Chef Meny Vaknin works about one hundred hours a week. You'll see him, almost any time, in the open kitchen at Mishmish. He jockeys pots and pans on burners behind him, and delicately plates, drizzling olive oil and sprinkling salt. A skull cap, set back on his head, reveals a dark hair line and accentuates eyes that are aware, it seems, of everything. He makes eye contact with servers, smiles to his new regulars, but, still, remains calmly focused and in the zone.
Read MoreRestaurant Review: Sofra - Just Peachy!
Seems like there are as many Turkish and Mediterranean restaurants in Montclair as there are Italian ones. I’m exaggerating, but there appears to be a lot of menus offering baba gannouj these days. There’s Lalezar, Four Seasons Kebab House, Mediterranea, Falafel Hut, Flatbread Grill, and Sofra.
I’m a big fan of tahini, lamb, feta and I happen to be addicted to Turkish Bread (Pide). So I thought I should try all of these Turkish and/or Mediterranean places, in an effort to find the best.