The Charlottesville 29

Series: Great Dishes of 2016

Although co-owner and chef Serhat Peker is responsible for much of the food on Sultan Kebab’s menu, there are three items for which they call on the services of Nergiza Geydarova, a talented Turkish woman who is a friend of the owners. One is the outstanding Turkish pita bread, which she bakes herself. Another is baklava. And, the third is manti – Turkish dumplings made from scratch and filled with ground beef, onion, black pepper, and cumin. They are boiled and then smothered in a sauce of house-made yogurt, drizzled with a mixture of melted butter and maraş pepper, and dusted with dried herbs. While they are delicious any time of year, the winter’s chill seems to make them even more comforting.

Because manti take twenty minutes to prepare, they are not on Sultan Kebab’s printed menu. But, they are almost always available by request, and worth the wait.