Taste Of The Town: Tur Kitchen Tantalizes Tastebuds With Its Mediterranean Cuisine

CORAL GABLES (CBSMiami) -- Tur Kitchen, located on Giralda Avenue in Coral Gables is a contemporary, elegant, and ingredient-forward concept that celebrates the food, drink, and culture of the Mediterranean region.

Christian Chirino is the Executive Chef.

"We try to create a journey in the Mediterranean, so we have not only traditional recipes but traditional ingredients coming from all the south of Europe, Spain, Italy, Greece, Middle East also North Africa," said Chirino.

Tur is named after a wild goat found mostly in the mountains of Turkey.

The family-owned restaurant, designed by the matriarch of the family, features a wall of books and peppers, herbs and trinkets all geared towards the food. There's even a video wall taking guests to these far away regions.

"So that video screen is an important part of setting the stage, right?" asked CBS4's Lisa Petrillo.

"Yes. We're trying to show the Mediterranean views, so we have scenes from Greece, from Morocco and Casablanca," he explained.

An open chef's kitchen also gives diners a bird's eye view of the sophisticated culinary feast ahead.

"You can try dishes with preserved lemons from Morocco and something from Spain and Calabria and chili from Italy, so it's that kind of mixture. It's traditional but we create original recipes," he explained.

Back in the kitchen, chef Christian prepares their tasting dishes.

It starts out with complimentary freshly made soft Turkish flat bread, served hot with soft butter and creme fresh topped with chives and Aleppo Pepper.

"The problem is when you give me the bread, I'm going eat all the bread, so we're going to move on," said Petrillo.

Up next was a beautiful dish that literally looks like a piece of art on a plate. It's roasted squid with chorizo, dates, grapefruit, sumac, lemon peel, micro cilantro, and edible flowers.

"So, it's a little bit spicy. It has a sweetness with the dates and a citrus with the lemon and the flowers and a freshness from the cilantro," said chef.

"What he said," joked Petrillo. "It's elegant, delicious and save it, were coming back for more."

They taste the perfectly seasoned Sea bream fish served on chickpea puree and break for a palette cleansing Spritz cocktail with elder flower liquor, before moving onto the lamb leg.

It's cooked for 20 hours. It's so tender, it cuts with a spoon while it falls off the bone.

"I was worried it would feel heavy. It's hot outside, but it's not heavy, it's tender and special," said Petrillo.

Last, an unforgettable elegant dessert called Kunafa. It's phyllo dough with cheeses on the inside, with a special spray of rosewater to finish it off.

"You know you're in a fancy place when the dessert is being squirted down with rosewater. So delicious," said Petrillo.

Tur Kitchen is open Monday through Friday for lunch and dinner and Saturday and Sunday for brunch and dinner.  For more information, go to www.turkitchen.com

The restaurant is also participating in Miami Spice for lunch Monday through Friday.

Want to try the Roasted Squid at home? Here's the recipe:

Ingredients: 

• 100gm Calamari Tentacles 
• 20gm Chorizo Diced 
• 3 slices Jalapeño 
• 3 slices Red Chili 
• One Medjool Date Diced 
• 20gm Micro Cilantro 
• 20gm Grapefruit Supremes 
• Zest of One Lemon 
• Edible Flowers 
• Sumac for seasoning 

Preparation: 

• Dice chorizo and dates
• Cut chili and jalapeño into thin rings
• Cut calamari into rings
• Pre-heat pan to medium
• Add olive oil and sauté the calamari rings
• Add chorizo at the end and brown. Plate the dish once cooked
• Add to the plate: chilis, sprinkle sumac, lemon zest, grapefruit pieces, Medjool dates.
• Garnish with micro cilantro and edible flowers