Jun 07
Monday
Bilse Restaurant: Paleo Kebab
(Editor’s Note: A reader has written in to inform us that due to a lack of demand, this restaurant is no longer serving cağ Kebab. For those interested in trying this great meat dish, Şehzade Erzurum Cağ Kebabi in Sirkeci is worth a try. It has great cağ and a steady stream of customers, so we are fairly certain it’s here to stay.)
We’ve written previously in fairly rapturous terms about cağ kebab, a meat-lovers specialty that hails from the eastern Turkish city of Erzurum.
As human beings did, roasted meat on a spit at some point started standing up erect, resulting in the familiar döner kebab seen all over the Turkey and around the world. Cağ kebab, though, harkens back to a time long ago, when meat on a spit was cooked the way nature had intended it to be: horizontally. Continue…
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Quick Look
Recent Posts
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Hanging On to History: Edible Nostalgia in Samatya
no responses - Posted 05.08.18
That much of the past seems to stick to Samatya is a marvel in Istanbul, a city being rebuilt and “restored” at an alarming pace. First, there’s the question of its name. Occupying a stretch of the Marmara Sea and squeezed between the old city walls and Kumkapı, an area home to a rotating cast of eclectic restaurants, the neighborhood still ... continue -
Spring Surprises: Skewering the First Fruits in Istanbul
no responses - Posted 04.25.18
It was the first of April and an absolutely pristine Istanbul spring day, the kind where one can break a slight sweat walking up a hill then catch a cool breeze in a nearby patch of shade. Returning to the city from a lovely weekend on Büyükada, we were smitten with spring and wanted to indulge in its finest offerings. In ... continue -
Farewell, Pando: An Istanbul Culinary Legend Passes On
no responses - Posted 04.16.18
It’s Saturday around lunchtime and business as usual in the bustling Beşiktaş Çarşı neighborhood, as crowds of mostly younger people fill the narrow streets. Down on Mumcu Bakkal Sokak, a pedestrian-only street lined with miniscule shops, a line around the block has been formed by those eager to get into one of the city’s best döner spots. For many of those ... continue -
Bağdat Ocakbaşı: Licensed to Grill
no responses - Posted 04.09.18
Istanbul’s T1 tramway is relatively pleasant if you can find a seat, but borders on unbearable if you are on your feet. Back in 2015, we wrote about a trip we took from the line’s first stop all the way to one of its last, which lies way out in the district of Güngören. By the time the tram has made ... continue -
Dose & Istos Café: Greek Revival
no responses - Posted 03.30.18
A café at its best is so much more than the sum of its parts: it’s a place where people can easily mingle, share ideas, and dertleşmek, or commiserate over their troubles, all while imbibing caffeine. At the same time, it’s a place where visitors might feel an invisible thread of common beliefs connecting them, an unspoken camaraderie, even if ... continue -
Back to the Land: Urban Turks Tackle Rural Life
no responses - Posted 03.23.18
When Buket Ulukut first moved from Istanbul to a rural plot of land in the foothills of the Taurus Mountains in southern Turkey, she was leading a double life. “I’d be taking calls from clients in Europe while out amidst the rows of peppers and eggplants, hoping they didn’t hear the rooster crowing in the background,” says Ulukut, who worked in ... continue -
Semt Pazarları, Civic Life Perfected
no responses - Posted 03.09.18
“Two kilos five liraaa! Two kilos five liraaa!” bellowed a young and exuberant vendor of tomatoes to the ongoing stream of frugal-minded shoppers making their way through the snaking Tarlabaşı Sunday Market. Hundreds of sellers of fresh produce, dairy, seafood, kitchenware, clothing, smuggled tobacco, jewelry, fresh baked goods and numerous other items set up side by side in the central Istanbul ... continue
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Hanging On to History: Edible Nostalgia in Samatya
All entries filed under this archive
Istanbul Eats in Zaman
no responses - Posted 06.06.10
We recently sat down for a chat and some kofte with the good folks from the Turkish-language Zaman newspaper, where we talked our work as "taste detectives" (as the headline of the resulting article puts it) and our work in general. After the interview, we took the Zaman folks to ...continue
no responses - Posted 06.06.10
We recently sat down for a chat and some kofte with the good folks from the Turkish-language Zaman newspaper, where we talked our work as "taste detectives" (as the headline of the resulting article puts it) and our work in general. After the interview, we took the Zaman folks to ...continue
Antebi: Straight Outta Antep
8 responses - Posted 06.04.10
On Saturday afternoon, in the southeastern Turkish city of Gaziantep, our baklava was neatly wrapped with plastic and then paper, tagged “Antebi, Istanbul” in black marker and escorted to the bus station by either Levent or Bülent of Zeki İnal Baklavacısı. While we slept that night, our baklava passed through ...continue
8 responses - Posted 06.04.10
On Saturday afternoon, in the southeastern Turkish city of Gaziantep, our baklava was neatly wrapped with plastic and then paper, tagged “Antebi, Istanbul” in black marker and escorted to the bus station by either Levent or Bülent of Zeki İnal Baklavacısı. While we slept that night, our baklava passed through ...continue
Up in Smoke: Homegrown Turkish Delights
2 responses - Posted 05.20.10
Yesterday, a New York Times article, titled “Marijuana Fuels a New Kitchen Culture,” reported that some “chefs are unabashedly open about marijuana’s role in their creative and recreational lives and its effect on their restaurants.” With dishes like poutine of foie grois, cereal milk flavored soft-serve ice cream and deep-fried ...continue
2 responses - Posted 05.20.10
Yesterday, a New York Times article, titled “Marijuana Fuels a New Kitchen Culture,” reported that some “chefs are unabashedly open about marijuana’s role in their creative and recreational lives and its effect on their restaurants.” With dishes like poutine of foie grois, cereal milk flavored soft-serve ice cream and deep-fried ...continue
BBQ Chicken Café: Seoul Chicken
4 responses - Posted 05.17.10
A rather intriguing bird named BBQ Chicken Café recently landed in the heart of Istiklal Caddesi, Beyoglu’s busy pedestrian-only boulevard. A large, two-story restaurant with a big, bottle shaped character that stands outside and accosts passersby, BBQ belongs to a rapidly expanding Korean fried chicken chain whose claim to fame ...continue
4 responses - Posted 05.17.10
A rather intriguing bird named BBQ Chicken Café recently landed in the heart of Istiklal Caddesi, Beyoglu’s busy pedestrian-only boulevard. A large, two-story restaurant with a big, bottle shaped character that stands outside and accosts passersby, BBQ belongs to a rapidly expanding Korean fried chicken chain whose claim to fame ...continue
Kalpazankaya Restaurant: Paradise Found
4 responses - Posted 05.03.10
One of the great joys of spring and summertime in Istanbul is the chance to get away for a day to one of the Princes’ Islands, the car-free and forested archipelago that is a short ferry ride away from the city. continue
4 responses - Posted 05.03.10
One of the great joys of spring and summertime in Istanbul is the chance to get away for a day to one of the Princes’ Islands, the car-free and forested archipelago that is a short ferry ride away from the city. continue
Küçük Ev: Fantastic Voyage
2 responses - Posted 04.23.10
“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 ...continue
2 responses - Posted 04.23.10
“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 ...continue
The “Mesopotamian Truffle” Returns!
5 responses - Posted 04.19.10
Spring is upon us, which means that it's time to go hunting for restaurants that serve keme, an elusive fungus with a beguiling taste that we've dubbed the "Mesopotamian Truffle." Impossible to cultivate and with a season that spans only a few weeks, this specialty of southeast Turkey is worth seeking ...continue
5 responses - Posted 04.19.10
Spring is upon us, which means that it's time to go hunting for restaurants that serve keme, an elusive fungus with a beguiling taste that we've dubbed the "Mesopotamian Truffle." Impossible to cultivate and with a season that spans only a few weeks, this specialty of southeast Turkey is worth seeking ...continue
Read Between the Buns 3: Istanbul’s Burgers
4 responses - Posted 04.14.10
(Editor’s Note: We've been looking this week at some of the new burger places that have recently opened up in Istanbul. After trying out some of these new joints, our thoughts kept drifting back to the classic "Wet Burger" served by Kizilkayalar in Taksim. A true Turkish original, the "Wet ...continue
4 responses - Posted 04.14.10
(Editor’s Note: We've been looking this week at some of the new burger places that have recently opened up in Istanbul. After trying out some of these new joints, our thoughts kept drifting back to the classic "Wet Burger" served by Kizilkayalar in Taksim. A true Turkish original, the "Wet ...continue
Read Between the Buns 2: Istanbul’s Burgers
11 responses - Posted 04.13.10
(Editor’s Note: Turkey is not unfamiliar with cooking ground meat – it is the home of köfte and kebab, after all – but hamburgers (at least the kind we’re used to) have never really been part of the landscape. That seems to be changing, though. Recently, a whole new crop ...continue
11 responses - Posted 04.13.10
(Editor’s Note: Turkey is not unfamiliar with cooking ground meat – it is the home of köfte and kebab, after all – but hamburgers (at least the kind we’re used to) have never really been part of the landscape. That seems to be changing, though. Recently, a whole new crop ...continue
Read Between the Buns: Istanbul’s Burgers
9 responses - Posted 04.12.10
(Editor’s Note: Turkey is not unfamiliar with cooking ground meat – it is the home of köfte and kebab, after all – but hamburgers (at least the kind we’re used to) have never really been part of the landscape. That seems to be changing, though. Recently, a whole new crop ...continue
9 responses - Posted 04.12.10
(Editor’s Note: Turkey is not unfamiliar with cooking ground meat – it is the home of köfte and kebab, after all – but hamburgers (at least the kind we’re used to) have never really been part of the landscape. That seems to be changing, though. Recently, a whole new crop ...continue
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