Good Food in Midtown? Amazing Akdeniz

On Wednesday, I found myself at the library by Bryant Park around dinnertime. I was hungry and about to meet a friend. We did not want to travel too far to find food because, as is not uncommon this summer, it was raining. Browsing menupages I found Akdeniz (http://www.akdenizturkishusa.com/). I was not expecting too much, but it was the right price in the right location, so off we went.
The food was great and so was the service. Our waiter was extremely attentive, as were all the other waiters at the restaurant. Water glasses were always being refilled. It is my opinion that waiters who know the right time to refill a water glass are one important sign of a great restaurant. I will go as far as to say that restaurants that do not have waiters that know the exact right time to refill a water glass (when the glass is almost empty but before all of the water is gone) might be good but cannot be classified as great.
On to the food…we ordered Mediterranean Salad, Stuffed Vine Leaves and Cheese Pastries. The vegetables in the salad were crisp and perfectly dressed. In my opinion, the stuffed vine leaves were the star of the evening. They were stuffed with rice that is made sweet by currents. The leaves were chewy, the rice soft and sweet and melted in my mouth and the pine nuts added a little surprise crunch when least expected. I like stuffed leaves when they are tangy, as I have usually found them, but I loved stuffed leaves in this sweeter form. The cheese pastries were cooked to a golden brown perfection, a wonderful hot dish for a rainy night.
For dessert, we were convinced with a simple look from our waiter that it was imperative we did not leave without trying the Baklava. It was served slightly warm making the honey extra runny. The filo dough was flaky and delicious. I was definitely full enough that I could have left without dessert, but I am very happy that I didn’t. From all the other reviews I have read about the place, the food and service is consistently solid. I would recommend checking it out.