A Review of Bereket Restaurant, in Bridgeport "BEREKET," our waitress explained, means "good luck," - not a bad name for a venture that is less than three years old. The friendly, unpretentious staff and surroundings made me want to second that wish. In a later phone conversation with the restaurant's manager, I was told Bereket also means "an excess," as in "more than enough of a good thing." Take your pick. Turkish restaurants are a rarity in Fairfield County - in fact throughout most of Connecticut - so, as a fan of Turkish food, when I heard about Bereket, in Bridgeport, I was eager to visit. My anticipation was partly rewarded. The storefront location and unpretentious décor suggested homey, traditional dining and the prices for authentic, decently prepared, unabashedly plain Turkish-style cooking were everything a frugal diner could wish for. If you don't expect any creative fireworks in the kitchen, you can enjoy an ample and satisfying meal here. Most dishes were filling but fairly routine, beginning with garlic-and-lemon hummus served with warm pita bread. Among other starters, two definite high points were lentil soup - a purée teased with lemon - and sigara borek, consisting of several piping hot, crispy phyllo "cigars" wrapped around a filling of feta cheese and parsley. The tempo picked up a bit with stuffed grape leaves. The leaves were tightly wrapped around a mix of cooked rice, raisins, nuts, onion, black pepper and cinnamon, a congenial combination that was both sharp-edged and mildly sweet. Another rewarding appetizer is imambayildi, a hefty combination of eggplant, onion, garlic, tomato and green and red peppers, all cooked together and mixed lightly with pine nuts, currants, parsley and spices and served at room temperature. The falafel was a plain-jane mix of piping-hot fried chickpeas, onions and parsley. Of the several lamb entrees that I tried, lamb shish, cut into cubes, was flavorful and generously portioned. The meat had been marinated overnight in olive oil, onions, oregano and black pepper, and then grilled. Pirzola, a clutch of baby lamb chops, aromatically scented with oregano and marinated similarly in olive oil, was grilled over charcoal. The meat in both was tender, though only mildly spiced. Served with both plain white and brown rice, each dish made for a substantial meal. As for other entrees, the many lamb dishes offer meat of good quality, competently spiced - just don't expect any elaborate preparation or fancy plating. Kofte, cumin-accented, tightly-packed ground lamb patties "cemented" with bread crumbs and eggs, were savory and appealing. It is also possible to have kebabs of mixed grilled meat, as in adana kebab (well-spiced chopped lamb, veal and beef) or doner shawarma gyro, a pairing of marinated sliced lamb and beef. While lamb is the star at Bereket, other entrees are offered that are similar to the lamb dishes but made with chicken. Chicken adana matched three sharply-seasoned, grilled white-meat chicken fillets with chopped zucchini, red peppers and onions, all the vegetables cooked together and served with rice pilaf - another simple, robust meal. In chicken izgara, chicken legs are marinated Turkish style, and then grilled; in chicken shish kebab, cubes are also marinated and grilled. Chicken sauté cooks chicken pieces with tomatoes, onions, garlic and spices, while chicken balls are ground like meat patties, combined with spices and then grilled. There are several desserts at Bereket, all made in-house. One night the sutlac - rice pudding baked in a clay pot - was delicious; another night it tasted old. The kazandibi, a milk custard, was too dense for my taste. I'd say the safest choices, if a mite syrupy, are the honeyed baklava, studded with chopped pistachios, and kadayif (shredded pastry with walnuts) - and perhaps a small cup of intense, vigorously strong Turkish coffee to round off the meal. Bereket 2871 Fairfield Avenue Bridgeport (203) 333-9393 THE SPACE A modest storefront, with maize-colored stucco walls, wood wainscoting and attractive tile floors. A small outdoor dining area is separated from the sidewalk by wrought-iron fencing and has an overhead awning. Relatively quiet. THE CROWD A neighborhood crowd, casually dressed. Waiters friendly and informal. THE BAR No bar, but you can bring your own bottle. Corkage fee of $5 for wine and $1 for beer. THE BILL Same menu for lunch and dinner, but smaller entree portions are available at lunch if requested. Appetizers: $3.95 to $8.95, a large mixed platter $14.99; entrees: $6.49 to $18.99; desserts: $4.45 to $5.45. All major credit cards are accepted. WHAT WE LIKED Lentil soup, hummus, imambayildi, sigara borek, yaprak sarma; lamb shish, chicken adana, doner shawarma gyro, pirzola; sutlac, baklava, kadayif. IF YOU GO Open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Reservations accepted but not usually necessary. Free street parking, also a free municipal lot at the corner.