Aug 27
Friday
The Esnaf Nouveau: Blue Collar Food, White Collar Style
In the rapidly developing Istanbul district of Beyoglu, a new concept restaurant is born everyday – Korean fried chicken, construct your own canapé, a restaurant claiming to serve the widest variety soups in the world, etc. If a place makes it past infancy, pirated versions of the original are sure to follow. The market is thriving and those who live, work or play in Beyoglu drive it with an insatiable appetite for something new.
But even as the average Beyoglu working stiff profile shifts from a spackle-spattered demographic to one which smells of L’Occitane products, certain dietary habits never change. It might as well be written in the Turkish constitution that all working people are entitled to an inexpensive lunch of daily specials roughly estimating the home-cooked meals that mom prepares. This is the right of the esnaf, or tradesmen. Continue…
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Quick Look
Recent Posts
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Inciralti: Meyhane Time Machine
1 response - Posted 08.30.10
We like to think of Inciralti, a laid back meyhane in the sleepy Bosphorus-side Beylerbeyi neighborhood, as a destination restaurant – not so much because of the food, but because of the destination itself. Not that there’s anything wrong with the food here, which is reliably well made. The meze tray at Inciralti (which means “under the fig tree” in Turkish) ... continue -
The Esnaf Nouveau: Blue Collar Food, White Collar Style
no responses - Posted 08.27.10
In the rapidly developing Istanbul district of Beyoglu, a new concept restaurant is born everyday – Korean fried chicken, construct your own canapé, a restaurant claiming to serve the widest variety soups in the world, etc. If a place makes it past infancy, pirated versions of the original are sure to follow. The market is thriving and those who live, ... continue -
Istanbul Eats Walks!
2 responses - Posted 08.26.10
We are happy to announce the start of our culinary walks program! Turkish cuisine, like Turkey itself, channels cultural currents coming in from every direction, resulting in the delicious culinary chaos that is Istanbul. Turks, Greeks, Arabs, Persians and countless others have passed through here, leaving an indelible stamp on the cuisine. Historians speak of the “layered” nature of the city; ... continue -
Brews With Views
3 responses - Posted 08.23.10
(Editor's Note: we first ran this roundup last summer, but we're bringing it back for those who may have not found it in our archive.) The mojito may go the way of the grasshopper and other forgotten cocktails, but a cold beer accompanied by a panoramic view of the waters and hills of Istanbul will never go out of style. Though ... continue -
Istanbul Eats on the Road: Breakfast in Bursa
no responses - Posted 08.20.10
With all of the hype around Bursa’s claim to fame, the Iskender kebab, you’d think Bursans persisted on a diet of thinly sliced doner, pide, tomato sauce and frothy melted butter. But in between the spinning meat-sicles, the very icon of Turkish fast food, the markets of Bursa offer a bounty of traditional syrupy sweets, fresh fruits and berries, farm ... continue -
Read the Blog, Buy the Book
1 response - Posted 08.18.10
We're happy to announce that we are now taking orders from anyone outside of Turkey that wants to buy our book. All you have to do is click "Buy the Book Now" button on the ad on the right. Books cost $15, which includes shipping to anywhere in Europe or the United States and Canada. Payment is via PayPal. continue -
Ramadan’s Iftar: The Break Fast of Champions
no responses - Posted 08.16.10
Think of Ramadan as a kind of month-long biathalon that consists of an all-day race to beat back the hunger and thirst of fasting, followed by an all-night marathon of eating and drinking in order to fortify the body for the next day’s fast. In recent years in Turkey, iftar, the traditional break fast meal that used to mostly consist ... continue
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Inciralti: Meyhane Time Machine
The Istanbul Eats Book
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All entries filed under this archive
Istanbul Eats on the Road: Breakfast in Bursa
no responses - Posted 08.20.10
With all of the hype around Bursa’s claim to fame, the Iskender kebab, you’d think Bursans persisted on a diet of thinly sliced doner, pide, tomato sauce and frothy melted butter. But in between the spinning meat-sicles, the very icon of Turkish fast food, the markets of Bursa offer a ...continue
no responses - Posted 08.20.10
With all of the hype around Bursa’s claim to fame, the Iskender kebab, you’d think Bursans persisted on a diet of thinly sliced doner, pide, tomato sauce and frothy melted butter. But in between the spinning meat-sicles, the very icon of Turkish fast food, the markets of Bursa offer a ...continue
Baylan Pastanesi: A Slice of History
4 responses - Posted 07.23.10
The roaring twenties: flappers in the Pera Palas Hotel were dancing the can-can, Art Deco was all the rage, the Turkish Republic was born. Hope, progress and newness double stepped to the beat of Kemal Ataturk’s drum. This was the backdrop to which two Istanbul bakers, Filip and Yorgi, opened ...continue
4 responses - Posted 07.23.10
The roaring twenties: flappers in the Pera Palas Hotel were dancing the can-can, Art Deco was all the rage, the Turkish Republic was born. Hope, progress and newness double stepped to the beat of Kemal Ataturk’s drum. This was the backdrop to which two Istanbul bakers, Filip and Yorgi, opened ...continue
Buyukada Hi-Lo
3 responses - Posted 07.19.10
If it’s because of showing visitors around or simply a desire to get away from the city for the day, we can usually count on at least one visit a summer to Buyukada, the largest of the Princes’ Islands. But as much as we like looking at the car-free island’s Victorian ...continue
3 responses - Posted 07.19.10
If it’s because of showing visitors around or simply a desire to get away from the city for the day, we can usually count on at least one visit a summer to Buyukada, the largest of the Princes’ Islands. But as much as we like looking at the car-free island’s Victorian ...continue
Gozleme Organik: Don’t Call it a Pancake
no responses - Posted 07.16.10
“You’re going to make mine thin,” said an old man with Coke bottle glasses. “Not too thin, it will break. We load these full of stuff, sir, and it’s all organic!” replied Hacer hanim. “Whatever, just make mine thin and put some cheese in there,” the man grumbled. Hacer hanim turned her back ...continue
no responses - Posted 07.16.10
“You’re going to make mine thin,” said an old man with Coke bottle glasses. “Not too thin, it will break. We load these full of stuff, sir, and it’s all organic!” replied Hacer hanim. “Whatever, just make mine thin and put some cheese in there,” the man grumbled. Hacer hanim turned her back ...continue
Fish: Mmmm…Meze!
3 responses - Posted 07.09.10
“D’oh!” we said with a wince when we spotted the Ferrari parked in front of Fish, the restaurant we were heading to for dinner. It may have been the lucky day for the valet parkers who crowded around snapping pictures with their cell phones, but for us it meant certain ...continue
3 responses - Posted 07.09.10
“D’oh!” we said with a wince when we spotted the Ferrari parked in front of Fish, the restaurant we were heading to for dinner. It may have been the lucky day for the valet parkers who crowded around snapping pictures with their cell phones, but for us it meant certain ...continue
Pamuk Usta’s Nohut Durum: Garbanzo Gone Gonzo
2 responses - Posted 06.21.10
In previous posts, we’ve reported on the unusual eating habits in Turkey’s hot and dusty southeast. In Gaziantep, we noted the “wake and flake” baklava breakfast. In Urfa it was a morning dose of grilled liver. But in the town of Nizip (and elsewhere in the area), the favored first ...continue
2 responses - Posted 06.21.10
In previous posts, we’ve reported on the unusual eating habits in Turkey’s hot and dusty southeast. In Gaziantep, we noted the “wake and flake” baklava breakfast. In Urfa it was a morning dose of grilled liver. But in the town of Nizip (and elsewhere in the area), the favored first ...continue
Şahin Lokantasi: Edible Complex
4 responses - Posted 03.26.10
For Turks, mealtime is often a complicated emotional drama, one that revolves around a lifelong effort to return to the culinary womb – in other words, their mother’s kitchen. In Turkey, mom’s cooking sets the standard by which all others are judged and, truth be told, some of the finest ...continue
4 responses - Posted 03.26.10
For Turks, mealtime is often a complicated emotional drama, one that revolves around a lifelong effort to return to the culinary womb – in other words, their mother’s kitchen. In Turkey, mom’s cooking sets the standard by which all others are judged and, truth be told, some of the finest ...continue
Uçuncu Mevki: Student Fare
2 responses - Posted 03.12.10
In Istanbul, the plight of the ogrenci, or student, is felt by most vendors. “C’mon we’re students,” is a familiar bargaining mantra that applies to the purchase of a jean jacket, bus tickets and just about everything in between. No need to pull that routine at Uçuncu Mevki, a homey ...continue
2 responses - Posted 03.12.10
In Istanbul, the plight of the ogrenci, or student, is felt by most vendors. “C’mon we’re students,” is a familiar bargaining mantra that applies to the purchase of a jean jacket, bus tickets and just about everything in between. No need to pull that routine at Uçuncu Mevki, a homey ...continue
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