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    Post #1 - August 17th, 2024, 11:13 am
    Post #1 - August 17th, 2024, 11:13 am Post #1 - August 17th, 2024, 11:13 am
    Anything recent? Will be there shortly and plan to eat mostly from windows and carts. But any recos for particular sit-down spots would be appreciated. JeffB
  • Post #2 - August 17th, 2024, 7:58 pm
    Post #2 - August 17th, 2024, 7:58 pm Post #2 - August 17th, 2024, 7:58 pm
    It's all good. Have simit (Turkish sesame bread rings) from a stand in the park. And find somewhere with hunkar begendi (means Sultan's delight). It has been a few years since I was in Istanbul, but no matter where I ate, the food was good.
    "All great change in America begins at the dinner table." Ronald Reagan

    http://midwestmaize.wordpress.com
  • Post #3 - August 19th, 2024, 5:13 pm
    Post #3 - August 19th, 2024, 5:13 pm Post #3 - August 19th, 2024, 5:13 pm
    Jeff,

    It's been some time since I was in Istanbul and what's left of my memory is not really functional but here's a few places:

    1. Sehza Cag Kebap- lamb roasted on a horizontal spit. Go early in your trip so you have the option of returning.

    2. Durumzade - a sandwich shop with excellent lamb kebab. I think it was on No Reservations in 2009. I snacked here every other day and brought a few sandwiches with me on my flight home.

    3. Ciya Sofrasi - Classic Turkish dishes in the Asian part of Istanbul. I had some language difficulty here, but the meal was excellent. A sit down restaurant but on the casual side.

    A few of the plcaes I ate did not survive the pandemic and others are forever lost in my memory. If you like modern art, I recall thinking the Istanbul Museum of Modern Art was worth a trip. Sorry I can't help more and hope you have a great time. Given the sorry state of the Turkish lira, I imagine that the city will be remarkably affordable.

    Cheers!
  • Post #4 - August 21st, 2024, 8:28 am
    Post #4 - August 21st, 2024, 8:28 am Post #4 - August 21st, 2024, 8:28 am
    Thank you!
  • Post #5 - August 21st, 2024, 10:46 am
    Post #5 - August 21st, 2024, 10:46 am Post #5 - August 21st, 2024, 10:46 am
    It's been a few years, but we had great luck using Culinary Backstreets' guide in Istanbul. Here's the website:

    https://culinarybackstreets.com/categor ... /istanbul/
    "There’s only one thing I hate more than lying: skim milk, which is water that’s lying about being milk."
    - Ron Swanson
  • Post #6 - October 5th, 2024, 12:56 pm
    Post #6 - October 5th, 2024, 12:56 pm Post #6 - October 5th, 2024, 12:56 pm
    My top 10 savory bites in Istanbul with one interloper, followed by some other delicious bites. I owe pretty much everything in this list to Culinary Backstreets.

    ImageWaraq enib from Saruja, a Syrian restaurant. Filled with spiced ground beef and rice and then stewed for hours in a lemony, garlicky beef broth, this is the dish I've thought about the most since my trip ended. Thoroughly addictive.

    ImageYogurt with smoked dried tomatoes and walnuts from Zerze. I had a lot of excellent yogurt in Turkey and this dish was the best.

    ImageAvşar from Tarihi Paşahan Konağı. Büryan is lamb slow roasted for hours in and underground oven. They take the drippings from that and turn it into a delicious rich fatty spiced soup. I didn't love the büryan, which may have been entirely unseasoned and the tenderness of the meat alone wasn't enough to save it, but man was this soup good.

    ImageKarnıyarı from Tarihi Şahin Lokantası is a roasted eggplant stuffed with mincemeat, onions, and spices that was completed by cacık, a yogurt/cucumber/mint concoction that I kept eating long after the eggplant was done.

    ImageAntakya Mutfağı - Tepsi kebabi (sini kebabı in Arabic) is a well seasoned mix of beef and lamb from far southern Turkey where the 2023 earthquakes were.
    ImageNot in my top 10, but the hummus from Antakya Mutfağı was really excellent.

    ImageImageKokoreç from Ozzie's 1968'Den Beri Kokoreç. Spit roasted lamb intestines that are grilled and covered in a mix of spices before serving. Tender crispy deliciousness that even people who don't think they'd like intestines would inhale.

    ImageManti from Cihangir Manticisi are covered in a yogurt sauce, a spicy tomato sauce and a sumac-heavy seasoning. I didn't catch which Central Asian country the owners come from, but I'd like to find out and visit.

    ImageI wouldn't have guessed a warm yogurt-based soup could be delicious but the antep yuvalama from Mahir Lokantası, which also has meatballs and chickpeas, that it definitely can be.

    ImageThe hünkar beğendi from Karaköy Lokantası has ridiculously tender lamb and a show-stopping mixture of mashed grilled eggplants, cheese and milk.

    ImageOn the opposite end of the difficulty to cook spectrum but on the same end of the deliciousness one were the olive oil braised artichokes with a little dill and green onion.

    Honorable Mention:

    Image
    Image
    Şehzade Cağ Kebap - cag is the lamb only precursor to doner kebabs.

    Image
    Cracker crust pizza? Nope, the lahmacun from Mahir Lokantası.

    Image
    Image
    Ezo gelin (lentil soup with oregano and red pepper) and diyarbakir guvec (lamb, eggplant and tomato stew) from Ciya Sofrasi.

    ImageKebabs from Saki Ocakbaşı Nevizade.
  • Post #7 - October 6th, 2024, 12:15 pm
    Post #7 - October 6th, 2024, 12:15 pm Post #7 - October 6th, 2024, 12:15 pm
    outstanding. I've been eagerly awaiting this post.
  • Post #8 - October 6th, 2024, 5:17 pm
    Post #8 - October 6th, 2024, 5:17 pm Post #8 - October 6th, 2024, 5:17 pm
    Wonderful report. Glad to see hünkar beğendi included -- I loved everything I ate in Turkey, but that was my absolute favorite.
    "All great change in America begins at the dinner table." Ronald Reagan

    http://midwestmaize.wordpress.com
  • Post #9 - October 7th, 2024, 5:18 am
    Post #9 - October 7th, 2024, 5:18 am Post #9 - October 7th, 2024, 5:18 am
    looks incredible, thanks for sharing
  • Post #10 - October 9th, 2024, 1:17 pm
    Post #10 - October 9th, 2024, 1:17 pm Post #10 - October 9th, 2024, 1:17 pm
    I wouldn't have guessed a warm yogurt-based soup could be delicious but the antep yuvalama from Mahir Lokantası, which also has meatballs and chickpeas, that it definitely can be.

    I have the soup base for this, but never really knew what recipe it supported. This menu item helped unravel this mystery to me.

    Thanks!

    Regards,
    Cathy2
    Cathy2

    "You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
    Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways,
  • Post #11 - October 12th, 2024, 10:25 am
    Post #11 - October 12th, 2024, 10:25 am Post #11 - October 12th, 2024, 10:25 am
    Sweets of Istanbul. Once again, starting with the top 10 (in no particular order) followed a few more delicious ones because why not.

    ImageAyva tatlısı, candied quince with kaymak (Turkish clotted cream typically made with water buffalo milk). From Sakarya Tatlıcısı.

    ImageAlso from Sakarya Tatlıcısı was this cherry cake with kaymak (name unknown).

    ImageKaymak with honey from Karaköy Muhallebicisi

    ImageAcıbadem kurabiyesi, a cookie made from almond, hazelnut, sugar and egg whites from Cihangir Tarihi Simit Fırını

    Image
    Image
    ImageA trio from Hafiz Mustafa. Both the regular baklava and chocolate (more like cocoa) baklava were fantastic but neither held a candle to the pomegranate Ottoman kadayif, which is a combo of kadayif and pomegranate pistachio Turkish delight. Hafiz Mustafa has multiple locations in Istanbul and has outlets in Dubai and London. No idea if expansion has lowered the quality but I do know that I tried baklava and Turkish delights at several places in Turkey and the difference was very clear.

    ImageDried figs and apricots are available all year, but they're at their freshest in the fall, which meant a combination of chewiness and almost juiciness. The apricots were great but those figs were on another level altogether.

    ImageChestnut and banana (different scoops) super stretchy Turkish ice cream from Meşhur Dondurmacı Ali Usta.

    ImageJallab from Saruja Restoran. This might have been my first time having jallab so I have no idea how this compares to others. I do know that it was a wonderfully fragrant drink that I'd guzzle if given the opportunity.

    Honorable mention:

    ImageKadayıf dolması from Şehzade Cağ Kebap

    ImageI have no idea what this is called. I stopped into a little Syrian grocery store and couldn't not buy some candy imported from Syria. As is to be expected given what's going on in Syria, these were not elaborate. The marshmallow-like fish weren't great but I really did like the meringue-ish shoes. There were very subtle flavor differences between the different colors.

    ImageThis hibiscus sherbet from Çiya Sofrası put even the best Mexican jamaica I've had to shame. Not nearly as sweet and much more floral.
  • Post #12 - October 13th, 2024, 6:14 pm
    Post #12 - October 13th, 2024, 6:14 pm Post #12 - October 13th, 2024, 6:14 pm
    I tried some Turkish ice cream when I was in Istsnbul. It ended up in the trash, as it did not scratch my ice cream itch. I think I ended up at Shake Shack, for something more familiar.
  • Post #13 - October 14th, 2024, 12:18 pm
    Post #13 - October 14th, 2024, 12:18 pm Post #13 - October 14th, 2024, 12:18 pm
    deesher wrote:I tried some Turkish ice cream when I was in Istanbul. It ended up in the trash, as it did not scratch my ice cream itch. I think I ended up at Shake Shack, for something more familiar.
    Yeah, it's definitely a bit different from the creamy, soft/melty stuff we're used to. Mastic and salep, the starchy root of wild orchids, will do that I guess. Either way, the strong natural chestnut and banana flavors made both of these scoops winners even if, like you, I'd prefer something in the ice cream (non-Turkish)/custard/gelato categories.
  • Post #14 - October 14th, 2024, 12:32 pm
    Post #14 - October 14th, 2024, 12:32 pm Post #14 - October 14th, 2024, 12:32 pm
    No sense in giving Izmir it's own thread. Few enough Americans go to Turkey and Izmir, despite being the third biggest city in the country and having a fascinating multicultural history, rarely make most itineraries other than possibly as a place to stop between Ephesus and Istanbul.

    Here were my top bites from Izmir:

    ImageŞambali aka Damascus Cake is an Izmir specialty. Something made with just semolina, sugar, yogurt, and milk shouldn't be so flavorful and have different textures, but Hisarönü Şambalicisi has been at it since 1942 and they're making magic.

    ImageSöğüş is another Izmir specialty. No eyeballs but the rest of the head (cheek, brain, tongue) is used to make this sandwich, which is served cold. I got it at Hisarönü Söğüşçüüsü mostly out of curiosity but it was legitimately really good.

    ImageProof that it was brain. Apparently the EU has some issues with brain so some folks are worried that if Turkey joins, söğüş will be much less readily available.

    ImageFive different cuts of lamb from Sevince Restaurant, all seasoned and cooked perfectly.

    ImageKumru is yet another Izmir specialty. Apparently there are meat ones but the tomato and cheese one I had at Alsancak Gevrek Fırını was perfect as is. The cheese was fine and the roasted tomato was great but it was the fresh baked bread, with chickpea sourdough involved, that made this one stand out

    ImageImageMidye in Izmir (they're different in Istanbul) are mussels stuffed with a peppery sticky rice. I was too full to eat them as intended - a night time street food - but I suspect the ones I got for lunch at Lop Lop were a step above those.

    ImageBoyoz from Alsancak Dostlar Fırını. I mentioned the multicultural history of Izmir. That once included a decent sized Jewish community (following getting the boot from Spain and Portugal) and boyoz, a pastry of Sephardic Jewish origin, remains a beloved snack even as the Jewish population has declined significantly. I have no idea why hard boiled eggs are the common side, but they did work with the very flaky bread. I got a plain one but various types of filled ones (sweet and savory) were available.

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