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ValleyDeals365 - Kyra has something that goes with everything
$20 voucher for $10
Kyra Restaurant & Wine Bar
5000 E. Market St., Howland
Open daily at 3 p.m., closed Monday
Mediterranean, Italian, French dishes
Watch our interview with Kyra owner Sedat Olgun on vindy.com/valleyfood
Valley Deals 365 - Kyra Restaurant & Wine Bar
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By Corey Crissan
In Partnership with 21 WFMJ-TV
HOWLAND — Taking a hobby and turning it into a passion is something common that restaurant owners across the world share. Whether they started off in the kitchen with their parents, their family owned a restaurant and they took the reins over, or they are self-sufficient in discovering new concepts for food, one commonality in the restaurant industry is passion being the prime key to success. Enter Kyra and owner Sedat Olgun, who turned his love and appreciation for wine into a bar concept with hundreds of options.
“Since I moved to the United States, I’ve been managing,” Olgun, who emigrated from southwest Turkey in 2007, said. “I worked in Hilton Head and in Los Angeles, and wanted to do a little serving, too, but I got a good offer [to buy Kyra].”
Kyra’s wine menu reaches over 400 different options from the United States and the world, including imports from Italy, Spain and Turkey. Most of the domestic wine comes from California, but he mentioned Kyra is in the process of making its own wine in conjunction with a distiller.
“Wine was a hobby for myself,” Olgun said. “I have a collection at home. When I was setting up the concept, I wanted to do a wine bar because it’s something I like to drink, and I also wanted to tell people about it. I’m into wine, and I care about good wine and finding good wine.”
It is all reflected by the wine selection and the food menu at Kyra, which is a result of Olgun’s experiences. But he did not get here without the original passion he had for wine in the first place.
“Wine is like a big ocean,” he began to explain. “There’s no end. There’s thousands of different grapes. You can go deep as much as you can. Every country has their own grapes and their own style. There are thousands and thousands of wines. When I find something, I love showing people. My goal is to find good wine for a good price.”
Kyra’s food menu is Mediterranean at its core, but it does offer options from across the world, including Italian and French cuisine. The best-selling appetizer is the Greek nachos: ground lamb with lettuce, onions, tomatoes and homemade tzatziki sauce.
From there, Olgun’s menu expands to other nations and cultures, including his best-selling Sicilian-style chicken marsala.
“I like to go places where everyone can find something to eat,” he said. “I didn’t go too crazy [with the menu] but I did mostly Mediterranean, Italian, and I have some Asian and French. I’m glad we were able to do that.”
And, of course, a wine to match.
“Wine goes with everything,” he said. “It’s not like a vodka or gin or anything like that. You can enjoy it and relax with it. You can do anything with it. It goes with something you enjoy. If you had a stressful day, it will help you out. If you had a good day, you can have it. Any time, any day, and for any reason you can drink it.”
Kyra is open daily at 3 p.m. and is closed Mondays. For the full menu and information on catering and banquet hosting, visit kyrarestaurant.com.