Cafe Gulistan--Harbert, MI
Cafe Gulistan
Turkish Cuisine
13581 Red Arrow Hwy.
Harbert, MI 49115
Hours change seasonally
(269) 469-6779
www.cafegulistan.com
Inevitably on our treks to and from Chicago, our stomachs start to grumble within an hour of leaving home and occasionally we venture off the highway to try our luck at finding decent vegetarian fare. Occasionally we get lucky. One particularly pleasant detour is the Red Arrow Highway (US 12) which parallels I-94 south of Benton Harbor to the Michigan/Indiana border. This scenic drive through Harbor Country is lined with antique stores, galleries and lots of new restaurants, many catering to the Chicago folks who immigrate either for the weekend or permanently to our side of the lake. Just south of the I-94 Sawyer exit, tucked among many pseudo trendy places which lean heavily on meat and fried stuff, is an unassuming block building which you could easily miss. Here, in the tiny town of Harbert, Cafe Gulistan has been serving up Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food for the past 10 years.
On a recent visit, my companion was delighted to find that the soup of the day was vegetarian Cream of Mushroom (cup $2.95, bowl $3.95). A little sweet and a little spicy with a light cream base, it was definitely not the bland, gummy Gordon Food concoction on many menus. My beloved and I split the the Appetizer Combo Platter ($12.95), an all vegetarian mix of hummus, babaghanoush, tabouleh, Gulistan salad and a falafil patty topped with garlic-dill yogurt sauce. We thought that this was a little expensive until the plate arrived. It was quite large and yummy. If you’ve never been crazy about those rock hard, flavorless grease balls most restaurants label “falafil” ( more commonly “falafel”), you must try these. The same is true of the babaghanoush, which is hard to find in West Michigan, at least in an edible version. If you hate eggplant or have tried this dip elsewhere and not liked it, Cafe Gulistan’s wonderfully smoky version will surprise you, in a good way. Along with all the salads and dips, it was fresh, flavorful and perfectly seasoned.
There are five all-vegetarian dinner-sized salads and six vegetarian entree choices (almost half the total entrees!) We chose the Ispanak ($14.95), two crispy chickpea patties topped with sauteed fresh spinach, mushrooms, onions, peppers topped with a garlic-mango-cream sauce and served with Basmati rice. It seemed somewhat pricey since it’s basically a variation of the aforementioned falafil but the toppings made it an entirely different and very tasty dish—well worth the money and we had leftovers for a big lunch. (It would have been just as good as a vegan dish without the cream sauce.)
We also had the Sultan's Tava ($11.95), a vegan blend of fresh spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, carrots, and garbanzos all sauteed in a curry garlic sauce. Served with Basmati rice and a side of
sumak salad (made with shredded red cabbage), the quantity was generous and the use of spices, again, was just right. (Note that these spices add flavor, not heat, and nothing we ate would be too “spicy hot” for even the most tentative palate.)
Now I could have eaten all of my meal and been miserable. But I ate only half and tried the Double Chocolate Cheesecake ($3.75) with a triple shot espresso to wash it down and then was miserable. With a huge smile.
On our next trip we look forward to trying the shiitake mushrooms sauteed in red wine and soy sauce with walnut-tomato chutney and the grilled eggplant and zucchini topped with sauteed veggies. There’s a large selection of juices, coffee, tea, wine and beer. A small outdoor courtyard is nice for eating when the weather’s nice or for letting the young ‘uns run off extra energy while waiting for the adults to finish their meals. We saw several people pickup carryout and the restaurant also caters.
Unfortunately, the owner of this restaurant has been embroiled in a nightmare on the order of the movie “Brazil.” You can read more about this ridiculous boondoggle at the restaurant’s website.
Turkish Cuisine
13581 Red Arrow Hwy.
Harbert, MI 49115
Hours change seasonally
(269) 469-6779
www.cafegulistan.com
Inevitably on our treks to and from Chicago, our stomachs start to grumble within an hour of leaving home and occasionally we venture off the highway to try our luck at finding decent vegetarian fare. Occasionally we get lucky. One particularly pleasant detour is the Red Arrow Highway (US 12) which parallels I-94 south of Benton Harbor to the Michigan/Indiana border. This scenic drive through Harbor Country is lined with antique stores, galleries and lots of new restaurants, many catering to the Chicago folks who immigrate either for the weekend or permanently to our side of the lake. Just south of the I-94 Sawyer exit, tucked among many pseudo trendy places which lean heavily on meat and fried stuff, is an unassuming block building which you could easily miss. Here, in the tiny town of Harbert, Cafe Gulistan has been serving up Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food for the past 10 years.
On a recent visit, my companion was delighted to find that the soup of the day was vegetarian Cream of Mushroom (cup $2.95, bowl $3.95). A little sweet and a little spicy with a light cream base, it was definitely not the bland, gummy Gordon Food concoction on many menus. My beloved and I split the the Appetizer Combo Platter ($12.95), an all vegetarian mix of hummus, babaghanoush, tabouleh, Gulistan salad and a falafil patty topped with garlic-dill yogurt sauce. We thought that this was a little expensive until the plate arrived. It was quite large and yummy. If you’ve never been crazy about those rock hard, flavorless grease balls most restaurants label “falafil” ( more commonly “falafel”), you must try these. The same is true of the babaghanoush, which is hard to find in West Michigan, at least in an edible version. If you hate eggplant or have tried this dip elsewhere and not liked it, Cafe Gulistan’s wonderfully smoky version will surprise you, in a good way. Along with all the salads and dips, it was fresh, flavorful and perfectly seasoned.
There are five all-vegetarian dinner-sized salads and six vegetarian entree choices (almost half the total entrees!) We chose the Ispanak ($14.95), two crispy chickpea patties topped with sauteed fresh spinach, mushrooms, onions, peppers topped with a garlic-mango-cream sauce and served with Basmati rice. It seemed somewhat pricey since it’s basically a variation of the aforementioned falafil but the toppings made it an entirely different and very tasty dish—well worth the money and we had leftovers for a big lunch. (It would have been just as good as a vegan dish without the cream sauce.)
We also had the Sultan's Tava ($11.95), a vegan blend of fresh spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, carrots, and garbanzos all sauteed in a curry garlic sauce. Served with Basmati rice and a side of
sumak salad (made with shredded red cabbage), the quantity was generous and the use of spices, again, was just right. (Note that these spices add flavor, not heat, and nothing we ate would be too “spicy hot” for even the most tentative palate.)
Now I could have eaten all of my meal and been miserable. But I ate only half and tried the Double Chocolate Cheesecake ($3.75) with a triple shot espresso to wash it down and then was miserable. With a huge smile.
On our next trip we look forward to trying the shiitake mushrooms sauteed in red wine and soy sauce with walnut-tomato chutney and the grilled eggplant and zucchini topped with sauteed veggies. There’s a large selection of juices, coffee, tea, wine and beer. A small outdoor courtyard is nice for eating when the weather’s nice or for letting the young ‘uns run off extra energy while waiting for the adults to finish their meals. We saw several people pickup carryout and the restaurant also caters.
Unfortunately, the owner of this restaurant has been embroiled in a nightmare on the order of the movie “Brazil.” You can read more about this ridiculous boondoggle at the restaurant’s website.
posted by Elizabeth at 6:19 PM
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