Executive Lunch at TUR

Experience three delightful courses by Chef Christian

Unfortunately, there’s no category for Best Pork Tenderloin in our July/August Best of Coral Gables Issue. But if there was, it would go to Chef Christian Chirino of TUR Kitchen, who continuously delights us with his inventive Mediterranean cuisine. This is no less true of TUR’s executive lunch menu, available Monday through Friday from 12 to 3 pm. For $39 per person, you’re served a three-course meal featuring a delectable cast of the restaurant’s best dishes, many of which use locally sourced ingredients.

The ful medames is our favorite appetizer on the executive menu, a hummus-adjacent spread that’s served with triangles of pita bread. It’s Egypt’s national dish — although it’s usually made as a stew rather than a dip — and the soft pita slices are coated with za’atar, a blended Middle Eastern spice that gives the bread a buttery overlay and makes a napkin necessary. Garnished on top are slices of peppers and jalapeno to give the vegan-friendly dish a kick. 

While TUR understands spreads like no one else — the free lavash bread you receive upon arrival also comes with the best crème fraiche we’ve ever tasted — it’s the main courses here that are the paragon of culinary delight. Both the pork loin and chicken dishes are amazingly succulent with no flavor left behind in the searing and roasting processes. (Chef Christian claims that’s all he does to these tender meats, but we’re sure there’s got to be some secret.) Both are sourced from American farms that raise their livestock sustainably, cage-free, and without added hormones or antibiotics.

The heritage Green Circle chicken is a favorite of chefs across the country, marinated in a local citrus blend at TUR. The breast and shoulder are served on a bed of couscous cooked with Florida oranges and then further bathed in a subtly sweet labneh sauce — basically a healthier, liquidated cream cheese. The end result is a delicate journey of flavors from the sharp bite of the couscous to the creamy sweetness of the sauce, soaked up by a mouthwatering bite of tender chicken.

The pork loin is exquisite. Sourced from family farms in the Midwest courtesy of Niman Ranch, it comes covered in roasted okra with pickled mustard seeds and a honey Dijon sauce. A streak of bright orange carrot puree completes the plating, sprinkled with homemade garum, a popular umami condiment from ancient Rome that has survived to the modern day. A perfect bite of tenderloin comes with a bit of everything, the savory puree offsetting the slightly grassy flavor of the okra, garnished with micro parsley from the Harpke Family Farm in Davie.

Capping off lunch are TUR’s desserts, small scoops of sorbet or ice cream that we recommend over the Phyllo Napoleon (a pastry that adds $7 to your check) or the coffee ($3 extra for a cappuccino). The scoops are infused with flavorings that range from an understated jasmine to a powerful kiwi — a refreshing finish to a menu of warm, well-seasoned flavors. Now, you just have to return for the whole lamb on Sundays.

TUR Kitchen

259 Giralda Ave.
786.483.8014
www.turkitchen.com