Savory Turkish Specialities Shine in OC’s Little Arabia | Eater LA

"After rebranding the underutilized kitchen as Koftegi, I found the owners added standout Turkish comfort food and baked goods to the bakery’s offerings. Any conversation about Koftegi has to start with the namesake köfte: ground beef patties crafted with tri-tip and flavored with lamb fat, cumin, and onion, served in several iterations and tasting best when folded around molten kashkaval, a tangy aged cheese made with cow’s and sheep’s milk; the köfte plate ($13.99) pairs two char-grilled ovals with fluffy white rice, soft house-baked pita, a basic salad, and creamy hummus dressed with olive oil, parsley, and paprika. Iskender ($14.99) honors a 19th-century Ottoman tradition with beef chuck and lamb shoulder marinated 48 hours (with milk and yogurt juice), shaved from a vertical spit, showered with zesty tomato sauce and browned butter over toasted house-baked pita cubes, and served with a tangy lake of yogurt and a simple lettuce–tomato–cabbage salad. Koftegi also strays from Al Sanabel’s circular baking by serving boat-shaped pide (“Turkish Boats”), including Walnutlahmbaajin ($5.99), a crispier oval topped with a thin tangy layer of ground beef, vegetables, and crumbled walnuts, and Cheese & TurkishSoujukis ($6.99), a softer, more savory boat with salty white cheese and firm half-moons of house-made beef “pepperoni.” Desserts sit in a refrigerated case by the register; Ashura ($5) blends garbanzo and white beans, cracked wheat, dried apricots and figs boiled with sugar and finished with shaved almonds, tangy pomegranate arils, and crushed pistachios. The revamped space features faux stone arches, a tunnel-like entrance to a counter in the “Antique Market Old Bazaar,” blue fast-food–style booths under pale yellow walls lined with photos of Istanbul, Iznik-style plates, and hand-woven Turkish pillowcases and rugs, making the spot feel like a mini Istanbul destination." - Eater