Kathleen Cei Photo

Mixed cold appetizer sampler plate.

Anatolia Restaurant
586 Plank Rd., Waterbury; (203) 591-8450. Sun.–Thurs., 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Fri. & Sat. 11 a.m.–11 p.m. All major CC, $, wheelchair accessible.

Anatolia Restaurant’s location, right next to an I-84 on-ramp in Waterbury, is unassuming, like the flurry of signs on nearby telephone poles that point the way to the “Turkish Cuisine.”

The restaurant opened eight months ago in a former Friendly’s, a fact betrayed by the rows of booths with high dividers from the “smoking-or-non?” days. But Friendly’s never covered its booths with white tablecloths or decorated the walls with hookahs, tapestries and boncuks (those blue glass talismans that protect against the Evil Eye), or pumped faint Middle Eastern music over the speakers.

The point is moot: Once the cold appetizer sampler comes out, your surroundings disappear.

I cannot stress this enough: Get the sampler. A feast unto itself, the small one ($9.95) is nearly enough for two people, even without an entrée—I can only imagine the large ($15.95). The sampler comes with seven cold appetizers, divided by little slices of cucumber and tomato and accompanied by a basket of crispy bread. You’ll need to ask for more bread.

The stars of the sampler are the rich, nutty babaganus, the spicy antep ezme and the thick, refreshing yogurt-based haydari. But everything on this platter is fabulous, and in those impatient moments between baskets of bread I find myself dipping the garnishes and anything else I can find into the medley (which you should do anyway). The platter also comes with humus, kisir (Turkish tabbouleh), ispanak (spinach dip) and shaksuka (cubed eggplant). Everything is $4.50 on its own, and everything is great, owing much to the fact that nearly everything is made on site.

“Everything is fresh made, homemade. Nothing is frozen,” says owner and chef Mahsun Yigit, who emigrated from Turkey 13 years ago.

Go for the hot appetizer platter, too ($10.95), which comes with two each of falafel, pacanga borek (like the Greek spanikopita, or spinach pie), sigara borek (the same thin, flaky dough as the spinach pie, with feta but without spinach) and zucchini pancakes. The latter were new to me, and are a spectacularly warm, moist, crumbly treat. Dip them in the haydari or, hell, anything. It’s all good, and it all should be mixed and matched for maximum deliciousness.

The shepherd salad ($5.95 small, $9.95 large) is a refreshingly light mix of cubed cucumbers, tomatoes, onions and parsley. Screw lettuce: More salads should be made like this.

I recently tried an entrée for the first time, going for the simple, standard shish kebab ($13.95), which looked exactly like its picture on the menu (yes, there are pictures on the menu). The lamb, served on a bed of rice with grilled vegetables, was cooked perfectly: tender and juicy, if lacking on the spices.

The portion was more than enough, especially after the sampler, and held up surprisingly well in the microwave the next day.

My date got the kaskas kebab ($13.95), spicy ground lamb in a light tomato sauce, which was, indeed, pretty light, with a nice kick at the end. My plain rice and her spicy sauce met in beautiful cross-table harmony.

We abandoned our entrees halfway through to take another stab at the sampler, which simply did not deserve to be left sitting, abandoned and uneaten at the edge of the table.

For dessert, get the kadayif ($4.95), a baklava-like pastry with syrup and nuts, or just go for the baklava itself ($4.95). Dessert comes with free hot tea, served in a little glass adorned with (yet more) boncuks—the absolutely perfect way to settle your stomach after stuffing it to the breaking point.

Anatolia doesn’t serve booze, but you’re welcome to bring your own beer or wine. Our server was very accommodating, bringing us wine glasses and opening the bottle for us.

Even if you’re not a Turkish cuisine connoisseur (I admit I’m not), Anatolia provides the fresh and ample food and the friendly service you always hope to discover at that visually underwhelming family-owned restaurant near the on-ramp.

editor@newhavenadvocate.com