The first time I set foot in the Istanbul Market on Norton Street, my head was filled with fond memories of lahmacun - a Turkish cousin of thin-crusted pizza topped with a spicy mixture of finely ground lamb, beef, onions, tomatoes, and Italian parsley. Not being well-versed in the Islamic religious calendar, I had no idea that I was dropping in on this tiny storefront market on what was probably one of its two busiest days of the year, Eid al-Adha.

Eid al-Adha celebrates the end of the Hajj, Muslims\\\' annual pilgrimage to Mecca, and according to Islamic faith it also commemorates Abraham\\\'s obedience to God\\\'s will, demonstrated by his willingness to sacrifice his son Ishmael (Isaac in the Judeo-Christian tradition). God, you may recall, spared Ishmael\\\'s life, providing Abraham with a ram to sacrifice in his stead. Thus, a holiday tradition was born: lamb, occasionally home-slaughtered lamb, is the entree of choice on Eid al-Adha. And that entree was apparently standing between me and my lahmacun the first time I visited Istanbul Market. All of the available space in the take-out\\\'s three ovens was taken up by hotel pans of roasted meat and other delicacies, presumably earmarked for festive meals later in the day.

Fortunately, the 9-year-old establishment has a lot more to offer than just Middle Eastern pizza and lamb curries. I consoled myself with a massive portion of rice pilaf (long-grain white rice enriched with fried onions and mixed with both orzo and tiny strands of pasta called filini) topped with several pieces of delectable braised chicken in a spicy brown sauce full of paprika and garlic along with red peppers and onions ($14.99 per pound). For good measure, I also ordered a selection of samsas, flaky pastries filled with ground chicken, beef, or spinach and cheese, something like a cross between an Indian samosa and spanakopita. On the way out the door, I also grabbed a small tray of baklava and another of kadayif, a confection similar to baklava made with thin strands of vermicelli-like pastry.

In appearance, the chicken and rice looks not unlike similar dishes I\'ve had in Jamaican, Dominican, and Puerto Rican restaurants, the deep-brown pepper-flecked broth slick with rendered chicken fat and redolent of paprika and cumin, the meat sliding from the bones in meltingly tender shreds ($6.99). In flavor, it seemed closer to the deeply roasted savor an Indian tandoori chicken or a mild vindaloo than the usual herb and cumin flavor profiles of Middle Eastern dishes. The rice, soaked in all that unctuous gravy, was good by itself, but the pasta, apparently cooked in a rich chicken stock before being stirred into the dish, added salty and meaty accents to an already good thing. Topped with a generous dollop of owner Fatih Bilgin\\\'s homemade hot sauce - a thick paste full of heat and a nice vinegar bite - one portion is enough for two to share.

You will not, however, want to share your samsas. Bilgin\\\'s wife, who he describes as a \\\"genius with dough,\\\" makes all of the breads and pastries at Istanbul Market and its sister location in Henrietta, the 6-month-old and much larger International Market on Jefferson Road. I would agree that there\\\'s a genius at work here: the samsa dough is closer to a perfect pie crust than anything else, not quite phyllo, but also not as doughy as fried Indian samosas, with just a little bit of sweetness to complement the ingredients inside. The beef filling, bits of chopped but not ground meat was a little on the bland side, but the chicken had an excellent rich flavor, and the spinach in the spinach and cheese samsa was distinct and deeply green tasting (samsas $1 each).

I came back for a lahmacun ($2.50), for which Bilgin\\\'s wife makes the buttery-tasting dough, the next afternoon. The contrast between the afternoon of Eid al-Adha and the next day could not have been greater. There was a quiet but steady stream of customers coming in to get lunch, but nothing like the madhouse of the previous day. Bilgin was managing the kitchen by himself, and had no problem finding a few minutes to toss the dough - formed almost exactly the way you\\\'d form a pizza crust - slather it with toppings and slide it into the oven.

Lahmacun are not as substantial as pizzas, so you would be well-advised to order at least two of them for an adequate lunch, and three or four if you plan on remaining in your spouse\\\'s good graces. Straight from the oven, these street snacks are crispy and smell of onions, cumin, and lamb, the flavors sharp and distinct. But even if they have to sit for a bit before you can dig in, the lahmacun don\\\'t suffer. As with good pizza, lahmacun might be even better cold or only slightly warm, the whole thing rolled up like a crepe and liberally dipped in hot sauce.

Both Istanbul Market and the International Market in Henrietta also feature Pakistani dishes with familiar names - chicken makhani and korma, chief among them - with flavors that are distinct from the typical Indian restaurant staples. Like Afghan cuisine, the Pakistani menu at the International Market puts a heavy emphasis on meat and kebabs. The meat case at the back of the store is stacked high with long, flat skewers of glistening meat that Bilgin or one of his cooks will be glad to grill for you. A steam table not far away offers a selection of hot dishes, including the chicken I tried at Istanbul Market and a Pakistani chicken makhani ($6.99) that is both lighter in color and slightly different in flavor than its Indian cousin. Where makhani often has the character of Indian cream-of-tomato soup, this version of the dish had less tomato and more ginger, cumin, and pepper, allowing the meat to stand out rather than fade into the background as a texture rather than a taste. With a chunk of fresh pita to scoop up meat, sauce, and rice you\\\'ll wonder why anyone would ever bother with a spoon.

To find Istanbul Market in City Newspaper\'s online Restaurant Guide - including a map, user reviews, and more - click here.

Istanbul Market

1388 Norton St.

(585)342-2990

Monday-Thursday 9 a.m.-7 p.m., Friday-Saturday 9 a.m.-8 p.m., Sunday 9 a.m.-5 p.m.