Pera Turkish Kitchen Istanbul was Constantinople. Now it's on Preston.

Since Turkey is one of the most beautiful countries you'll never visit, take a shorter trip to FND's Pera Turkish Kitchen, backed by the cousins behind Arlington's Istanbul Grill, who flew in one of their culinarily artsy brothers from NYC to chef it up. Displaying works from contemporary Turkish artists and naturally lit from a wall of windows, the red-motif 50-seater offers both familiar classics and dishes you might've never laid your tongue on, including:

Liver Cubes: Not a description of Ice's resilient role in Anaconda, these veal nuggets are sauteed in butter, then pan-fried with sumac, red onion, and parsley.

Salmon Kadayif: Sauteed veggies accompany this Greek-influenced dish crusted with crispy-fried shredded wheat, though using Wheaties would've made it the breakfish of champions.

Beef Casserole: They're cooking up beef with red peppers, onions, and garlic for over two hours in a clay pot, as two hours in a Clay Aiken would feel like A Thousand Days.

Fire-roasted Quail: They're marinating a whole quail before char-grilling it, then glazing it in pomegranate, whose seeds condemned Persephone to Hades, probably someplace you'll visit long before you make it to Turkey.