you have just entered.

Chef and Owner Serdar “Joe” Besir pulling some freshly baked bread out of the oven

Afendi’s Turkish Grill is the creation of Serdar “Joe” Besir, a master chef who has 30 plus years of experience cooking in Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Germany, New York, and now – Petaluma.  Afendi’s is not just a labor of love for Joe in the kitchen, but also an opportunity for Joe and his staff to showcase their legendary hospitality. Guests are treated well and attentively, and often Joe will come directly out of the kitchen to visit diners and to see how the meal is going.

Both elegant and comfortable, diners can choose from tables and chairs or banquette seating. There is a sense of privacy for the diners and we have found that Afendi’s is a good place for quiet relaxed conversation. Middle Eastern music plays in the background and adds to the pleasant, relaxed atmosphere

It's hard to go wrong with Afendi's Chicken and Rice

The two biggest roadblocks to trying a new restaurant – especially one that has an unfamiliar cuisine are usually:

1) “what am I going to order?”

2) “what if I don’t like it?”

These are valid concerns. At Afendi’s, the descriptive menu and helpful staff makes it easy to put together a pleasing meal, even for a first timer.  Are you a chicken lover? There are at least five different chicken dishes, including a chicken pot pie and chicken kabobs with rice.

Meat lovers will find plenty to enjoy at Afendi’s. In addition to chicken, diners can also try the lamb and beef or go for all three at once and order the mixed grill. Additionally, the Turkish food at Afendi’s is not particularly spicy unless clearly indicated.

The Kanafe comes to the table warm in its own pan

Afendi’s also has plenty of choices for non-meat eaters, including the salads, vegetable pies and our personal favorite, the Special Combination Appetizer Plate, which features an assortment of  Middle Eastern favorites, including homemade hummus and dolmas. Served with Joe’s signature homemade bread, it is a complete meal in itself, usually with leftovers to take home.

On our latest visit to Afendi’s, we tried the Kanafe. This melted cheese dessert arrives warm from the kitchen in its own pan. Sweet, thick, and slightly chewy, we couldn’t stop eating it, even while protesting that we were already too full for one more bite!

Afendi’s is located at 299 N. McDowell Boulevard (between Bank of the West and CVS). Phone: (707) 763-1998

\

Each week Patch picks a restaurant in Novato, Petaluma or San Rafael that is worth checking out. Here’s this week’s choice:

Afendi’s Turkish Grill
299 N McDowell Blvd.,
Petaluma, CA 94954
707-763-1998
www.afendisturkishgrill.com
Open daily 10 a.m- 9 p.m.

In the past, I have dined many times at two San Francisco Turkish restaurants Troya and A La Turca, so I have a passing knowledge of the cuisine. Afendi’s, found in a shopping center with a Kmart and CVS Pharmacy and many other shops, serves hands down the best Turkish food I’ve experienced in the Bay Area.

via Eat Local: Afendi’s Offers Best Turkish Food in Bay Area – Petaluma, CA Patch.