For those who would roast an entire lamb hindquarter just for the crispy edges, here is heaven. At the newly opened Empire Turkish Grill (12448 Memorial Drive, 713-827-7475), the Iskender kebab ($9.95) is a stack of crispy lamb shingles, succulent by themselves but even better atop a framework of fried cubes of homemade Turkish bread that are mid-deep in pungent garlic yogurt. The lamb gyro slices have been broiled to enhance their crustiness and topped with a mild tomato sauce — all the better to dab them with, my dear.
This article appears in Oct 24-30, 2002.