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Posts Tagged ‘ köfte ’

May 11
Wednesday

Feriköylu Ömer Usta: Köfte Club

Filed under Reviews (Eats)

Feriköylu Ömer Usta, photo by Paul Osterlund

The triangle of Kurtuluş, Feriköy and Bomonti represents an Istanbul on the verge of fading away. Though still inhabited by significant numbers of Greeks, Jews and Armenians, there are more local churches and synagogues than are used by the remnants of those diminished communities. The numerous schools, houses of worship and cemeteries are relics testifying to the cosmopolitanism that once defined this segment of inner Istanbul.

Another nostalgic quality of the area is its small-business culture, still thriving, yet on the verge of a major shift. Though there are many long-standing cake shops, butchers and meze delis, the gentrification triumvirate of artisanal pizza, craft burgers and third-wave coffee has come a-knocking, particularly in Bomonti, where the old beer factory (the neighborhood’s namesake) was recently revamped into the latest incarnation of the acclaimed concert hall Babylon. The gorgeous, glimmering venue and the numerous skyscrapers that lurk in the background foreshadow the inevitable creeping transformation of Kurtuluş and Feriköy, both home to middle-class quarters and poorer, run-down enclaves.

Read the rest of the story at Culinary Backstreets.

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All entries filed under this archive


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no responses - Posted 08.14.15
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no responses - Posted 09.04.13
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Perşembe Pazarı: The Nuts & Bolts of Eating in Istanbul’s Hardware District
no responses - Posted 08.20.13
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Nuruosmaniye Köftecisi: Landmark Meatballs
no responses - Posted 08.13.13
In Istanbul, if all you have is a street address for a restaurant, you are as good as lost. It’s all about proximity to landmarks, as in “postanedeki kokoreççi” (the kokoreç vendor near the post office) or “Süleymaniye’deki kuru fasulyeciler” (the bean eateries at Süleymaniye Mosque). This is the way ...continue
Meşhur Filibe Köftecisi: Keeping Their Eye on the Meatball
no responses - Posted 02.25.13
Where we come from, flipping burgers is a time-honored tradition among pimply teenagers looking for a summer job and troubled short-order cooks looking for a place to land in between firings. It’s work that promises mobility, not stability. But don’t tell that to Ziver Usta, who’s been turning the köfte – ...continue
In Istanbul, Staying One Meal Ahead of the Wrecking Ball
no responses - Posted 10.19.12
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Köfteci Arnavut: On the Good Ship Meatball Shop
no responses - Posted 10.08.12
Perhaps it’s the proximity of the waters of the Golden Horn or the weathered wood interior, but we get a distinctly maritime feeling at Köfteci Arnavut, a tiny köfte joint in the historic Balat neighborhood. The members of the İştay family, who opened the place in 1947, seem to think ...continue
Nuruosmaniye Köftecisi: Landmark Meatballs
no responses - Posted 01.31.12
In Istanbul, if all you have is a street address of a restaurant, you are as good as lost. It’s all about proximity to landmarks, as in "postanedeki kokoreççi" (the kokoreç vendor near the post office) or "Süleymaniye'deki kuru fasulyeciler" (the bean eateries at Süleymaniye Mosque). This is the way ...continue
Köfteci Cemal: Meatball Depot
no responses - Posted 10.17.11
In the category of ambience, Köfteci Cemal scores high marks quite effortlessly. On a street of mostly demolished row shops down in Karaköy’s Perşembe Pazarı hardware market, Cemal makes his presence known with a bright yellow paint job and the word köfteci spray-painted on the front, back and sides of ...continue
Istanbul Köfte Week: #1 – Meşhur Köfteci Recep Usta
no responses - Posted 06.10.11
(Editor’s note: Over here at Istanbul Eats, we like to think of ourselves as köfte savants. While to the untrained eye köfte may look like nothing more than a grilled meatball, we like to discern differences in taste, texture and consistency in the different styles of this ubiquitous Turkish dish. ...continue

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