In scouring reviews to find the best Turkish restaurant in Seattle, Ephesus kept appearing, so we made the trip over to West Seattle. The restaurant is a fairly open arrangement in a former house. There?s an attractive waiting area with a fireplace, a scattering of attractive Turkish carpets and decorations, large comfortable chairs and a number of booths with a few tables having a peek-a-boo view of the sound. The wait staff was very friendly and attentive. I wouldn't think of the atmosphere as as intimate style that I would associate with being romantic, but it is very attractive and comfortable. Most of the reviews mentioned the hummus and for good reason. It?s something you must have when going there. For main courses we had the shrimp kabob, chicken kabob and lamb platter. All were very good. We were even commenting on the rice---perfectly fluffy with a wonderful mix of spices. We selected a bottle of their private label Merlot which we were told came from Columbia Winery. It was smooth and provided a wonderful accompaniment to our meals. Be sure to save room for the baklava. The baklava at Ephesus is not as sweet as what I?ve had elsewhere which worked for me. Although we found that Turkish coffee wasn?t to our particular likings, the presentation in the demitasse cups was very classy. We lingered for some time enjoying the comfort of the chairs and our conversation. The wait staff remained attentive ensuring we had fresh water and being available should we want anything else. It was a pleasurable evening out and one we plan to repeat.
Pros: food and service, particularly the hummus
Cons: I wish they had a combination plate, but that's the only con
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