Akdeniz

This tiny Turkish restaurant near Times Square is a favorite of young German tourists, who pack the dining room in groups. The simple Mediterranean menu emphasizes meze, eggplant and grilled seafood. Order Akdeniz’s appetizer sampler—heaped with rich dips like hummus, tahini and tarama, and paired with a bottle of better-than-you-think Turkish wine—and you have a tasty, thrifty dinner for two. Fish and shellfish entrées like snapper, trout, salmon and shrimp are grilled with fresh herbs and arrive moist and flaky, while lamb chops and ground meat kebabs are juicy (though underseasoned). The cinnamon-spiked baked rice pudding is truly a Turkish delight.