Clay & Fire: A Westside Turkish and Near Eastern Restaurant

After playing host to many restaurants over the years, including Lill’s on 17th, Novel, and Fox & Pearl’s temporary location, 815 West 17th Street is now home to Clay & Fire, a Turkish and Near Eastern restaurant, which opened in mid-August with Brent Gunnels as the executive chef. Clay & Fire currently serves breakfast and lunch with plans to add dinner service in the near future. Produce is sourced from two local farms, and dishes include an assortment of mezze options, rotisserie chicken with roasted veggies and a variety of egg dishes, from Georgian chirbuli, made with tomato and walnuts, to Turkish yumurta çilbir with yogurt and paprika. “What’s really cool about the menu is there’s nothing really like it offered here in town,” Gunnels says. “It’s very comforting—it’s almost like soul food.”