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Very Best Restaurants: Nizam's

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Nizam's **
Vienna , $

Middle Eastern exoticaaromatic grape leaves and flaky phyllo savoriesis no longer that exotic. But no place does these classic mezes, or appetizers, better than this Turkish bistro decorated with ornamental plates from Kapali Charshi, Istanbul's grand bazaar.

Start with the rice- and currant-stuffed grape leaves, made with gossamer leaves instead of those all-too-common stringy wrappers. Beside familiar meat-filled triangles of phyllo dough, there are sigara borek, a cigar-shaped fried savory with feta and dill; imam bayildi, tender braised eggplant with olive oil, tomato, and peppers; and pastirma, spicy sun-dried slices of beef. Doner kebab, available on weekends and Tuesdays, is the most popular main course, but this side of spiced lamb roasted on a vertical rotisserie and shaved into thin slices goes fast. Good alternatives are yogurtlu kebab, marinated beef chunksyou can substitute lambwith fresh tomato sauce, yogurt, and a sprinkle of sumac; and manti, ground lamb in dough "boats" blanketed with more of that tomato sauce and yogurt.

If you're dining with at least five others, call a day in advance and Nizam's will whip up an ekmek khadaif, honey-soaked bread with khaimak, a dense Devonshire-like cream on top. Otherwise, the brittle baklava will do fine for dessert.

Nizam's , 523 Maple Ave. West, Vienna ; 703-938-8948. Open Monday through Friday for lunch, daily for dinner. MapIt!

QUALITY: ****Excellent; *** Superior; **Very Good; * Good
PRICE RANGE: $$$= Very Expensive; $$ Expensive; $=Moderate; ¢=Inexpensive

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