I wholeheartedly wish I could give this place 10 stars! I discovered Piraye Kitchen because my…read morefiancée sent me a Facebook video of their massive meat pie. The second I saw it, I didn't care about the price -- I knew I wanted it, so I planned us a date night.
When we arrived, there was a birthday party going on, and I asked the maître d' if they were limiting seating because of the event. He didn't quite understand me, so my fiancée just asked for a table for two, and we were seated quickly. The setup was nice, although I'm personally not a fan of pre-set plates and glasses on tables (you never know how long they've been sitting there). Still, our server was fantastic -- attentive, helpful, and made the night smooth.
We came for the famous Piraye Kebab Tray. At first, we were looking at the $165 option (Chef Tray + 1 Meze Board + Shepherd Salad + 4 Orders of Piraye Kebab with rice, all baked inside the dough). When we mentioned the price, our server kindly told us about the smaller 2-order option for $85 -- perfect!
And let me tell you, Lord above, when I say I would do some things to eat this food again... words cannot describe how incredible it was. It has been three days since, and I'm still thinking about it. I even posted it on my stories, and over 10 people have messaged me asking about it.
Chef Tray: Overflowing with juicy, flavorful meat, perfectly seasoned rice with chickpeas (I swear it was made with veal stock), and that roasted pepper and cheese-stuffed dough on top -- divine.
Meze Board: The hummus was creamy and rich, paired perfectly with fresh pita.
Shepherd Salad: Fresh, crisp, and balanced.
My only small regret was that our server misunderstood when we asked for the dough crust to-go -- I realized the next day it wasn't packed up. Honestly though, I couldn't even be upset, because the food was just that good.
For drinks and dessert:
Turkish Coffee - small but strong, beautifully presented with a piece of Turkish delight on the side that was everything I had ever imagined a Turkish sweet to be: chewy, fragrant, and delicately sweet.
Künefe - a dream come true! A warm, crunchy pastry with gooey melted cheese inside, topped with sweet syrup and pistachios. It was rich, nutty, and sweet without being overwhelming -- the perfect ending.
Turkish Martini - decent, but not nearly as memorable as the food.
All together, including tip, it was about $140. For the amount and quality of food, the attentive service, and the one-of-a-kind experience, it was absolutely worth every single cent.
Piraye Kitchen isn't just dinner -- it's an experience. This is a must-try-before-you-die type of place. Oh, and happy birthday, Amy!