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Posts Tagged ‘ grill ’

Jun 02
Saturday

Asmalı Cavit: Special Orders Don’t Upset Them

Filed under Reviews (Eats)


We can’t prove it, but we suspect a network of tunnels lie underfoot in Beyoğlu connecting most of the meyhanes of Asmalımescit and Nevizade sokak to the same mediocre kitchen. We have tasted the haydari, patlıcan salatası, pilaki and lakerda at scores of meyhanes in this little dining district. Most are good enough when the rakı is flowing but none are outstanding. Following a number of tips, our search for a standout meyhane led us to the unassuming Asmalı Cavit on Asmalımescit Caddesi, where we’ve consistently had outstanding meals. Here we found a traditional meyhane bucking the trend toward mediocrity with subtle but significant tweaks that, for us, make the meal. Continue…

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All entries filed under this archive


Istanbul Eats on the Road: Rotterdam’s Multiculti “Kapsalon”
3 responses - Posted 05.24.12
In Rotterdam, one of Europe’s most culturally mixed cities, you’d expect a more diverse street food scene. The Rotterdam diet does embrace shwarma, Vietnamese spring rolls and Turkish lahmacun, but then Dutchifies the food by dousing it with liberal squirts of mayo. Due to cultural assimilation or by catering to ...continue
Şeyhmus Kebab: The Rhythm of the Knife
3 responses - Posted 03.26.12
We’ve committed a lot of space on this blog to identifying the taste, smell and sight of a seriously good kebab, but it was not until we sat in Şeyhmus Kebap Evi (on a tip from chef Gencay over at Meze) that we came to know what delicious kebab actually ...continue
Bahar Lokantası (AKA “Mehmet Usta”): Have It His Way
no responses - Posted 03.12.12
Last week, we wrote about our new favorite cake from Fatih Sarmacısı. We’d had our eye on this vintage-looking cake shop for quite a while but hadn’t had the chance to stop in for a slice and really explore the area until recently. It was lunchtime when we set out ...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
Urfa Şark Sofrası: Bleating Good
2 responses - Posted 11.14.11
On a narrow alley just beyond the back gate of the Hırdavatçılar Çarşısı in Karaköy, 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 ...continue
Hamsi: Six Favorite Spots to Eat the Little Fish
4 responses - Posted 10.31.11
The arrival of fall in Istanbul for us usually means just one thing: hamsi season is about to begin. Hamsi, of course, are the minuscule fish (Black Sea anchovies) that Istanbulites are mad for, and the coming of fall and the further cooling of the Black Sea’s waters mark the ...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
Merih Restaurant: Home Sweet Meyhane
no responses - Posted 09.28.11
A recent first-time visit to Merih Restaurant, a deservedly well-loved meyhane just outside Beyoğlu's Balık Pazarı, left us wondering what took us so long to discover this place. The restaurant’s location is partly to blame – with so many mediocre and touristy meyhanes to be found in the Balık Pazarı, ...continue
Hayri Balık: Fishy Business
no responses - Posted 09.12.11
We always feel a bit like a cheating spouse when we walk past our longtime favorite – albeit dry – fish spot, Arnavutköy’s Adem Baba, towards Hayri Balık, a lovely little fish shack up the street. But sometimes, well after the brunching hour, we like to have something a little ...continue
Istanbul Eats on the Road: Putting the “Pit” Back into Pit Stop
1 response - Posted 07.01.11
When traveling by bus in Turkey, we tend to get anxious as the dinner hour approaches. As the bus downshifts, through the mesh shades we see a gleaming rest area/cafeteria/gas station/carwash facility specifically constructed for cross-country bus traffic. We feel trapped, robbed of the chance to eat at a local ...continue

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