It never stops, even if I do.

Sorry, if any of you care, that I have not been as punctual as usual.

Visitors, visitors, visitors. That means much more eating, but much less posting.

So --

We have the late night "wet burger" -- a specialty found throughout the city for those who need a burst of energy or just something warm and moist as the night winds down. This burger awaits you in a warm, moist chamber.




This pseudo-sloppy joe, not overflowing with ground meat but instead just filled with juicy hunks is manageable, soft, and pleasing. Won't spill onto your favorite going-out-fit, I can promise that... unless you are a real sloppy joe.

PS -- the wet burger is only improved when the burger man decides to add french fries and tomato to it. (not photographed). mmmm mmmmm !



Next, lets rock and roll with a delicious lunch, devoured near the Bosphorus on a rainy day. A nice Turkish sampler...




Comprised of: cucumber-tomato salad, stewed eggplant-tomato salad, roasted red peppers with walnuts, cous-cous balls (amazingly spiced, carefully shaped), a fried rice and lamb ball (I know there is a name but I'm really not in research mode right now, sorry), and two mussels (a common street food here, mussels stuffed with spiced rice, usually served chilled are squirted with lemon). This restaurant knew how to season -- each bite had much more to say than expected.

So I just had to shut up and listen.





That's the lamb/rice situation with some stolen tomato-y/oily yogurt from...




That's right friends! Fresh Manti !!! MM MM MM. You should have seen how he doused these soft, buttery babies in thick yogurt followed by a light tomato sauce. With plenty left over for bread dippin'. Success. Nothing like having a warm dumpling/ravioli in your mouth, honestly. Definitely achieved what mine lacked in softness and meatiness.


Finally, shamefully admitted -- my first tavuk doner ! (Chicken doner)
My faith in cheap food glows with pride. Delicious giant english muffin (that means REAL english muffin, not Thomas'; all the good qualities, none of the bad), freshly roasted chicken, it's rotating slowly for hours, tomato, onion. My simple request for cabbage and lemon kicked this baby up one more notch, in my opinion. Quite enjoyable, quite affordable. But where was the hot red pepper?





And with that, iyi aksamlar until the next.

PS: delicious vertically oriented meatballs for lunch.
PPS: Went to a gourmet grocery store, and got to taste a stuffed grape leaf (!), a cream puff, and a small chocolate cake full of pudding.

Istanbul rocks.