Where to find some of Austin's best Turkish food

We're developing a grandiose, unified field theory of restaurants, which holds that appetizers generally beat out mains.

• After all, the chef has less leeway to screw up a dish — because there are no sides, there’s no place to hide.
• So shouldn't we aim for restaurants that effectively specialize in appetizers?

That led us recently to MezzeMe, a Turkish spot in The Triangle, the apartment and restaurant complex near 45th and Guadalupe streets.

• In parts of West Asia and the Balkans, mezze refers to a selection of small dishes served as appetizers.

Backstory: MezzeMe founder Mahmud "Moody" Ugur’s fascination with cooking began in his grandmother’s kitchen in Turkey.

• "We make most of our items with only four or five ingredients and don't overpower them with spices," Ugur recently told the Austin Chronicle.

The setting: The restaurant, with its open kitchen, is roomy and welcoming — and there’s plenty of outdoor seating on the patio, in what might be the most European-feeling nook in Austin.

• Two doors down from MezzeMe is Mandola's Italian Kitchen.
• In between is the European Wax Center.
• Amid all this is an antique-looking fountain for throwing pennies in.

We ordered the delicious Turkish red lentil soup; gorgeous red pepper hummus; velvety shakshuka of open fire-roasted zucchini, bell peppers and potatoes — all poached in a tomato sauce; the lovely shrimp skewers and some in-house köfte, or beef patties.

The verdict: Let's just say the theory holds up — all the food was fab.