Cafe Troya report
I went to Cafe Troya this evening, for the first time in a couple of months. My husband and I are big fans of this place, especially since it is close to our home. Well, they got a new chef and "fancified" the dinner menu. Truthfully, I wasn't pleased.
It turns out they are still serving the old menu, but at lunch. For dinner they have increased the prices and taken away many of my favorites (Greek Salad, Sigara Boregi). Since I was dining solo this evening, I didn't order as much as usual. I ended up getting the Shepard's Salad (tomatoes, cucumbers and parsley in a lemon vinaigrette) and Hummus. The lemon vinaigrette wasn't very flavorful - definitely not as good as the dressing the serve on their Greek Salad (which, as I stated, is only served at lunch now). The tomatoes weren't that great either. The hummus definitely needed salt, which it usually doesn't, but the texture was still wonderful.
All in all, I was very disappointed. I am happy that they didn't do away with the old menu completely, but I don't get there often for lunch. I will now make it a point to do so.
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Troya
349 Clement St San Francisco CA
meggie t
Nov 01, 2007 07:11PM
After getting a phone call last night, as I was driving back along 19th Avenue in the city, saying that the power was out at home, I decided to eat in SF so turned onto Clement and parked in the first place I found. I consulted my chowhound-derived list for that area and picked Troya which I had never been to before. This may be a long report, so for those with not much time I'll get right to the punch line and say that I was stunned by the physical place, gracious servers, wonderful food, and very reasonable prices for the type of place and food. I had two mezes (appetizers) only, which were very generous servings, and therefore have nothing to report about the entrees except I just expect them to be great. I'll definitely be back to confirm that. Since I had never been there before, I had no prior experience to compare it to unlike the prior poster, but based on that report I'll be sure to also go there for lunch!
The place has a clean, modern, feel, while also feeling very warm due to the colors used, that hit me just right. The main server was a young woman from Turkey who was both very friendly and professional, and the others who assisted in the service were just as good. I started with Calamari Stuffed with Spinach, Eggplant and Goat Cheese, over a Cannelini Bean Salad ($7), which consisted of three calamari stuffed as described. It was very good, with the bean salad providing a counterpoint to the rich stuffing. Did I say the portions were generous? I then had the Braised Lamb with Pine Nuts and Currants in Roasted Celery Root, Pomegranate Sauce ($6.50). This was shredded lamb inside celery root, two large towers of wonderful flavor. I'll leave it to those with more ability to recognize individual flavors to identify the seasonings, but this dish really produced my "stunned" reaction. The two towers were served on a small amount of greens which, like the bean salad with the stuffed calamari, provided a refreshing contrast to the rich shredded and seasoned lamb. If I have to pick at something, I'll say that I would have liked more of those greens on the plate; I ran out of them before I finished the lamb and wished for more.
The wine list is small and seems well-selected and reasonably priced, with bottles priced in the 20's, 30's, and 40's. I had a spicy 2006 Ironstone Zin from Lodi ($7.50/glass, $30/bottle) that went very well with the rich food.
http://troyasf.com
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Mmm, thanks for the post. With the blooming of Turkish offerings locally, I've been hoping that someone would move beyond being a kebap and snack place, as Anatolian cuisine has much more to offer. Sounds like Troya has taken that step. Does the online menu look up to date to you?
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>Does the online menu look up to date to you?
Yes, as much as I can remember but I didn't study it carefully. I asked the waitress if they had a menu I could take with me. She said the menu was new so they hadn't yet printed them yet and she gave me the website address instead. I expect it is up to date.
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