New Dayton restaurant features Turkish delights

Rasul's Turkish Delights

940 Troy St., Dayton

Call (937) 222-7729

Open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Sunday

Rasul Salamov has a passion for the food he now serves.

"I like Turkish food," Salamov said. "I want everyone to try it."

With his wife Zukhra Salamova and daughter Elvira Abdullayeva, Salamov opened  Rasul's Turkish Delights last August at 940 Troy Street in Dayton, the former site of Friendly Grill.

Adullayeva said the restaurant is her father's dream.

"He's a good cook," she said. "He always wanted a restaurant."

First for Dayton 

Adullayeva said the dine-in or carryout restaurant, mom and pop is the first Turkish restaurant within the city of Dayton's borders. She said her family's special touch set the food apart.

Originally from Turkey, the family moved to the United States in 2006. Eventually, they settled in a home in Dayton near what is now their restaurant.

The Ahiska Turks are an ethnic minority mainly from a region of Russia known as Krasnodar. They began coming to the United States in 2005 when the U.S. government granted the population refugee status.

Many have settled in Old North Dayton, where Rasul's Turkish Delights is located.

Adullayeva said most of her family's customers have so far come from the neighborhood.

The menu includes an assortment of Americanized food ( pizza, meat lasagna, hamburgers, etc.) as well lamb, ground beef, beef and chicken shish kebabs and homemade breads.

Order the bread 

In-house prepared hachapur stuffed with cheese. Photo by Amelia Robinson

I tried the in-house prepared hachapur, a flatbread, at the family's urging.

The soft, crusty bread was stuffed with a white cheese and cilantro and could be a meal on its own. The taste reminded me of grilled cheese.

There is also a version that comes stuffed with beef for $4.99 and a plain bread for $2.   

 The samsa turnovers covered in sesame seeds were a treat for the eyes and the belly.

The crescent-roll like pastry came stuffed with a savory mix of onion and beef for $2 each.

At Adullayeva's suggestion, I tried the gyro combination plate similar to Turkish döner kebabs.

It came with a healthy portion of beef gyro meat, tangy tzatziki, rice, a little salad and pita bread for $7.50.

I'm looking forward to trying the kebabs next time.