Wild Fig opens in Roslyn
At the new Wild Fig in Roslyn, Turkish food is given the point-and-be-served Chipotle treatment. (Jan. 13, 2013) Credit: Newsday / Erica Marcus
Ali Ugan owns and operates three Wild Fig Turkish-Mediterranean restaurants on Long Island (Glen Cove, Garden City and Syosset) but the fourth one, which opened Monday in Roslyn, has a completely different format: You make your way down a dish-assembly line, first telling the servers behind the counter whether you’d like a “base” of flat bread (white or wheat), grain (jasmine rice or bulgur) or salad, then instructing them to heap on your own preferred combination of meat, toppings and sauces.
Or, to put it another way: it’s Chipotle meets kebabs.
It’s the meat you chose that determines the price of your plate. Chicken kebab, meatballs (beef or chicken) or falafel are $8.49; steak kebab is $9.49. Among the toppings are hummus, chickpea salad, lentil salad, babaganoush, spicy feta, pickled red cabbage and red onion with sumac.
In addition to the assemble-your-own menu, Wild Fig also serves pides, filled flatbreads ($6.49 and baked, like all the breads here, right on the premises in a custom-made hearth oven); soups ($3.99 for 12 ounces) plus a few favorite combos from the other three locations: falafel-hummus sandwich ($8.49), Greek salad with chicken kebab ($8.49) and chicken, steak, meatball trio with rice and salads ($11.49). There’s also beer and wine and catering.
The place looks marvelous, reclaimed-wood tables and walls accented with tiles imported from Turkey and Spain.
Ugan said that he has no plans to transform the existing Wild Figs into the new setup.
Wild Fig is at 1085 Northern Blvd., Roslyn, 516-918-9700.
