Vox Martini Shake Off

Ephesus took first place with its Kiwi Martini created by our one and only Kirsten Elvrum.

Best Kebabs
Barbecue of the Mediterranean

All the best pitmasters choose their grilling materials with care, and Hakki Goksover, owner and head chef of Ephesus, is no exception. His preference? Applewood. It's the whiff of woodsmoke that puts Ephesus' kebabs above the other gas-grilled kebabs in the East Bay, and you'll taste it in every bite. But Goksover has been in the States long enough to know that, unlike many Middle Eastern diners, we Americans like our meat moist and pink inside. His lamb, steak, and kofte (ground beef and lamb) kebabs are cooked perfectly medium-rare, and his vegetables retain a little crunch in the center. Ephesus sells its kebabs by the skewer. They make up the centerpiece of a multicourse small-plates meal that starts when your waiter lugs over a huge tray of cold appetizers like hummus and bulgur salad. And the room, a study in soft grays and cherry woods, must be the centerpiece of somebody's design portfolio. Take a date.

Best Place to Convene Your Hippie and Hipster Friends for Dinner

One of the best new restaurants in the East Bay, Ephesus will charm on all fronts. It's highly styled but moderately priced ($30 a person), vegetarian-friendly, yet superb with meat.

The recipes are all overseen by the Goksever family's matriarch, Ufuk, and adhere to centuries of tradition, appealing to the anthropologically, if not aesthetically, astute set, yet radiate the simplicity and freshness of up-to-the-minute California cuisine.

If you stick to the small plates format -- cold dishes (bulgur salad with romaine leaves, roasted eggplant salad) at first, followed by hot appetizers (warm dolmas, zucchini fritters stuffed with goat cheese) and then a selection of kebabs -- everyone will have to share. It's a good way to bring people together, just as long as they share their plates, not their politics.