TUNISIAN/Moroccan food in Highland/East Nob Hill (Plus a digression regarding Turkish food Downtown)

So was driving down Central today and noticed that the space that was most recently occupied by Guicho's Mexican Food now sports a sign reading "Kasbah Turkish Moroccan Greek." I'm not sure if it's open yet, but it would be a welcome addition to the dining scene...I never had a chance to try Marrakech Moroccan before it closed, and except for doner kabobs downtown and a street food booth that frequented some of the farmer's markets a few years ago, I'm pretty sure the Duke City has never had a Turkish restaurant. Does anyone have any details about this place?

[Title changed, since as Kevin points out the sign in question actually reads TUNISIAN Moroccan Greek, not Turkish. However, the Central Market downtown is indeed Turkish...and quite good.]

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by L. C. Sterling on October 25, 2011 at 10:21am

Sounds hopeful. Keep us posted. Could really go for some kofta kababs.

(If it's authentic, by the way, be prepared for a heavy hit of sodium. My younger son, who did a year of school in southern France, said eating in Turkey was like opening a pickle jar and drinking all the juice -- everything was heavily salted.)

Permalink Reply by Phil_0 on October 25, 2011 at 11:30am

I believe the little lunch counter at the mini-mart on Central downtown (across the street from the Anodyne) does kofta as well as doner. The owners are well-traveled Turks, and do a bit of experimentation, but it's worth a look if you need to satisfy that craving.

Permalink Reply by L. C. Sterling on October 25, 2011 at 11:39am

Huh ... don't get over west of 25 much. What kind of mini-mart?

Permalink Reply by Phil_0 on October 25, 2011 at 11:49am

The Central Market. It's just a little convenience store. The former owner started a sandwich counter in the back and the new folks switched to Turkish fare when they took over about a year or so ago. Here's a link to the menu: from an article I read somewhere (the Alibi? the Journal?) the gyoza and other Asian dishes are a byproduct of some of those world travels I mentioned (the owner decided they went well with Turkish food). I haven't tried it - I am not in downtown proper much these days - but the Turkish offerings look promising and fairly authentic.

Permalink Reply by Phil_0 on October 25, 2011 at 12:07pm

It was the Alibi:http://alibi.com/food/37129/Side-Dishing-on-Downtown.html

Sounds tasty - may need to make a trip soon.

Permalink Reply by L. C. Sterling on October 25, 2011 at 12:08pm

Very cool, thanks.

Will definitely try them and report back.

Looks like a nice alternative to Sahara.

Permalink Reply by Phil_0 on October 27, 2011 at 4:37pm

Tried a chicken kebab the other night...tender and juicy with a very tasty marinade. The rice pilaf was moist and flavorful as well.

Permalink Reply by leila on October 27, 2011 at 6:52pm

I hear that there are yet new owners (as of a month or two ago, and are currently the cooks) who are keeping the Turkish stuff on the menu but will be revamping it. They're Jordanian.

I heard second hand, but from a good source :)

Permalink Reply by Phil_0 on October 27, 2011 at 9:47pm

Huh. I think it is still the same Turkish folks...there was a Journal article from just a few weeks ago that suggests as much.

Permalink Reply by Mike Horrell on October 26, 2011 at 8:10pm

We spent several weeks in Turkey in June and we found the food in Istanbul

as well as smaller towns along the Aegean and in Capadoccia to be excellent.

Richly spiced, but not "hot" . The veggies were some of the best I've ever had

in my life and the fresh fish (trout, sea bream, sea bass..) were excellent.

TONS of cheeses and yogurts... Everyone I know who's been to Turkey in

recent years has raved about the food. We certainly do.

I'll grant you that some of the mezes (appetizers) were a bit salty, but not

the main dishes.

Permalink Reply by LaGuera on October 25, 2011 at 1:21pm

Hate to be a downer, but Morocco is nowhere close to Turkey, and their food is really different. Sahara's owners are Syrian, and the food also bears no resemblance to Moroccan food.

How do I know this? I lived in Morocco for 6 months as an exchange teacher. Sure, kefta is pretty much ubiquitous, after all, it's just ground meat patties or balls, mixed with bulgur wheat. But other than that, the differences are distinct.

I hope the restaurant is a happy melange because of a marriage of a Turk and a Moroccan! That could be delish.

Permalink Reply by Phil_0 on October 25, 2011 at 2:50pm

I'm familiar with the geography. Sahara's owners are Jordanian, and yes, that is very different from Turkish or Greek food, although there are strong commonalities that run through the cuisines of Turkey, Greece, Jordan, and most of the rest of the Eastern Mediterranean. (After all, the Turks ruled the entire region for more than 400 years, as did the Byzantines/Romans for another 1000 years before that).

I know less about food from Morocco (another former Ottoman province) or elsewhere in the western Mediterranean, but hopefully you're right and the folks in charge of this new place know what to do with both the eastern and western Mediterranean. I'm not sure I buy that the geographic distance between Turkey/Greece and Morocco is a bad sign...Thailand and Japan are probably even further away from each other than Morocco and Turkey are, and have less in common culturally, but that doesn't seem to deter the multiple Thai/sushi joints around town, some of which are pretty tasty...