Morso – Georgetown, Washington DC

I just came back from dinner at Morso and it was a massive disappointment. Perhaps this is a gut reaction and my feelings will temper as time passes but surely in the case of food initial impressions are just as important as future remembrances. I practically dragged a visiting friend from New York to this joint in Georgetown so I could try the newest Turkish addition to the DC dining scene. Sorry buddy. Maybe it was your loud shirt “from Neiman Marcus” but it probably wasn’t your fault.

I’ll begin with some positives. Morso is in a terrific location. It has a very cool interior – it’s small but the interior design and layout take maximum advantage of the space. The music was a good background sountrack that accentuated conversation without dominating it. But I’ve seen a lot of places with similar quality of design and atmosphere (Turkish restaurant example: Turcusine in Herndon) and really it’s the food that counts. In that respect, the bread was excellent despite the fact that the oven was metal instead of clay or brick. They have Kara Efe (although the raki service is lacking). And the yogurt selections that came with the bread were terrific.

Time to bitch. The menu itself is not too extensive and four of the items we selected were not available. The server told us one item had not been available for over two weeks. That’s bullshit. This place has only been open for two months but come on you need to have these things figured out before opening. It’s just wrong to receive your third, fourth and fifth options when you’re paying this much for the food. It’s one thing to run out of food on a busy weekend night (which would be pretty rookie in the first place) but to have practically half your menu missing on a lazy weekday night is pathetic.

The food itself was okay. The fish dish – I can’t remember the exact fish – was excellent. It was better than a lot of dishes you get at a place that specializes in seafood. The lamb chops were good but it’s hard to mess that up. The stuffed baby eggplant was laughable – I mean, it was one of those dishes that you can’t help but smirk at because of its pretension. A very small ring of pureed eggplant surrounding a walnut filling. Good but an absolute waste of money. The kibbeh were tough and salty. And the ground lamb kebab – basically an Adana kebab – was no better than what you’d get at Moby Dick. The main issue with the food was the liberal use of salt. I’ve been drinking water for the past hour in a desperate attempt to save my kidneys from future trips to the dialysis machine.

Perhaps most disappointing was the raki service. Raki should be poured at the table though if ordering a single glass bringing it out pre-poured is acceptable. But the water should be chilled and available in a vessel from which it exits easily – like a ewer or something with a wide lip. Not another raki glass. And there should be some means to put ice in your glass beyond your fingers. The preferred solution is the server topping off your glass with the ice but if that’s not going to happen then at least leave some tongs.

I guess the main issue was that I expected much more than what I got – which was an average experience where the food was pretty good. A place like this should be an ambassador of Turkish cuisine but ends up being just another Middle Eastern place. Perhaps in time they will figure things out but right now I would be hard-pressed to recommend to anyone. I certainly won’t be bringing my parents here or any friends interested in Turkish cuisine. There are plenty of other Turkish restaurants in the area that offer the same or better quality of food without the absurd menu issues. And why come to Morso when you can go to the legendary Zaytinya – more authentic, more delicious, more consistent and a better value?