Friday
Kasap Osman: A Cure for Döner Fatigue
(Editor’s Note: Due to a number of reliable reports that things are slipping over at this formerly recommendable spot, we are now urging diners to approach the restaurant with lowered expectations. We will update this alert if we hear or taste otherwise.)
Though İskender kebap is a registered trademark of the famous Kebapçı İskender restaurant in Bursa, imitations are ubiquitous. In Istanbul, İskender kebab – a dish based on döner, strips of roasted lamb shaved off from a vertical spit – is almost as common as designer knock-offs in the Grand Bazaar. But unlike a $20 Dolce & Gabbana track suit with dubious stitchwork, the “pirated” İskender kebab over at Kasap Osman’s in the Sirkeci neighborhood is most certainly the real thing, if not better. Continue…
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1 response - Posted 06.12.09
Regulars at Özkonak, a well-loved fixture in Cihangir’s ever-changing restaurant scene, must cluck in disapproval at the sight of a new generation of customers who walk right past the pudding display at the front and head for the steam table and its selection of prepared savory dishes in back. Though ...continue
3 responses - Posted 06.05.09
We usually steer clear of the touristy Old City district of Kumkapı, where you are more likely to be accosted by an aggressive maitre d’ trying to corral you into his overpriced fish restaurant than to find something simple, tasty and reasonably priced to eat. Sadly, in order to beat ...continue
1 response - Posted 06.01.09
In eastern Turkey, a lamb is consumed literally from head to tail, with hardly any part of the animal going uncooked. One of the specialties from the region, particularly in the area around the picturesque city of Mardin, is kaburga – breast of lamb – a cut akin to short ...continue
2 responses - Posted 05.29.09
Sitting down for lunch at Çukurcuma Köftecisi is something like being a part of the live studio audience of a TV sitcom – with meatballs. Plotline: Three generations of an unusually tall family run a busy local restaurant with what seems like very little service industry experience but great intentions and ...continue
12 responses - Posted 05.15.09
Editor's note, Oct. 16, 2012: After getting too many notes about this place from disappointed diners who had been served substandard food or had their check inflated, we sadly need to move this fish spot onto our "no longer recommended" list. For those looking for a good fish shack on ...continue
10 responses - Posted 05.08.09
Turkey’s take on the pizza comes in two distinct varieties. There’s the Arabesque lahmacun, a round, ultra thin-crusted snack topped with a shmear of finely ground meat and seasoning. Then there’s pide, a more substantial canoe-shaped creation that’s a specialty of Turkey’s Black Sea region. continue
9 responses - Posted 05.06.09
For us, one of the highlights of spring in Istanbul is a visit to Çiya Sofrası, the Asian-side eatery that is very likely the best restaurant in Istanbul. It’s certainly not the fanciest or most cutting-edge place in town, but we rarely leave Çiya without having a profoundly new and ...continue
8 responses - Posted 05.01.09
Editor's note: In this ever-changing city, we like to rely on our usta at the oven or the grill to be there when we come in for a bite. But buildings are sold, opportunities arise across town, bankruptcy happens. One of our favorite cağ kebabı ustas even abandoned the spit for ...continue
7 responses - Posted 04.27.09
Canım Ciğerim, a very fun and tasty kebab spot in Beyoğlu’s Asmalımescit area, makes things easy. The menu only has two items from which to choose: liver, or what is simply referred to as “meat.” Before we lose any more readers, let’s talk about the first option. Turkey exists in a ...continue
13 responses - Posted 04.24.09
Editor's note: After the unfortunate collapse in February 2016 of the building that housed Köfteci Hüseyin, the business is hoping to reopen elsewhere in the neighborhood. We'll keep readers posted. In New York, consider the pizza. You’ve got Famous Ray’s Pizza, Ray’s Original Pizza, World Famous Original Ray’s Pizza and so ...continue