NVM Review

By Warren Rojas

Food: 7.6 Ambiance: 7.4 Service: 7.5

I don’t typically subscribe to the sappy logic regarding good things and small packages.

But I can attest to the fact that the grandiose flavors pouring forth from Nizam’s postage stamp-sized kitchen irrefutably prove that substance is no slave to square footage.

A few things everyone should know before they step foot in the Vienna nook: 1) owner Nizam Ozgur will be there to greet you no matter what the hour (I swear that man lives in the main dining room), and 2) the fresh-roasted Turkish coffee (a gritty-foamy wonder) will ruin commercial java for you for at least a week.

Creamed lentils cut with red pepper oil radiate through my system like liquid heat (reaction is immediate, the pleasure long-lasting).

Rivers of béchamel wash over seasoned ground beef, minced peppers and oil-spewing lengths of eggplant, all double-baked (once in a conventional oven, and then flash-baked a second time in a toaster oven to an eye-catching bronze) beneath a canopy of bubbling mozzarella.

A partnership of blistered hot peppers and shaved beef scorch the taste buds (impact is softened by splatters of yogurt) but satisfy the belly.

By Warren Rojas

Food: 7.6 Ambiance: 7.4 Service: 7.2

After over three decades in the hospitality game, you might imagine restaurateur Nizam Ozgur might be ready to slow down a bit.

Think again.

The always presentable Ozgur greets every guest as they cross the threshold into his eponymous Vienna restaurant. And most long-time patrons refuse to leave without at least shaking Ozgur’s hand, if not affectionately embracing the well-known host.

The venerable Turk has fostered a loyal following by keeping things intimate (main dining room accommodates maybe a dozen tables), while serving up unabashedly Mediterranean cuisine.

Paprika-sprinkled cheese is melted for easy scooping with toasted pitas. Rotisserie beef is sauteed with pitas and yogurt sauce, then topped with a blistered hot pepper. Seafood casserole layers red snapper, spinach, onions and cream beneath a canopy of au gratin (delicious).