Ericandblueboy

On Tuesday, we took the Culinary Backstreet tour that was originally scheduled for Saturday.  We chose the Two Markets Two Continents tour because a round trip ferry to Asia is included.  This tour really is 6.5 hrs long, starting at 10 am (or 9:30 am, depending on the day of the tour).  The walk may be around 3-4 miles.  We walked much more the prior 2 days (most of the attractions are walkable - we only took a cab to Four Seasons).  

We had some simit to start, it's a tasty bread that is sold everywhere by street vendors.  Next we had a full breakfast including more bread, cheeses, olives, Turkish shakshouka, olives, tomato/spice paste (pictured).  Knowing there're lots more food, I barely ate any of the breakfast items.  We then go to a restaurant for borek, which counts as the third breakfast.  We had dry borek and wet borek (tastes like noodles, pictured).  Next we had a street snack called tantuni  - spiced ground beef in a wrap.  We had some salty yogurt drink as well, which is popular among Turks.   At this point we ferry from Karakoy to Kadikoy.  The first stop on the Asian side is for some kind of soup which didn't leave me with much of an impression.  Then we tried a sandwich made with intestines and fat (the whole thing is grilled  on a spit and the chopped up, pictured) - I actually found it kind of bland.  After all that, we went to 3 restaurants.  Restaurant #1 (Balikci Lokantasi) dished up some seafood.  The first dish is fried horse mackerel (pictured), which is what people fish for on Galata Bridge.  The next dish is somewhat unique - the preparation is generally made with skorpion fish (pictured).  It looks and tastes like a Sichuan dish - I loved it.  Next we went to a place that specialized in rice, beans and stewed beef (pictured).  It's all they do and they do it well although it's not really something that I crave.  The last place we had some mezzes and raki, or beer in my case.  I also took a Culinary Backstreet tour when I was in Athens.  They're really good - maybe a little on the expensive side.

For dinner, we went to Karakoy Lokantasi.  We weren't really hungry so we ordered 4 mezes.  First two were fried lamb liver and an avocado salad.  Next two were fried dumplings and sauteed shrimp.  Everything was pretty good but we didn't love the food, perhaps because we just weren't hungry after the food tour. 

On Wednesday, Steve went home and I explored the city on my own.  I ended up sleeping in because I finally got over jet lag (the day before I was due to fly home).  So the first thing was to find lunch and I wanted to see the Roman walls so I head in that direction.  Rick Steves recommended Siirt Şeref Buryan, a place famous for buryan, or whole lamb cooked in the ground.  I remember having such succulent whole lamb in Marrakesh that I really had to try the buryan.  Unfortunately, this restaurant's staff isn't very English friendly and I was confused by the menu.  So I pointed to my guidebook and the server then asked if I wanted 100 grams or 200 grams.  Thinking this is going to be one of many meals for me for the day, I just asked for 100 grams.  He then asked if I wanted to order a salad, which I declined.  So the buryan came on some bread and nothing else.  Perhaps I should've ordered some salad (most kebab houses have a few salads and then the meats).  I imagine it would be really delicious if I just know how to eat it properly.  

Many of the sights around the Theodosian Wall were closed for rehab.  The Chora Church was closed, the dungeon was closed and the tower next to it was closed.  The walk there and back probably broke my personal record for distanced walked in a day.  It definitely set a new record for calories burned according to my Apple watch.  I saw a conservative and non-touristy part of Istanbul including streets and streets packed full of vendors and shoppers for everything other than food.

That evening, after one last meal at Zubeyir, I went to the Galata Tower.  It sounds cheesy but the view is fantastic (I was told the bar at Mikla has a similar view).  You don't even have to climb stairs, an elevator zips you up to the 6th floor and you only have to climb a few steps after that.  

I saw few Asians other than tourists and there weren't that many Asian tourists.  I didn't see a single Chinese restaurant but I saw a couple of Thai restaurants.  Many people go to Istanbul for cosmetic surgeries such as nose jobs and hair transplants.  People are struggling there to survive with official inflation rate at 75% but more like 160% in reality according to locals.  Compared to the U.S., Istanbul is cheap to visit - just don't go to Four Seasons for French wine.  The city is densely populated but we never felt unsafe.  

The story starts with credit card fraud a few days before my trip.  I got a new card and tried to remember all the places that I used that card online.  I got most of them but forgot that I charged a food tour reservation to it.

So Thursday, we get to the airport and we cheerily started drinking champagne at the Polaris lounge (Lanson).  Clouds roll in, our 5 pm flight ended up taking off after midnight.  We arrive in Frankfurt in the afternoon on Friday, wait in a long line to figure out our next step.  United had boarding passes for us for another flight to Istanbul that day but by the time we get to the head of the line, we didn’t have time to catch the replacement flight.  And I was told I could catch a later flight that day but Steve has to wait until the next day.  So I waited at the airport only to find out the flight that they put me on is oversold.  Now I go find Steve, who had already booked a room at the Hilton, and book a room for myself at the Hilton for 369 Euros.  We ended up flying to Istanbul on Saturday afternoon – a full day later than planned.  

The ATM at the Istanbul airport charges a 10% commission.  So we said screw that and found a taxi that supposedly takes credit card.  We get to the hotel and the taxi driver says his credit card machine ran out of battery.  So we run around to find an ATM to pay the taxi driver.  We had a food tour on Saturday that’s prepaid but I managed to reschedule it by e-mail.  After getting situated, we explore the hill that is the new district of Istanbul.  The main street, Istiklal, seems to be mobbed all the time (with stores open until midnight or maybe 24 hrs).  For dinner, we decided to take in the sunset from the lower level of the Galata Bridge.  All those restaurants cater to tourists so they all have cold beer.  So I googled to find out which one is the best – Vezenan has the highest rating.  They have a display case of fresh fish - our waiter recommended a seabass that’s big enough for 2, and he offered to prepare it 2 ways, grilled and fried.  We also had some mezes of octopus (rubbery), hummus (good), mussels with rice and fried calamari.  The fried foods were nicely breaded and fried but not seasoned - this could be custom as the locals may be drinking something salty to accompany the food (according to our food tour guide from Culinary Backstreet).  The mussels and rice is really a rice dish as the mussel has been destomached and thus there's very little mussel in the shell.  Which is why this thing can be served on the streets of Istanbul by illegal vendors at highly trafficked areas.  I still wouldn't risk eating one from a street vendor though.  
 

In the meantime, the AC in my room (Hotel DeCamondo Galata) wasn’t on.  I woke up in the middle of the night to adjust the temperature but that did nothing.  There’s an on-off switch on the top of the thermostat that I missed.  Also, guests are banging around upstairs at 3 am and cats are meowing.  All these became non-issues once I turned on the AC and put in my earplugs for the rest of the trip.  It's actually quite a nice location, really close to Galata Bridge and Galata Tower. 

Sunday we hit the mosques, starting with the baddest one - the Hag.  I thought it would be open except during prayer time but it was closed when we arrived.  We waited from 9:30ish until 10.  Then everyone rushed into the courtyard and took off their shoes to go inside.  I thought I was going to gag on the smell of stinky feet.  That and they covered up all the Christian decorations and closed the second floor made our stay short-lived.  The Blue Mosque was scaffolded inside and out, so we stayed even shorter.  Slightly disappointed, we had brunch at Tarihi Sultanahmet Koftecisi.  We had the mince (kofte) and lamb shish.  Both were undersalted - we ate the kofte but generally left the lamb shish as it just wasn't very exciting. 

That afternoon we hit the Topkapi Palace.  Buy the ticket that includes the harem - definitely worth checking out.   As mentioned earlier, our Sunday night food tour was canceled because they couldn’t charge my credit card.  That evening, we had some snacks at a wine bar that only serves Turkish wines.  As it turns out, the tariff is so high, you can't get imported wine except at fancy places like Four Seasons.  We then hit Zubeyir Ocakbasi, just off of Istiklal, a place recommended by our server at the wine bar.  Again we had mince (kofte) and lamb shish.  These were wonderful.  You really need those onions to complement the  kebabs.  Best kebabs of the trip.

Monday was more schlepping around the city - Spice Market, Grand Bazaar, Mosque of Suleiman the Magnificent.  The Suleymaniye Mosque is itself magnificent - well ventilated, fewer visitors, and superb architectural design. We had brunch at Havuzlu in the Grand Bazaar.  According to Rick Steves, this is supposed to be Ottoman Imperial cuisine but for lunch it was bland food served cafeteria style.  We tried a bunch of things, didn't finish any and left.  We had some random pide (football shaped pizza) in the warrens around the Spice Market, then Şehzade Çağ Kebap, a trip to Four Seasons because Steve wants to waste money, finishing with dinner at Yeni Lokanta.  The pide is great, and very cheap.  We saw some hole in the wall that's very crowded so we squeezed in there to try it out.  Sehzade does one thing and does it very well, and it's cheap.  Yeni Lokanta is the best food we had in Istanbul.  The starters were a kofte tartar and prawn and grape leaves tempura.  The tempura was like an eggroll but made with grape leaves - delicious and different.  The entrees were beef ribs and lamb neck.  The beef ribs were especially delicious - moist and tender and incredibly tasty with mint leaves.

35 minutes ago, Keithstg said:

Fiola Mare is now a Miami restaurant (well, Coral Gables) which happens to be located in DC - adjust expectations accordingly. Maybe it always was, but the feeling that I first experienced in 2018 seems all encompassing now.

Are the Trabocchis now FL residents?  I

The peking duck here is really good.  In fact, everything is pretty good, except they were out of Lucky Buddha and didn't have the big bottles of Kloud.

On 5/20/2022 at 6:27 PM, mtureck said:

So is your problem with the service fee, or with not knowing what the service fee is?

 

Both.  I expect to tip, not pay a service fee and tip.  

This was supposed to be Peter Prime's fancier dig but he and his sister went separate ways.  Peter just signed up with Bammy's, and Jeanine Prime took over both Cane and St. James.  I was going to try this place out until I saw this on the website:

Quote

* A service fee is added to provide equitable wages and benefits to all of our staff.
Tips are also welcome and paid to servers.

I'm not sure what the service fee is (as a percentage of the check).   I'm less enthused about trying this place now - may not ever go.

Website.

Moon Rabbit and Del Mar are also good.  I haven't been to Ilili but it gets good reviews.  

No white chefs left except in last chance kitchen.

Whacky game.  It’s inexplicable how Real won.

On 4/15/2022 at 8:20 AM, Tweaked said:

I think RM v Liverpool will be a more wide open, entertaining final. City are boring. 

City vs. Real round 1 was the best game of the season so far.

Buddha clearly knows a lot about the show and cooking in general but some of the other chefs just don't want his advice - very frustrating to watch.  Shocked that Buddha was the next to last person picked in Restaurant Wars - are these people crazy?

I don’t think they offer fresh clams.  I wasn't offered a choice when I was at the Hartford location.

Buddha, Jackson and DeMarr seems to be head and shoulders above their competition, with Evelyn just a step down.  Some really not very good chefs on the show this season.  Feels like more than usual.  

There are tables for dining in?  Beer?

Champions League semi are two EPL teams vs two La Liga teams.  Man City takes on Real Madrid and Liverpool takes on Villareal.  Liverpool almost guaranteed a spot in the finals.  I think Real has been lucky to get this far - City should be in the finals.  

Really expensive brunch https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ffdbc852534fa7c0385a3ab/t/621bd8794a55c861be66e6db/1645992059172/Brunch+Menu+(Complete)+2-27-22.pdf

Not for me

$3 per oyster is the going price (sadly) except for happy hour specials.  In any case, I wouldn’t go back to Vola’s - mediocre to decent food.  I also wouldn’t go  back to Hank’s.  The Salt Line has good oysters.  Henlopen Oyster House has even better oysters.  Eventide in Portland has great oysters.

Champions League quarterfinal draw:

Chelsea vs. Real Madrid

Manchester City vs. Atletico Madrid

Villarreal vs. Bayern Munich

Liverpool vs. Benfica

Champions League semifinal draw:

Manchester City or Atletico Madrid vs. Chelsea or Real Madrid

Liverpool or Benfica vs. Villarreal or Bayern Munich

I kind of like Buddha and DeMarr.

Stayed in Chinatown (Hotel Mulberry, down the street from 3 funeral homes) for a couple of nights.  XFF was just down the street and I had always wanted to try this famous place out.  I ordered their spicy cucumbers and pork noodles.  The cucumbers were sitting in a sauce but really didn't absorb any flavor.  The noodles had great texture but I'm not a fan of their proprietary sauce - you can choose your level of spice but I'm not a huge fan of vinegary sour sauces.  Very little protein and very little veggies in the noodle dish.  Glad I tried it but will not be going back.

Went to the village location for dinner.  The lobster knuckles escargot style were delicious - albeit not quite as meaty as actual escargot.  The buttery sauce is great for dipping the accompanied grilled bread.  The pasta with clam sauce was meh - too lemony (I don't use lemon when I made pasta with white sauce).  Tasty broccoli rabe.

Went to Kossar's in LES this past weekend.  A bialy with scallion cream cheese is now $5.  I don't think it was worth $5.  It was a generous amount of cream cheese, too much than needed really.  My jaws did feel tired from chewing too.

Took a last minute road trip to Portland.  I stopped at Lamies Inn and the Old Salt Restaurant for the night on the way up.  For some reason I had this place starred on Google Map - probably because I saw it on some TV show, but the food is just good.  I didn't find the place particularly exciting.

Rolled into Portland around lunch time and I went straight to Eventide.  Started with a dozen oysters with pickled red onion ice and kimchi ice.  I love the pickled red onion ice, whereas I don't think the kimchi ice went very well at all with oysters.  Then I had fried oysters and broiled oysters (pictured).  I love that place.

Dinner was at Central Provisions - an Asian inspired restaurant.  Started with Uni Crudo, served with umeboshi sorbet.  I just looked up umeboshi - it's pickled plum-like fruit.  I thought it was weird.  Second dish was Winter Citrus salad with XO sauce, I thought the combination was great except for the very bitter citrus bites.  I also some fried pork croquettes and finished with a Lapchoung Terrine served on scallion pancake with Sichuan pickles and hoisin sauce.  I love pate and I love scallion pancakes - and I loved them together.  

Next day I went to Ramona's for a roast pork sandwich.  It was a good sandwich, filled with lots of pork and broccoli rabe, but it's not as flavorful as Tony Luke's in Philly.  Perhaps I should've gotten an Italian sub.

Dinner was at Solo Italiano, solely because they have sea urchin dishes on the menu.    The best dish was Ricci con Pane, sea urchin on toasted focaccia with shaved pecorino, and tomato pesto (pictured).  I was told the pastas are small so I ordered 2.  First came Linguine alle Veraci, made with Manila clams.  Their pastas are very good, all hand made, with good chew.   Next came Maccheroncelli Carbonara di Mare, uni emulsion, pecorino, guanciale, and a single seared gulf shrimp.  As usual, I bitch about the lack of uni flavor.  In fact, the dominant flavor is from guanciale, whereas I would've preferred equal billing.

On the last day, I went to Duck Fat for some fries and a duck confit with pate banh mi sandwich.  I think the fries were food but not better than your average frites.  I did really enjoy the pressed duck confit and pate sandwich in the style of banh mi with pickled veggies.

Dinner was at Scales, another Street restaurant (Fore, St. & Co).  This place on the water is the most light-filled Street restaurant, with lots of space, seafood displayed, and wonderful service.  I sat at the bar and started with a bowl of steamer clams with white wine broth and drawn butter.  With the steamers, I peel off the condom and remove the stomach, then swish the remains in the butter.  Then the $49 pan roasted lobster.  It's probably 1.25 lb or less, but it was really good.  Cooked but very tender, and I loved the "fines herbes" sauce.  Even the broccolini with guanciale side was delicious.  

I wish restaurants would stop serving outdoors in the cold.  Omicron is no worse than the flu.  Stop wasting energy so you don't catch the flu. 

Is the online menu not accurate?