Zeytin Mediterranean Grill is a new Mediterranean/Turkish restaurant that opened this week in Las Colinas. Zeytin, which means "olive" in Turkish, is doing a cafeteria-style buffet on weekdays at lunch; and full-service, full-menu table service on nights and weekends. Owner Kemal Cenkci previously owned and operated Mediterranean and Turkish restaurants in San Antonio and Northern Virginia. "Our dishes are authentic and made from scratch," he said. "We have the gyro, which is well known and loved across the country, and authentic Turkish Doner Kebab, one of the few in the Dallas-Fort Worth area."

This small restaurant with Turkish ornaments on the optimistic orange walls was an American dream for its owner, Mustafa Duru, 30, who came to New York 12 years ago.

"I started with dishwashing and, now, I am the restaurant owner," said Duru, who is proud of his well-managed place. "It needs a lot of work, but it's worth it."

Duru didn't know how to cook when he came to America, but he learned after working for other Turkish chefs. Today, his restaurant is a favorite not only among Americans, but among local Turks as well, which proves the authenticity of its cuisine.

"I didn't expect to have Turkish clients," he said. "They are coming back, so I guess they like my kitchen."

The most popular item on the menu is vegetarian falafel, $5, which is made of chick peas, onions, parsley and garlic. The restaurant also serves chicken and lamb gyro, $8. These are layers of marinated meat wrapped around a large vertical spit and grilled in front of a charcoal fire.

All entrées are served with rice, lettuce, onion, grilled tomatoes and pita bread. It could also be topped with a local favorite - homemade garlic sauce.

During the past decade, Paterson's "Little Arabia" neighborhood has continued to expand, and on any given day, you can follow the scents of Middle Eastern delicacies -- briny feta, peppery lamb kebabs, pastries infused with orange blossom water -- as you walk along upper Main Street. There are so many street vendors, restaurants, markets and bakeries within about a dozen square blocks, it's like eating your way through outdoor street markets in Syria, Lebanon, Egypt or Turkey.

In October, local businessman Turgay Ugur Ayduk opened Istanbul Food Bazaar a few blocks away from the crowds in nearby Clifton, and my friend Jan discovered it while driving by. We went back for a visit, and this has become my go-to store for all things Turkish. As is common in ethnic markets, the prices are low, quality is high and made-from-scratch with no additives is a given.

Pazartesi, 24 Mayıs 2010 - New York – Ali Cinar - New York Belediye Başkanı Michael Bloomberg, 29'uncu Türk Günü'nü kutladı. Başkan Bloomberg göreve başlamasının 9'uncu yılında ilk kez Türk Günü etkinliklikleri kapsamında kahvaltı toplantısına katılarak bir ilke imza attı. Manhattan'daki Şip Şak Restaurant'ta Türk Amerikan Dernekleri Federasyonu (TADF) Başkanı Kaya Boztepe tarafından düzenlenen kahvaltıya katılan Bloomberg, Türk Günü nedeniyle Türk toplumuyla bir araya gelmekten duyduğu mennuniyeti dile getirdi. Kahvaltıya, Washington Büyükelçisi Namık Tan, New York Başkonsolosu Mehmet Samsar ile Türk toplumunun önde gelen isimleri katıldı. Bloomberg, New York şehrinde yaşayan Türkler arasında birçok arkadaşı olduğunu söyledi. Bloomberg, aralarında Rahmi Koç ve rahmetli Ahmet Ertegün gibi bir çok arkadaşı olduğunu belirterek daha önce Ertegün ile birlikte gittiği Türkiye'ye hayran kaldığını anlattı.