Nov 14
Monday
Urfa Şark Sofrasi: Bleating Good
On a narrow alley just beyond the back gate of the Hirdavatcilar Carsisi in Karakoy, we distinctly heard the bleat of a sheep. Turning the corner we saw men wearing coveralls and vests with “Makita” stitched over the breast seated at low tables laughing through mouthfuls of flatbread. “Me-e-e-e-eh,” one of them bleated again as blueish grill smoke belched out of the restaurant enveloping the bleating man, the street and then us, in a hazy barbeque dream.
This was supposed to be a quick run down to the Karakoy hardware market for a faucet and some sandpaper, but our culinary backstreets antenna, always up, automatically changed the the afternoon’s priorities. So we followed the commotion to a tiny restaurant called Urfa Şark Sofrasi and pulled up a stool outside of this humble kebab shop. Continue…
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Recent Posts
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Nuruosmaniye Koftecisi: 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 Postanede’ki kokoreçci (the kokoreç vendor near the Post Office), Suleymaniyede’ki kurufasuliyeciler (the bean shops at Suleymaniye Mosque). This is the way we’ve learned to navigate this city and we’ve even found reason to ... continue -
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 ... continue -
If You Insist: Pandeli?
3 responses - Posted 01.11.12
Dear Istanbul Eats, I've heard and read so much about the historic Pandeli restaurant in Eminonu's Spice Bazaar, including that it's nothing more than an overpriced tourist trap. Have you been there recently? Is it worth going to? Concerned in Cincinnati Dear Concerned, Thanks for the great question. Pandeli is indeed a venerable spot and, for a certain generation of visitors to Istanbul, often ... continue -
Istanbul Eats Drinks: Yaşasın Sparkling Wine
no responses - Posted 01.06.12
(Editor’s Note: This post is part of our ongoing “wine chats” with sommelier and oenophile Serdar Kombe. Today he talks about a Turkish sparkling wine that’s actually worth talking about.) 1. A wine expert whose opinion we trust told us that "Turkish bubblies are positively undrinkable!!!" Is that the case? Is Turkey's terroir not suited for sparkling wines? Actually making good sparkling ... continue -
Best Bites of 2011: Our Take, Pt. 2
no responses - 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 ... continue -
Best Bites of 2011: Our Take, Pt. 1
no responses - 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 ... continue -
Best Bites 2011: Heyamola in May
no responses - 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, ... continue
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Nuruosmaniye Koftecisi: Landmark Meatballs
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All entries filed under this archive
Ehli Kebap: Slurper’s Delight
no responses - Posted 06.27.11
Southeastern Turkey’s culinary Mecca of Gaziantep is best known for its baklava and kebabs. But lately we’ve been thinking that it’s soup that may actually be the city’s real crowning glory. Not just any old soup, mind you, but beyran çorbasi, a stupendously delicious lamb-based broth that is usually slurped ...continue
no responses - Posted 06.27.11
Southeastern Turkey’s culinary Mecca of Gaziantep is best known for its baklava and kebabs. But lately we’ve been thinking that it’s soup that may actually be the city’s real crowning glory. Not just any old soup, mind you, but beyran çorbasi, a stupendously delicious lamb-based broth that is usually slurped ...continue
The Grand Bazaar: Come for the Shopping, Stay for the Food
7 responses - Posted 05.16.11
We like to think of Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar – open since 1461 – as the world’s oldest shopping mall. If that’s the case, shouldn’t the Grand Bazaar be home to the world’s oldest food court? That may be taking the analogy too far, but for us, the Grand Bazaar can ...continue
7 responses - Posted 05.16.11
We like to think of Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar – open since 1461 – as the world’s oldest shopping mall. If that’s the case, shouldn’t the Grand Bazaar be home to the world’s oldest food court? That may be taking the analogy too far, but for us, the Grand Bazaar can ...continue
Hatay Has Kral Sofrasi: Kebab’s Krib
no responses - Posted 05.09.11
In our imaginary primetime lineup, a reality show called “Pimp My Kebab Salon” transforms a drab kebab shop into a grill palace suited to the tastes of the latter day Sultans. Surfaces are suddenly gilded in gold, fountains appear, and everything is reupholstered under the watchful eye of the boisterous ...continue
no responses - Posted 05.09.11
In our imaginary primetime lineup, a reality show called “Pimp My Kebab Salon” transforms a drab kebab shop into a grill palace suited to the tastes of the latter day Sultans. Surfaces are suddenly gilded in gold, fountains appear, and everything is reupholstered under the watchful eye of the boisterous ...continue
Istanbul’s Top 5 Lahmacun Makers: #2 & #1 – The Doughboys of Kadikoy
4 responses - Posted 03.25.11
(Editor’s Note: A recent article about a spat between Turkey and Greek Cyprus over who owns the rights to claim lahmacun as their own got us thinking about those minced-meat covered discs of dough and how, when done right, they really are something worth fighting over. So, prompted by the Turkish-Cypriot ...continue
4 responses - Posted 03.25.11
(Editor’s Note: A recent article about a spat between Turkey and Greek Cyprus over who owns the rights to claim lahmacun as their own got us thinking about those minced-meat covered discs of dough and how, when done right, they really are something worth fighting over. So, prompted by the Turkish-Cypriot ...continue
Istanbul’s Top 5 Lahmacun Makers – #3: Fistik Kebap
no responses - Posted 03.23.11
(Editor’s Note: A recent article about a spat between Turkey and Greek Cyprus over who owns the rights to claim lahmacun as their own got us thinking about those minced-meat covered discs of dough and how, when done right, they really are something worth fighting over. So, prompted by the Turkish-Cypriot ...continue
no responses - Posted 03.23.11
(Editor’s Note: A recent article about a spat between Turkey and Greek Cyprus over who owns the rights to claim lahmacun as their own got us thinking about those minced-meat covered discs of dough and how, when done right, they really are something worth fighting over. So, prompted by the Turkish-Cypriot ...continue
Istanbul’s Top 5 Lahmacun Makers – #4: Öz Kilis
1 response - Posted 03.22.11
(Editor's Note: A recent article about a spat between Turkey and Greek Cyprus over who owns the rights to claim lahmacun as their own got us thinking about those minced-meat covered discs of dough and how, when done right, they really are something worth fighting over. So, prompted by the Turkish-Cypriot ...continue
1 response - Posted 03.22.11
(Editor's Note: A recent article about a spat between Turkey and Greek Cyprus over who owns the rights to claim lahmacun as their own got us thinking about those minced-meat covered discs of dough and how, when done right, they really are something worth fighting over. So, prompted by the Turkish-Cypriot ...continue
Istanbul’s Top 5 Lahmacun Makers: #5 – Ismael Kebapcısı
no responses - Posted 03.21.11
(Editor's Note: A recent article about a spat between Turkey and Greek Cyprus over who owns the rights to claim lahmacun as their own got us thinking about those minced-meat covered discs of dough and how, when done right, they really are something worth fighting over. So, prompted by the ...continue
no responses - Posted 03.21.11
(Editor's Note: A recent article about a spat between Turkey and Greek Cyprus over who owns the rights to claim lahmacun as their own got us thinking about those minced-meat covered discs of dough and how, when done right, they really are something worth fighting over. So, prompted by the ...continue
Istanbul Eats Cooks: Sabirtasi’s Icli Kofte
1 response - Posted 03.18.11
Several years back, before Istiklal became an open-air shopping mall and walking down the boulevard past Galatasaray still had a certain kind of frisson to it, reaching old man Sabirtasi’s streetside icli kofte stand felt like pulling into a safe harbor. Always standing there was the beatific Ali Bey, an ...continue
1 response - Posted 03.18.11
Several years back, before Istiklal became an open-air shopping mall and walking down the boulevard past Galatasaray still had a certain kind of frisson to it, reaching old man Sabirtasi’s streetside icli kofte stand felt like pulling into a safe harbor. Always standing there was the beatific Ali Bey, an ...continue
Sabirtasi’s Icli Kofte: Handmade in Beyoglu
no responses - Posted 03.14.11
(Editor's Note: We've recently been given access into one of Istanbul's most inner of sanctums: the kitchen of Beyoglu's Sabirtasi, where we were shown how to make the restaurant's superlative icli kofte, winner of our "Top 5 Street Foods" contest from a while back. We will be sharing the recipe ...continue
no responses - Posted 03.14.11
(Editor's Note: We've recently been given access into one of Istanbul's most inner of sanctums: the kitchen of Beyoglu's Sabirtasi, where we were shown how to make the restaurant's superlative icli kofte, winner of our "Top 5 Street Foods" contest from a while back. We will be sharing the recipe ...continue
Istanbul Eats Cooks: Zubeyir’s Eggplant Smokeout
6 responses - Posted 01.21.11
(Editor’s Note: As much as we love eating out, sometimes nothing can beat a home-cooked meal. But recently we started thinking about killing two birds with one stone and learning how to make at home dishes from some of our favorite Istanbul restaurants. With that in mind, we are happy ...continue
6 responses - Posted 01.21.11
(Editor’s Note: As much as we love eating out, sometimes nothing can beat a home-cooked meal. But recently we started thinking about killing two birds with one stone and learning how to make at home dishes from some of our favorite Istanbul restaurants. With that in mind, we are happy ...continue
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