The Mayor's House By Selda — Restaurant in Dallas

Upon entering staff did not seem overly welcoming, but they weren’t rude either. We sat at an outdoor table for roughly 5-7 minutes before anyone greeted us as the manager/owner nudged one of the servers to come by to us. The server was friendly and very knowledgable of the menu. She gave recommendations and seemed excited about the menu. We ordered the tzatziki, fried cauliflower, goat cheese stuffed dates as an appetizer, the ribeye and chicken shish as entrees and a chocolate pudding style as a dessert. The food reminded me of food that a friend would cook for guests coming over to their house. It was not a polished way/style of cooking that you often see for polished casual or finer dining entities. The restaurant seemed to be owned and managed by Turkish born individuals with several guests appearing to be of the same origin. This told me that this restaurant would be “authentic.” Now, I’ve never been to Turkey- so, I can’t compare my review to food in Turkey but I’ve had several Mediterranean dishes and have even eaten at an authentic Turkish restaurant in NYC taken by a Turkish-born friend. So, I would feel that my review should hold some truth. The tzatziki was very flavorless. It was extra thick, creamy/whipped and pretty much tasted like plain yogurt with a slight hint of cucumber. It did not taste like a tzatziki I had ever tried. The bread to go with it was harder and maybe even slightly stale. Again, I’m not sure if this is how bread is done in Turkey as authentic French bread is known for being harder. The fried cauliflower was incredible with lots of flavor and well prepared, but fried foods are typically difficult to mess up. The dates were great but there were only four on the plate. The main entrees were very disappointing. The rice with the chicken lacked flavor and the chicken was inconsistent. Some pieces were tender and nicely seasoned. Other pieces were really chewy. The ribeye was not a ribeye to our standards. The cut was comparable to a what you’d find at a Waffle House. There was even a tiny sharp bone found in the meat. A type of bone you would typically find in a chicken perhaps. The meat was very tough and almost gristly. The flavors in the dish helped to overpower the poor quality of the meat. Then the dessert came. It was mediocre and the inside had a round pastry similar to what you’d buy from a store bought and thawed eclair (but not of high quality). It was just okay. Overall, what made the place enjoyable was the outdoor ambiance. The patio deck was well-lit to where you can see the dangling Turkish lights hanging from the upper level of the restaurant. Fans and outdoor lighting dangled for an almost romantic vibe giving you an escape from your every day stresses. I would come back to this place for the outdoor ambiance, some appetizers and perhaps some cocktails alone. I will not come back for...

I was excited to try this place since it opened, but I could very much tell that they need to work out some kinks.

The interior is as beautiful as the outside of the restaurant- it felt like walking into a cozy Turkish tea house. I went with a couple friends early in the day for brunch- there was only one other party in the restaurant. We were given a lunch/dinner menu, and when we asked if there were any special options for brunch, the owner came by and said they only offered the Turkish breakfast on the weekends. The Turkish breakfast wasn't listed anywhere on the menu, so we had to ask what it was, and the owner had to show us a picture on his phone.

Our server was sweet, but clearly not very experienced. She couldn't remember who had ordered which dishes and instead of asking would just place them in front of the wrong person. She asked if she could take our plates away several times while we were still eating and was a little over attentive. We had to ask for water when she didn't offer to give us any. She then asked if we wanted still / sparkling, and we chose still, assuming we'd get tap water. She came back with a fancy glass bottle of water, which we were surprised by but just assumed was something the restaurant was doing for its opening week.

When we paid, I looked at the receipt and saw that we had been charged $12 for 2 bottles of water. I asked the waitress about this, and she said it was because we had asked for still water, and that the bottled still water and sparkling waters incur an extra charge. When we told her that she hadn't given us the option for regular tap water, she told us we should have specifically requested tap water.

The food itself was okay. The Turkish breakfast included three types of cheese, a small arugula salad, cheese pide, cucumber, tomato, one piece of roasted cauliflower (my favorite part of the dish), several spreads, dried fruit and nuts, and a small omelet. We were served tea halfway through our meal, which was nice. Each order came with a large piece of Turkish bread, which was hot, crispy, and delicious.

Unfortunately, the service really put a damper on our experience. I'd be willing to try The Mayor's House again in a few months once they've found...

Wow! We dropped in for lunch on a whim and were totally blown away! We had the hummus and a roasted red pepper dip with pomegranate molasses (Muhammara) to start, accompanied by delicious fresh flatbread that our server happily refilled. We shared the chicken shish and spinach and feta pide for our main, both of which were absolutely mouthwatering. Wrapping a bite of perfectly seasoned and tender chicken in a bit of flatbread, along with a touch of hummus or roasted red pepper spread, was a revelation! The chicken dish came with a refreshing and generous side salad. The chicken came out before the pide, and we felt that we hardly waited at all, but the sever was very apologetic about how long it took for the pide and brought over a delicious complementary salad, and later two spiced Turkish teas to finish up our meal, to make up for the wait. The food was so fresh, flavorful and delightful! Prices were very reasonable for the quality of food you're getting as well.

The service was charming and made us feel so welcome. They even had clean and lovely blankets on hand, which our server brought over when I mentioned I was a tad cold! On our way out, we stuck our heads into the bar area, curious to see more of this beautifully restored, stately historical house. The manager immediately got up and offered us a tour of the upstairs. The second floor boasts indoor space plus an outdoor deck with million dollar views of the Dallas skyline. It has gorgeous natural light, plenty of additional seating, and the space is setup so that it could easily be reserved as dedicated private event space for corporate events, birthdays or even a baby shower. They had tons of beautiful, detailed touches like the lovely crystal drinkware stored in sideboards, a miniature Christmas village display setup for the season, and beautiful upholstered seating options.

We have tried many Turkish and Mediterranean establishments in DFW, and The Mayor's House by Selda immediately jumped to the top of our list after this experience....