The Turkish pizza at this new N.J. restaurant is an absolute must | Review

The mixed grill entree from Dervish Turkish Restaurant featured a variety of meats

At Dervish, a new Turkish restaurant in Cedar Grove, diners are transported not to some vague Middle Eastern-meets-Mediterranean catch-all of lesser eateries, but to a specific and vibrant locale 5,500 miles away.

The Turkish pizza features minced meat with a mix of fresh tomatoes, red and green peppers, garlic and parsley topped on Anatolian thin dough

Co-owner Emre Yalaza and his family hail from Gaziantep, an ancient, southern Turkish city of about 2 million people, known for its spectacular cuisine: visions of baklava, kunefe, onion kebab and Turkish pizza (more on that later).

To say Dervish is a family affair is an understatement. Emre owns the restaurant with his father, Mustafa Yalaza, who serves as one of the head chefs, as does his brother, Ali Yalaza. Everyone else, from wait staff to hostesses, include his other brothers and cousins.

It’s also not the first restaurant the family has opened. Yalaza’s grandfather opened a restaurant in Gaziantep that was taken over by his father and uncle in 1978. Since then, his father expanded the restaurant to other parts of Turkey, including Istanbul, the country’s largest city. After the business was established, Yalaza’s father came to New York to open more Turkish restaurants including ABA Turkish Restaurant and Lezzet before moving to New Jersey five years ago and choosing to open a new restaurant in the Garden State.

“Since we moved to New Jersey, we always wanted to open another location here because we had a lot of customers come from New Jersey to New York City,” Yalaza told NJ Advance Media.

The restaurant opened in late January and it’s been overrun by patrons ever since, as many are curious about the latest offering in Cedar Grove, the small but might Essex County burg stowed just north of Montclair. Yalaza said many of the guests are eager to try a taste of Gaziantep.

“When you talk to someone from that city, food is very special to them,” Yalaza said. “That’s where baklava originates from. That’s where most of the food in Turkey comes from, like, Turkish pizza.”

The falafel from Dervish Turkish Restaurant

Turkish pizza, eh? Called “lahmacun” in Turkey, the pizza (or flatbread) is usually topped with minced meat such as beef or lamb, minced vegetables, a variety of herbs, and flavored with spices.

“(Guests) are really excited to try our dishes because the way we do our dishes is different than how regular Turkish people do it,” Yalaza said.

The good

I started the night with a mix of cold and hot appetizers. I ordered the lentil soup ($8), which was creamy, earthy and delightful on a chilly night, with just enough spice. The stuffed grape leaves ($10) were fresh and tasty with a blend of rice, currants, onion and pine nuts. I also ordered the eggplant with tomato sauce ($8) — my favorite appetizer of the evening — which featured pan-fried cubes of eggplant in a fresh tomato sauce and mixed with garlic. It made for a robust dip, a fine match for the complimentary bread brought to the table.

The last appetizer was the falafel ($8), pan-fried puréed chickpeas with garlic and parsley, and tahini sauce on the side; nicely crisp with hints of garlic and parsley.

Back to the Turkish flatbread pizzas, which are baked in a xx oven. Options include the karişik pi̇de (with Turkish sausage, meat and mozzarella cheese), the kaşarli pi̇de (a crispy golden crust topped with mozzarella cheese) and the kiymali pi̇de (a thick dough crust stuffed with seasoned ground lamb and fresh tomatoes parsley). I went with the Turkish pizza ($21) which was layered with minced lamb meat, fresh tomatoes, red and green peppers, garlic and parsley on very thin Anatolian dough (no sauce or cheese). Maybe it’s the Jersey in me, but this was my favorite dish of the night. The preparation of the minced meat and the vegetables was fresh and flavorful, making for a light yet savory and satisfying meal.

The eggplant with tomato sauce appetizer from Dervish Turkish Restaurant

From the main courses, I tried the mixed grill entree ($38), which featured chicken shish kabob, lamb shish kabob, meatball, lamb chop and Adana kebab (with minced lamb meat) along with a serving of rice and vegetables. Everything was grilled to perfection and a banner option to sample all the meats the restaurant has to offer.

For dessert, I recommend the pistachio kunefe ($12), shredded dough layered with pistachio and served with honey syrup and pistachio topping. The honey syrup was a perfect amount of sweetness to balance out the more savory meat flavors from earlier.

The bad

The only downside to my Dervish experience was the wait time: It was a long while between ordering and the food hitting our table. Given that the restaurant only opened a few weeks ago, I’m hoping the chaos of the early days gets sorted out sooner than later. Also, it’s not the worst problem to have — this restaurant is clearly very popular; weekend reservations are currently hard to come by.

The vibe

The restaurant is spacious with colorful booths lining the main dining area with a mix of smaller and larger dining tables spread throughout. It’s brightly lit while the walls are painted with sun designs adding to the restaurant’s already bold interior.

I went on a Sunday night and it was a full house. The wait staff was attentive and in constant motion, assisting a mix of large families and couples, who filed in right until closing at 10 p.m.

The bottom line

While Montclair’s long-recognized elite foodie scene tends to steal attention from surrounding neighborhoods, the addition of Dervish Turkish Restaurant in Cedar Grove reminds that the outer townships have plenty to offer as well. Make sure to try the Turkish pizza as well as the dessert. It’s clearly a new hot spot and a smart move to sample authentic Turkish cuisine. High quality ingredients as customers journey to Gaziantep one bite at a time.

Saleah Blancaflor may be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at @saleyley and Instagram.

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