Ezmè, Washington

When debating whether Turkish food was set to be the next culinary trend in DC, Washington Post columnist Tom Sietsema decided that if the service and the dishes were as good as Ezmè's, "more Turkish food would be a good thing." It's not surprising that he was impressed by the Bolukbasi brothers' restaurant; Harun Bolukbasi spent 15 years researching regional Turkish cuisine, an especially admirable undertaking considering he began cooking his native food in his mother's kitchen when he was a child, and took notes on all her secret recipes while he was in the womb. Today, he's crafted his own unique approach that integrates traditional techniques with modern ingredients.

The menus focus on "mezes," Mediterranean tapas that let veggies, meats, and seafood take turns as the starring ingredient. Sigara boregi, for example, are cigar-shaped pastries rolled around feta, parsley, and dill, and kofte are grilled beef-and-lamb meatballs studded with onion. Heeding his mission to promote healthy eating, Harun uses only fresh produce, premium olive oil, and no animal fats.

With any meze ordered, guests are likely to find a wine to pair with it: Yavuz Bolukbasi had estimated to the Post that he had upward of 36 cases of wine bedecking Ezmè's walls. Unlike the food menus, which are devoted to Mediterranean flavors, the wine lists are steadfastly international. The selection of whites includes everything from a Chilean chardonnay to a South African chenin blanc, and the list of reds is predominantly Californian and European, sprinkled with exotic varietals such as a Lebanese seven-grape blend.