Matching wine to cuisines it isn’t traditionally drunk with–Caribbean, Latin American, Asian–is the focus of this periodic feature, in which we pick a BYO restaurant, sample a few dishes, and recommend some wines.
773-878-8930
(white bean salad with tomatoes, peppers, and onions) 1, 2
Mucver
$5.50
$10.75
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At this family-run Turkish restaurant, you can watch as cooks carve lamb from a spit, grill marinated quails, and skewer tender chunks of lamb in an exposed kitchen. Highlights from the menu include pirzola (grilled lamb chops), cop-sis (a kebab of marinated lamb or chicken), and turlu (a casserole of eggplant, potatoes, green beans, and carrots cooked in a spicy broth). Homemade flatbread arrives at the table warm, perfect for scooping up smoky baba ghanoush, hummus, and tarama (fish roe spread). Several of the dishes are quite salty, calling for a squeeze of citrus or, better, a moderately acidic white. Heartier meat dishes demand a fruity and balanced red wine. Consulting on this visit was Brian Duncan, wine director and partner at Bin 36.
