Foodbuzz

Long weekend

May 22nd, 2006 | Category: Vegetarian

Thanks to the national holiday on Friday, we had a long weekend in Ä°stanbul. The weather was spectacular. On Friday, it was Mahir & Vera treating a small group of friends to an extra delicious barbeque with Vera’s tasty appetizers on the side. The red onion she baked in a clay pot was by far the tastiest red onions I have eaten in my life (bottom right).

Sweet & Sour Red Onions (Vera’s Recipe): Skin 3 medium size red onions leaving the head so that the layers stay intact. Cut the onions into 8 equal parts, mix with vinegar, mustard, honey and olive oil (2 tablespoons each), transfer to a clay pot and pop it in the oven for 40 minutes at 400 F/220 C.

Mahir Vera

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Durusu & Beyti

May 17th, 2006 | Category: Restaurants, Turkish Cuisine

Doner

After such a miserable winter, summer has finally arrived. In order to take advantage of this nice weather, friends and I spent an amazing Saturday in the open air and finished the day off with a scrumptious dinner at Beyti, which is my favorite restaurant in Istanbul.

We drove 45 minutes northwest to Durusu - a small town with a beautiful landscape. I couldn’t stop taking pictures. You can visit my Flickr page for the whole set of Durusu photos.

Beyti is one of the oldest restaurants in Ä°stanbul that serves traditional Turkish food, specializing in meat dishes. It is not your ordinary kebab restaurant. The quality of their meat is top notch and the service is impeccable. The decoration is clearly inspired by the Ottoman era. Very authentic… It is a 5 minute drive from the AtatÃ¼rk International Airport.

If you ever plan a visit to Ä°stanbul, Beyti should be at the top of your list.

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