Apr 23
Friday
Küçük Ev: Fantastic Voyage
“I want to go to the soccer match, everything must go! Game day discount! Hamsi, one Lira! One Lira!” the fishmonger shouted from a rickety stand spread with fresh fish glistening under a bare lightbulb. Judging by the cackles coming other fishmongers and tables at the adjacent fish house, this man was a common source of amusement, a well-known village idiot. “I just sent a message to one of my customers to come and buy these fish for one lira. He sent a reply that he’s in America! Imagine that, America!” he said, navigating the menus on his cell phone to show us. Continue…
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İstiridye Balık Lokantası: The Business of Lunch
2 responses - Posted 03.08.10
Just as we thought we had managed to break out of our Beyoğlu dining rut, we found ourselves once again trawling the neighborhood’s streets for places to eat. To be more specific, we found ourselves walking along Mumhane Caddesi, a street in the waterfront Karaköy area that has so many ...continue
2 responses - Posted 03.08.10
Just as we thought we had managed to break out of our Beyoğlu dining rut, we found ourselves once again trawling the neighborhood’s streets for places to eat. To be more specific, we found ourselves walking along Mumhane Caddesi, a street in the waterfront Karaköy area that has so many ...continue
Since You Asked: Istanbul’s Fish Scene?
16 responses - Posted 02.24.10
I am just back home from a cruise to Turkey, which included a short stay in Istanbul. I was pleasantly surprised to find such a strong seafood culture there. Shame on me for expecting lamb, lamb and more lamb! I indulged and managed to identify some of the fish I ...continue
16 responses - Posted 02.24.10
I am just back home from a cruise to Turkey, which included a short stay in Istanbul. I was pleasantly surprised to find such a strong seafood culture there. Shame on me for expecting lamb, lamb and more lamb! I indulged and managed to identify some of the fish I ...continue
The Best Little Fish House in Galata Gets a Bit Bigger
5 responses - Posted 02.22.10
Good news for those who have tried to eat at Furreyya Galata Balikcisi, the winning fish house near the Galata tower, only to find the tiny place full: the restaurant has recently remodeled, doubling its number of tables. Bad news for those who have tried to eat at Furreyya, only ...continue
5 responses - Posted 02.22.10
Good news for those who have tried to eat at Furreyya Galata Balikcisi, the winning fish house near the Galata tower, only to find the tiny place full: the restaurant has recently remodeled, doubling its number of tables. Bad news for those who have tried to eat at Furreyya, only ...continue
Beyoğlu Öğretmenevi: The Teacher’s Lounge
7 responses - Posted 02.15.10
Like Atatürk statues and crescent-and-star flags etched into the sides of mountains, the öğretmenevi (“teacher’s house”) is an integral part of the Turkish landscape. Found in almost every city in Turkey, these government-run institutions serve as affordable guesthouses for educators on the road and – since anyone is welcome if ...continue
7 responses - Posted 02.15.10
Like Atatürk statues and crescent-and-star flags etched into the sides of mountains, the öğretmenevi (“teacher’s house”) is an integral part of the Turkish landscape. Found in almost every city in Turkey, these government-run institutions serve as affordable guesthouses for educators on the road and – since anyone is welcome if ...continue
48 Hours in Istanbul: An Eater’s Guide
12 responses - Posted 02.08.10
(Editor's Note: The New York Times' travel section recently ran a "36 Hours in Istanbul" feature that was low on good eating suggestions. Prompted by the Times piece, today's post is a food-centric "48 Hours in Istanbul" guide we prepared a few months ago for a local magazine.) Day One: Turkey’s ...continue
12 responses - Posted 02.08.10
(Editor's Note: The New York Times' travel section recently ran a "36 Hours in Istanbul" feature that was low on good eating suggestions. Prompted by the Times piece, today's post is a food-centric "48 Hours in Istanbul" guide we prepared a few months ago for a local magazine.) Day One: Turkey’s ...continue
Sultanahmet’s Dining Secrets
13 responses - Posted 01.29.10
Call it the Sultanahmet Squeeze: How to stay close to the monuments of the Old City and avoid eating in tourist traps? We get this question a lot. We. Since the Sultanahmet area is primarily a tourism zone, locals-only haunts are few and far between. At most restaurants, prices tend ...continue
13 responses - Posted 01.29.10
Call it the Sultanahmet Squeeze: How to stay close to the monuments of the Old City and avoid eating in tourist traps? We get this question a lot. We. Since the Sultanahmet area is primarily a tourism zone, locals-only haunts are few and far between. At most restaurants, prices tend ...continue
Çukur Meyhane: When Liver Met Hamsi
3 responses - Posted 01.25.10
It wasn’t quite as dramatic as Meg Ryan’s big moment at Katz’s deli in “When Harry Met Sally,” but a low-register, guttural moan of pleasure was detected from our table upon our tasting of the shredded celery root in yogurt, a house specialty meze at Beyoğlu’s Çukur Meyhane. And we ...continue
3 responses - Posted 01.25.10
It wasn’t quite as dramatic as Meg Ryan’s big moment at Katz’s deli in “When Harry Met Sally,” but a low-register, guttural moan of pleasure was detected from our table upon our tasting of the shredded celery root in yogurt, a house specialty meze at Beyoğlu’s Çukur Meyhane. And we ...continue
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
Hamsi Time
1 response - Posted 10.27.09
Istanbul Eats' Yigal Schleifer has a post on the New York Times' Globespotters blog about the start of hamsi season in Istanbul. Hamsi is the Turkish name for the finger-sized anchovy caught in the waters of the Black Sea. Though small and inexpensive, hamsi holds a sacred place in the ...continue
1 response - Posted 10.27.09
Istanbul Eats' Yigal Schleifer has a post on the New York Times' Globespotters blog about the start of hamsi season in Istanbul. Hamsi is the Turkish name for the finger-sized anchovy caught in the waters of the Black Sea. Though small and inexpensive, hamsi holds a sacred place in the ...continue
Grifin: Seafood Oasis
4 responses - Posted 10.23.09
Editor's note: Due to a number of troubling reports, we can no longer recommend this restaurant. Though the view remains as fine as ever, it seems the kitchen is no longer holding up its end of the bargain. The good news is that Tarihi Karaköy Balıkçısı, located just downstairs from Grifin ...continue
4 responses - Posted 10.23.09
Editor's note: Due to a number of troubling reports, we can no longer recommend this restaurant. Though the view remains as fine as ever, it seems the kitchen is no longer holding up its end of the bargain. The good news is that Tarihi Karaköy Balıkçısı, located just downstairs from Grifin ...continue