A good friend introduced me to Jass Kitchen in Buena Vista, the newest of a growing group of Turkish restaurants in Miami. I was invited there for a birthday dinner. Just a week later I was back, which says it all. Jass Kitchen is an increasingly rare breed in a town where large restaurant groups have moved in —an owner and chef operated restaurant. Jasmine Karadas created a place where you feel you’re in her living room, enjoying traditional Turkish food from recipes she has created and she learned from her mother. The dishes combine the influences of the Aegean Sea and the area of Turkey closest to the Middle East. Not surprisingly, Jass Kitchen is authentic, reasonably priced, comfortable, friendly, and the food is delicious.
The 100 seat indoor dining room is all about natural materials in a traditional décor – brick walls, wood paneling, Turkish rug, walls filled with art by Miami emerging artists, and Murano style glass chandeliers that give off a soft light. To one corner of the room is a bar and the other, a piano, where a jazz group performs Thursday through Saturday. There’s also an outdoor area for 20.
Owner/chef Karadas’ pedigree includes Zak the Baker and Swan. Before opening the restaurant she owned a catering company and still does catering through her restaurant. In speaking with her, you can see her passion for what she does, a passion that shows up in her food.
The Turkish food menu is divided into cold mezze, warm mezze, salads, sides, from the land, from the sea, and desserts. There are also daily specials especially designed for all of her repeat customers which number many.
Definitely start with a trio of cold mezze, a menu highlight. A choice of three appetizers from among eight is $19. We loved the beetroot pink dip which is more like a salad than a dip, with steamed beet, yogurt, walnut, garlic, dry mint, pomegranate molasses and olive oil. Team that up with the refreshing and light charred eggplant salad with grilled red pepper and muhammara that’s roasted red peppers, walnut, pomegranate molasses, garlic, Turkish spices, bread crumbs and olive oil. You can taste the freshness of the vegetables and the lightness of the chef’s touch so that all the flavors shine through.
You can make a meal of that with the hummus with seasoned ground beef that tasted like a kebab. Mr. W, who knows his hummus, said it was far better than any other he has had in the US. ($16). Or team the mezze up with one of the salads like the tabbouleh or watermelon feta ($15) Next time we’re going to opt for the sucuk tava, beef chorizo seasoned with a mild sauce ($12).
A signature dish and another favorite is the clay lamb, slowly cooked lamb and vegetables in a fresh tomato, garlic and onion sauce cooked in a clay pot. The entire dish is then covered with homemade brioche dough and served with jasmine rice ($32). If you’re a fish lover, do not miss the oven baked branzino which is one of the better preparations I’ve had, plus the fish was super fresh. A branzino filet is clay baked and served over baked vegetables with the fresh tomato garlic and onion sauce ($35).
Find a unique selection of desserts, all house baked, even the baklava. Mr. W gave high marks to his favorite dessert, the baklava, dubbing it very flaky, fresh, and super tasty without being overly sweet (we found out a top baklava should be made with sugar as opposed to corn syrup which is more commonly used). Desserts include two kinds of baklava rolls with vanilla ice cream, San Sebastian cheesecake, and Anatolian pavlova. There’s also a dessert platter with a selection of goodies.
The restaurant doesn’t have a liquor license yet but does have a selection of wine and beer. A glass of wine (6 ounce pour) starts at $11 and a bottle at $40.
Dinner is served daily except Monday from 5 pm. On Sunday morning from 10 to Noon there’s Turkish breakfast a la carte.
Service is very friendly. Note that parking in the Buena Vista area is almost exclusively residential. What we did that worked well is we parked in the Museum Garage in the Design District, about 5 blocks away. It was a lovely night and it was good to “walk off” the dinner.
Jass Kitchen, a great choice for a Turkish restaurant in Miami, 190 N.E.46th Street, Miami.
4 Responses
Wonderful find, can’t wait to try!
My mouth is watering just reading your description!
Great write-up Karen! And beautiful photos ~ I especially love the one of you, Birthday Girl! I wholeheartedly agree with your description of the dishes. They were so delicious! Each bite was better than the last.
Yes, I’m really grateful to my good friend who suggested we go there!