If there's a single dish that would draw me back right now, it's that pide (pronounced PEA-day), or Turkish pizza. What distinguishes the pie from the crowd out there is its shape: Two sides of the dough are folded inward to create a crust that resembles a boat.

There are several toppings to mull over; a combination of spinach, feta cheese and olives is among the crowd-pleasers. Created by Hamza Celik, a veteran of Cafe Divan in Georgetown, the food at Cafe 8 includes leaden cheese-stuffed phyllo rolls (cigar borek), overly smoky eggplant dip and very satisfying grilled lamb and veal, shaved over toasted pita and tangy with yogurt sauce: what the menu refers to as "Iskender kebab" and what the kitchen lights up with a wrinkled green pepper.

By Tom Sietsema / Washington Post  READ MORE