Nuruosmaniye Koftecisi: Landmark Meatballs
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- Posted
01.31.12
Delivery orders were called out by the cashier who worked a calculator with one hand and cradled a phone with the other. Behind the cashier, we heard the constant pad of the waiter’s loafers hustling orders up the stairs to the tiny domed dining room above. Logjams of customers coming and going, paying and ordering formed instantly and were ...
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Get Ready for the Kebab Krawl!
4 responses
- Posted
01.23.12
It’s nighttime in Istanbul’s “Little Urfa.” Follow the wail of the Kurdish Frank Sinatra, Ibrahim Tatlises, blasting from a souped-up vintage Fiat. Puzzle over handwritten Arabic signs in the barbershop windows. Sample the essence of southeast Turkey in the spice shops selling the region’s fiery peppers. And, most of all, marinate in the fragrant smoke that comes from the countless ...
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If You Insist: Pandeli?
3 responses
- Posted
01.11.12
When I first arrived in Istanbul, there were two things I used to hear about with some consistency: the film Midnight Express, and the restaurant Pandeli (not due to any connection between the two, mind you). Interestingly, as the years have passed and the city has gussied itself up a bit, one hears about both of these cultural touchstones less ...
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Istanbul Eats Drinks: Yaşasın Sparkling Wine
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- Posted
01.06.12
Yaşasın sparkling wine is different than the other sparkling wines produced in Turkey, in terms of the technique used to make it, quality, labor etc. They are really focusing on making the best one in Turkey! The producer in question is following Methode Champenoise rules, which is used for making Champagne in the Champagne region of France. The process of ...
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Best Bites of 2011: Our Take, Pt. 2
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- Posted
12.30.11
Merih Resturant
This well-loved meyhane cum esnaf lokanta (Meykanta? Lokhane?), located near Beygolu’s Balik Pazar, presented one of the year’s great culinary mysteries. Namely: how that, despite being a decades-old neighborhood institution that’s located on a street we walk down on a regular basis, it took us until 2011 to actually notice it and step inside for a meal? Our overlooking ...
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Best Bites of 2011: Our Take, Pt. 1
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- Posted
12.29.11
Mandabatmaz
This “Best Bite” is actually a “Best Sip.” For years we’ve been frequenting the small alley off Istiklal where Cemil Pilik – Istanbul’s finest Turkish coffee maker, bar none – works his sludgy magic out of a hole-in-the-wall barely big enough to hold him and his samovar of hot water. On a sunny afternoon this past September, Pilik’s almost chocolaty ...
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Best Bites 2011: Heyamola in May
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- Posted
12.28.11
(Editor’s Note: As 2011 heads to an end, we are looking back at our “Best Bites” of the year and are asking our readers to do the same and share their best Istanbul (or Turkey) eating moments with us. This submission comes from "Meliz," an intrepid explorer of Istanbul’s culinary backstreets and a frequent Istanbul Eats guest contributor this past year.)
In May, ...
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