Category Archives: Istanbul

Happy Bayram! A Guide To International Groceries In Austin Texas

Posted on August 18, 2012 by RL Reeves Jr

When I began preparing for my journeys through Istanbul, I dove headfirst into thick tomes on the culture of the city. I quickly discovered that Turkey is a secular country with topless beaches, loud heavy metal concerts, couples making out … Continue reading →

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Istanbul Restaurants: Where The Turks Eat by RL Reeves Jr. Lentil Soup-Mercimek Corbasi

Posted on July 1, 2012 by RL Reeves Jr

The Turks know their soup. Many restaurants open early in the morning so workers can dash in for a bowl of  çorbası before they begin their daily affairs. Every restaurant, no matter how humble or grand offers at least one … Continue reading →

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Istanbul Restaurants: Where The Turks Eat by RL Reeves Jr

Posted on June 26, 2012 by RL Reeves Jr

You can’t walk twenty feet in Istanbul without being presented with a glorious picture taking opportunity. If you enjoy urban hiking, eating street food and shooting endless photos, then Istanbul has no peer among the world’s cities. We’re down to … Continue reading →

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Istanbul Restaurants: Where The Turks Eat

Posted on June 20, 2012 by RL Reeves Jr

Hamsi is the most fabled of all the fishes sold in restaurants in Istanbul. The diminutive anchovy can be bought at cafes ranging from the high end { Four Seasons} to the most downmarket you can imagine: fishermen selling them … Continue reading →

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Istanbul Restaurants: Where The Turks Eat

Posted on June 18, 2012 by RL Reeves Jr

Mapping out my first voyage to Istanbul I quickly vectored in on Sultanahmet as the best place to stay for week 1 of a two week stay. Admittedly, this is not where you’re going to have the best options as … Continue reading →

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Istanbul Restaurants: Where The Turks Eat

Posted on June 16, 2012 by RL Reeves Jr

As the release of my guide {Istanbul Restaurants: Where The Turks Eat} on where to eat in Istanbul, prepares to come to fruition, I’m going to be posting photos  taken during my research visits. This is the first restaurant I … Continue reading →

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Istanbul Restaurants: Where The Turks Eat

Posted on June 15, 2012 by RL Reeves Jr

The book that’s been a project for 3 years is set to come out. I’m going to start putting up lots of pictures from my research trips to Istanbul in celebration of finally, finally finishing this work. The first photo … Continue reading →

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Istanbul Confidential Part 3. Drinking Under The Radar: Sahil Cafe

Posted on December 15, 2011 by RL Reeves Jr

Walking north from Istanbul’s Karakoy neighborhood along the  eastern shore of The Golden Horn, an estuary that is also the world’s largest harbor, you eventually leave the maritime warehouse district and come upon the Ataturk bridge. As you walk westward … Continue reading →

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Oh To Be Sailing Down The Golden Horn In Istanbul Turkiye

Posted on December 9, 2011 by RL Reeves Jr

              If you ever have the slightest opportunity to visit Istanbul seize it. This is a photo of the sun going down on the Golden Horn, an estuary that bisects the city. If Turkiye … Continue reading →

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Letter From an Istanbul Kitchen Part Ten: Gaziantep’Li Baklavaci Bilgeoglu

Posted on December 5, 2011 by RL Reeves Jr

Traipsing through Moda on the Asian side of Istanbul I was searching for a Mexican. Back in Texas I’d heard that an hombre had moved over to these parts, settled down with a Turkish gal and went ahead and opened … Continue reading →

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Letter From an Istanbul Kitchen Part Nine: Durumzade. Open All Night In Beyoglu

Posted on December 3, 2011 by RL Reeves Jr

After many, many hard nights of drinking and dancing at Araf Cafe in Istanbul’s Beyoglu neighborhood I had to have sustenance to sustain me inspite of the fact I was walking back to my hotel with little else to do … Continue reading →

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Deemed Unpublishable: Top Istanbul Bites: Mullets, Ram Testicles and Turkish Hillbilly Cuisine

Posted on January 12, 2011 by RL Reeves Jr

Kicked back in Austin Texas with an ice cold can of Pearl beer and Lefty Frizzell playing on the hi fi is as good setting as any for reflecting back on my two week run-up through Istanbul’s dining scene a … Continue reading →

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Letter From an Istanbul Kitchen Part Eight: Haci Abdullah. Ottoman Steamline Cuisine

Posted on September 20, 2010 by RL Reeves Jr

Contrasts abound at Haci Abdullah the venerable [ 1888 ] Beyoglu cafeteria. Yes, it’s billed as Ottoman palace cuisine and yes its kitchen shows a careful hand with the classics. A shank of lamb braised with tomatoes, okra and potatoes … Continue reading →

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Letter From An Istanbul Kitchen Part Seven: Lades 2. A Diner In The Beyoglu

Posted on September 13, 2010 by RL Reeves Jr

I have a passion for soup. I make 6 quarts a week [that’s the size of my kettle] and have done so for the last several years. My friends are big eaters and they need good soup for sustenance. Lades … Continue reading →

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Letter From an Istanbul Kitchen Part 6: Orhan’s Sucuk Stand. 25 Years of Sausage

Posted on July 26, 2010 by RL Reeves Jr

On a cold Winters night in Istanbul, Zubeyir, the Kurdish meat house, is sold out and my dreams of lamb ribs are evaporating into the nether. So it goes on a busy Friday night in the Beyoglu. My mind awhirl … Continue reading →

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Letter From an Istanbul Kitchen Part 5: Adem Baba. Fish Masters of Arnavutkoy

Posted on July 24, 2010 by RL Reeves Jr

Like Galatoires in New Orleans Louisiana, Adem Baba puts a piece of fish on a plate and says “there’s your fish now eat it”. The restraint is admirable, the fish impeccable and the service beautifully understated. The proximity of a … Continue reading →

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Letter From An Istanbul Kitchen Part 4: Abracadabra Runs Out of Tricks

Posted on July 19, 2010 by RL Reeves Jr

Abracadabra is the most anticipated restaurant on my Istanbul trip. I’ve read the accounts of Dilara Erbay’s wizardry in the kitchen and I’m foaming at the mouth to get at her food. But the part where the rubber meets the … Continue reading →

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Letter From An Istanbul Kitchen Part 3: Pera Sisore. Tuscaloosa Comes to Beyoglu

Posted on June 29, 2010 by RL Reeves Jr

When planning my trip to Istanbul I envisioned eating the Turks’  version of soul food. I read this article: Pera Sisore: Black Sea Magic on the Istanbul Eats website, and it convinced me that indeed, good soul food can be … Continue reading →

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Letter From An Istanbul Kitchen Part 2: Van Kahvalti Evi. Short Order Kurds in Cihangir

Posted on June 21, 2010 by RL Reeves Jr

I can eat breakfast morning, noon and night. The traditional Turkish breakfast however {bread, jam, olives and cheese} leaves me cold. I was raised in the American South and our custom dictates fried eggs, country ham, grits, sawmill gravy and … Continue reading →

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Letter From An Istanbul Kitchen Part 1: Kasap Osman. Osman the Butcher Plys His Meat Trade in Sirkeci

Posted on June 20, 2010 by RL Reeves Jr

I researched restaurants quite a bit before coming to Istanbul. I first read about Kasap Osman on Istanbul Eats  {http://istanbuleats.com/2009/06/kasap-osman-a-cure-for-doner-fatigue/ } When the cabbie offers to take me to Sirkeci for 25 lira, I nearly bust a gut. I’m in … Continue reading →

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