Dec 31
Thursday
Beans: An Investigative Report
Editor’s note: In honor of New Year’s Day, we are rerunning this feature, which was originally posted in April of this year. Happy New Year to all our readers and keep coming back for more in 2010!
Until we visited some of Istanbul’s shrines to the baked bean, we generally regarded the dish as something eaten out of a can beside railroad tracks. But Turkey takes this humble food seriously; that means chefs in tall toques carefully ladling out golden beans in a rich red gravy onto monogrammed flatware, served by waiters wearing bowties and vests. Even in the least formal of Istanbul’s beaneries, the guy manning the pot has the air of a high priest knowing that his incantations alone conjure something unusually delicious out of a simple dry white legume. This is no hobo fare.
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Quick Look
Recent Posts
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Hanging On to History: Edible Nostalgia in Samatya
no responses - Posted 05.08.18
That much of the past seems to stick to Samatya is a marvel in Istanbul, a city being rebuilt and “restored” at an alarming pace. First, there’s the question of its name. Occupying a stretch of the Marmara Sea and squeezed between the old city walls and Kumkapı, an area home to a rotating cast of eclectic restaurants, the neighborhood still ... continue -
Spring Surprises: Skewering the First Fruits in Istanbul
no responses - Posted 04.25.18
It was the first of April and an absolutely pristine Istanbul spring day, the kind where one can break a slight sweat walking up a hill then catch a cool breeze in a nearby patch of shade. Returning to the city from a lovely weekend on Büyükada, we were smitten with spring and wanted to indulge in its finest offerings. In ... continue -
Farewell, Pando: An Istanbul Culinary Legend Passes On
no responses - Posted 04.16.18
It’s Saturday around lunchtime and business as usual in the bustling Beşiktaş Çarşı neighborhood, as crowds of mostly younger people fill the narrow streets. Down on Mumcu Bakkal Sokak, a pedestrian-only street lined with miniscule shops, a line around the block has been formed by those eager to get into one of the city’s best döner spots. For many of those ... continue -
Bağdat Ocakbaşı: Licensed to Grill
no responses - Posted 04.09.18
Istanbul’s T1 tramway is relatively pleasant if you can find a seat, but borders on unbearable if you are on your feet. Back in 2015, we wrote about a trip we took from the line’s first stop all the way to one of its last, which lies way out in the district of Güngören. By the time the tram has made ... continue -
Dose & Istos Café: Greek Revival
no responses - Posted 03.30.18
A café at its best is so much more than the sum of its parts: it’s a place where people can easily mingle, share ideas, and dertleşmek, or commiserate over their troubles, all while imbibing caffeine. At the same time, it’s a place where visitors might feel an invisible thread of common beliefs connecting them, an unspoken camaraderie, even if ... continue -
Back to the Land: Urban Turks Tackle Rural Life
no responses - Posted 03.23.18
When Buket Ulukut first moved from Istanbul to a rural plot of land in the foothills of the Taurus Mountains in southern Turkey, she was leading a double life. “I’d be taking calls from clients in Europe while out amidst the rows of peppers and eggplants, hoping they didn’t hear the rooster crowing in the background,” says Ulukut, who worked in ... continue -
Semt Pazarları, Civic Life Perfected
no responses - Posted 03.09.18
“Two kilos five liraaa! Two kilos five liraaa!” bellowed a young and exuberant vendor of tomatoes to the ongoing stream of frugal-minded shoppers making their way through the snaking Tarlabaşı Sunday Market. Hundreds of sellers of fresh produce, dairy, seafood, kitchenware, clothing, smuggled tobacco, jewelry, fresh baked goods and numerous other items set up side by side in the central Istanbul ... continue
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Hanging On to History: Edible Nostalgia in Samatya
All entries filed under this archive
Sofyalı 9: Keeping it Real in Asmalımescit
3 responses - Posted 12.28.09
It’s hard not to feel pangs of nostalgia when walking through Beyoğlu’s booming Asmalımescit neighborhood these days (and nights). The old corner butcher shop with its window display of lamb carcasses? Gone and replaced by a generic bar imaginatively named “The Corner.” The veteran grocery store where the colorful and ...continue
3 responses - Posted 12.28.09
It’s hard not to feel pangs of nostalgia when walking through Beyoğlu’s booming Asmalımescit neighborhood these days (and nights). The old corner butcher shop with its window display of lamb carcasses? Gone and replaced by a generic bar imaginatively named “The Corner.” The veteran grocery store where the colorful and ...continue
Istanbul Eats Drinks: Otantik Türkü Bar
3 responses - Posted 12.21.09
One night in Otantik, a Türkü (Turkish folk music) bar in Beyoğlu, delivers all the emotional peaks and valleys of life itself. As the saz-strumming bard on stage moans out the first few bars of a familiar song of lost love, even the table of stony-faced, rakı-drenched fellows in leather ...continue
3 responses - Posted 12.21.09
One night in Otantik, a Türkü (Turkish folk music) bar in Beyoğlu, delivers all the emotional peaks and valleys of life itself. As the saz-strumming bard on stage moans out the first few bars of a familiar song of lost love, even the table of stony-faced, rakı-drenched fellows in leather ...continue
Ciğerimin Köşesi: New (Kebab) Kid on the Block
2 responses - Posted 12.16.09
We’ve long been big fans of Canım Ciğerim, a wonderful kebab joint in Beyoğlu's Asmalımescit area that serves up thin, long skewers studded with tiny and very tender morsels of either beef or liver. Recently we noticed the arrival of Ciğerimin Köşesi (“My Liver’s Corner,” roughly translated), a gleaming, new kebab ...continue
2 responses - Posted 12.16.09
We’ve long been big fans of Canım Ciğerim, a wonderful kebab joint in Beyoğlu's Asmalımescit area that serves up thin, long skewers studded with tiny and very tender morsels of either beef or liver. Recently we noticed the arrival of Ciğerimin Köşesi (“My Liver’s Corner,” roughly translated), a gleaming, new kebab ...continue
Dine Like an Ottoman
1 response - Posted 12.14.09
The Wall Street Journal has a new article up about some of the high-end restaurants in Istanbul that are rediscovering formal Ottoman cooking, but also giving it a "contemporary" spin. One of them, the newly opened Karakol, located inside an old guardhouse on the grounds of Topkapı Palace, sounds especially ...continue
1 response - Posted 12.14.09
The Wall Street Journal has a new article up about some of the high-end restaurants in Istanbul that are rediscovering formal Ottoman cooking, but also giving it a "contemporary" spin. One of them, the newly opened Karakol, located inside an old guardhouse on the grounds of Topkapı Palace, sounds especially ...continue
Istanbul Eats Drinks: Araf Cafe Bar
3 responses - Posted 12.11.09
Editor’s note: Since we realize that those who love to eat usually also like to drink, we are introducing a new feature, “Istanbul Eats Drinks,” an occasional look at some of the city’s more appealing bars and lounges, places that still have that authentic Istanbul vibe. Istanbul: capitol of contradictions. East ...continue
3 responses - Posted 12.11.09
Editor’s note: Since we realize that those who love to eat usually also like to drink, we are introducing a new feature, “Istanbul Eats Drinks,” an occasional look at some of the city’s more appealing bars and lounges, places that still have that authentic Istanbul vibe. Istanbul: capitol of contradictions. East ...continue
A Cornucopia of Reviews
no responses - Posted 12.07.09
We've always enjoyed Cornucopia magazine and its sumptuous take on Turkish life, culture and history. But for us, the best part of the magazine is the restaurant review section and its writeups by Andrew Finkel, a veteran Turkey-based journalist who seems equally at home in both Istanbul's upscale and down-home ...continue
no responses - Posted 12.07.09
We've always enjoyed Cornucopia magazine and its sumptuous take on Turkish life, culture and history. But for us, the best part of the magazine is the restaurant review section and its writeups by Andrew Finkel, a veteran Turkey-based journalist who seems equally at home in both Istanbul's upscale and down-home ...continue
Istanbul’s Top 5 Street Foods: #1 – Sabırtaşı’s İçli Köfte
5 responses - Posted 12.04.09
Editors's note: This is the final installment in our (highly subjective) look at Istanbul's top five street foods. For years on İstiklal Caddesi, just beyond Galatasaray High School, in one calm spot stood the beatific Ali Bey, an angel in a white doctor’s coat offering salvation in the form of golden ...continue
5 responses - Posted 12.04.09
Editors's note: This is the final installment in our (highly subjective) look at Istanbul's top five street foods. For years on İstiklal Caddesi, just beyond Galatasaray High School, in one calm spot stood the beatific Ali Bey, an angel in a white doctor’s coat offering salvation in the form of golden ...continue
Istanbul’s Top 5 Street Foods: #2 – Çıtır Simit Bakery
9 responses - Posted 12.03.09
Editor's note: While name of this bakery has recently been changed to Galata Simitçisi, nothing else has changed: the same usta is still baking the same crispy, fresh simit. Let’s hear it for the (deceptively simple) simit. With only a few ingredients to its name, this sesame-encrusted bread ring has gone ...continue
9 responses - Posted 12.03.09
Editor's note: While name of this bakery has recently been changed to Galata Simitçisi, nothing else has changed: the same usta is still baking the same crispy, fresh simit. Let’s hear it for the (deceptively simple) simit. With only a few ingredients to its name, this sesame-encrusted bread ring has gone ...continue
Istanbul’s Top 5 Street Foods: #3 – Kızılkayalar’s Wet Burger
8 responses - Posted 12.02.09
Editor’s note: This is the third installment in our look at Istanbul’s top five street foods. The sign may read “Wet Burger” (“Islak Burger” in Turkish), but there’s a lot more to say about Kızılkayalar’s moist mini-patties than that. How about “Heavenly Slider,” “Binge Drinker’s Delight,” or “The Best 2 Lira ...continue
8 responses - Posted 12.02.09
Editor’s note: This is the third installment in our look at Istanbul’s top five street foods. The sign may read “Wet Burger” (“Islak Burger” in Turkish), but there’s a lot more to say about Kızılkayalar’s moist mini-patties than that. How about “Heavenly Slider,” “Binge Drinker’s Delight,” or “The Best 2 Lira ...continue
Istanbul’s Top 5 Street Foods: #4 – Maya Kumpir
7 responses - Posted 12.01.09
Editor's note: This is the second installment in our look at Istanbul's top fıve street foods. It was written by Jason D. Jones, an American expat living in Istanbul. Although it’s been a staple food for many civilizations for over 2,000 years, the potato has largely been relegated to the role ...continue
7 responses - Posted 12.01.09
Editor's note: This is the second installment in our look at Istanbul's top fıve street foods. It was written by Jason D. Jones, an American expat living in Istanbul. Although it’s been a staple food for many civilizations for over 2,000 years, the potato has largely been relegated to the role ...continue
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