Istanbul photos

No, I haven't just been to Istanbul. But I called up my sister the other day and her husband said "She's not here right now, she's in Istanbul." I have learned not to be totally surprised by such things.

Anyway, here are a few food pics she posted. She's not totally fanatic like me, so they aren't rapturous closeups, but they're flavorful nonetheless, I think you'll agree.

if anyone is even thinking about going to Istanbul, go!!!!!

Mrs Sweet Willie and I went last Thanksgiving, weather was terrific so were the people. I can't recall if I wrote up our food experiences or not

Agreed. Istanbul -- and Turkey in general -- is a great destination. For food, it was a crossroads and the end of the Spice Road, so lots of tempting delights. Of course, for those who go beyond food, there is an amazing amount of history (from the Trojan War to Gallipoli, Ephesus to Ottomans -- plus of course loads of food history), glorious scenery, fabulous museums, and splendid palaces. There's also great shopping, from the glorious Spice Bazaar (which sells lots more than spice) to the rug vendors (who are everywhere) to the overwhelming Grand Bazaar to the tile makers (gorgeous decorative tiles) and potters (make sure you ask if the glaze is lead-free), there is no end of delightful opportunities to part with money.

One recommendation is to look for a small, private hotel in the Sultanahmet section of town. These are fabulously well located for sightseeing, include breakfast, usually have roof-top breakfast rooms with views of the sea of Marmara, and are much cheaper than the big hotels. One example is the Hotel Taskonak, which is where I stayed, but it''s one among many in an area that used to be the posh part of town for wealthy folks who wanted to live close to the nearby Topkapi Palace. The one-time mansions are now hotels.

http://www.tashkonak.com/index.html

Mike, I think your sister has a bright future here at LTH. We offer a generous culinary benefits package. . . and there will be some travel involved.

This post brought back memories of a visit to Turkey in 1986. We took the one possible boat route from Greece, but that is a whole 'nother story. Anyway, the ice cream vendor might be selling the Turkish ice cream made with orchid which has been discussed in another thread here. I believe that they use powdered orchid root to give the ice cream a stretchy quality. I didn't try it (it was breakfast and I wasn't with LTH types, so I feared judgment indulging in ice cream, even in the name of science, at that hour.) However, I do clearly recall the squared-off spatula similar to the one shown in this thread being used to break off servings of the stretchy ice cream-- a round scoop just would not do the job.

At first I was wondering if the guy with the samovar backpack was selling hookah hits. There were quite a few hookah opportunities, and, at least during that era, everyone smoked the way Americans did in the 50's and Danes did when I visited there in 1999: even the father with the baby on his lap lit up. In any case, I had never seen a hookah bar before, so it impressed me to see the men sitting around the communal pipe. Now all I have to do is hike west on Lawrence Avenue to see the same scene.

The pictures of the spice shops reminded me of the complex, subtle spicing of Turkish food. One dish of eggs cooked in tomato sauce with bulghur was particularly memorable with hints of cinnamon and turmeric. I may or may not have brought some Turkish saffron home under the radar of the customs inspectors -- I just do not recall.

As it happens, I visited Turkish Cuisine and Bakery on North Clark last week. The place has been there "forever" (to me that means since 1993 or so) and it seemed LLShatkin's Reader review had also been framed and posted at the entrance quite awhile ago. Although the surfaces and ventilation could use some updating, I had a very enjoyable lunch special of pureed lentil soup, cucumber-tomato salad with onion, and a half-portion of doner kebab with rice, described to me by the waiter as "Turkish gyros." Service was attentive and bread was clearly fresh, and, I confirmed, made on the premises. The tab was $7.50 including tax.

I also learned that if you are willing to wait about 15 minutes, they make firindan to order. Firindan are Turkish stuffed pies (pide) filled with feta, ground beef, kaseri, sausage and cheese, three cheese and eggs, mixed vegetables, or cubed beef, onions and tomatoes. In my experience, the dough is somewhat like burek dough--thicker than a filo. I will definitely go back to try these, as well as the tubular crispy filo pastry, sigara boregi. The waiter also mentioned that if you call ahead they can make up your pies to be ready when you arrive. But be warned: there is live music on Fridays and Saturdays.

The sigara dough, Turkish feta and kaseri are also available at Marketplace on Oakton in Skokie.

Turkish Cuisine and Bakery
5605 N. Clark
(773)878-8930
www.turkishcuisine.net