Beyoglu, 81st and Third, UES

This may be my new fave place to eat in Manhattan, especially during off hours or when weather permits outdoor dining. I've been there three times in less than a year and the food has been great each time. The decor is nice, but the volume is unbearable inside when it's crowded. It's impossible to talk, and that's one of the main reasons I go to restaurants.

We ate outside on a nice spring day, which made conversation manageable, though we occasionally had to pause for street noise. We shared the vegetarian plate and a shepherd's salad. The veg plate consists of six or eight appetizers: hummus, baba ganoush, couscous, a spicy pepper and eggplant dish, spinach, thick and creamy yogurt, stuffed grape leaves, I think I'm forgetting something. The dish is garnished with olives, tomatoes and lemon wedges, and is served with a small loaf of round, chewy bread. It's divine. Such a nice balance of flavors and textures. It seemed like a vast amount of food, I'm sure we each had three or more helpings.

The shepherd's salad contained diced tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, and red onions, with a mild oil and vinegar dressing with a bit of dill and mint. Again, a nice balance of flavors. Strong-flavored ingredients like dill and red onion can be overpowering if not added with a light hand, as they were in this case. Everything was crunchy and super fresh, it tasted made to order.

For dessert we had pistachio baklava, the top layers were flaky and crisp, the bottom layers honey soaked. Lots of nuts, too. Very rich and decadent. The decaf cappuccino was delicious.

The rest room is nice and clean, with good lighting. There's a table for your purse, bag, whatever. The room could use a coat hook.

Though Beyoglu was fairly busy, we didn't feel any time pressure. Service was good, not intrusive. We sat and noshed and chatted for ... almost four hours. That may be a new record. The food and the weather were conducive to relaxing, taking our time, nibbling, catching up, and no one on the wait staff did anything to discourage us, even after the bill was paid.