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Best Sushi in New York?

Comments (0) | Monday, October 29, 2012

I love eating sushi. It is my favorite meal out. Not only do I love the textures but the fact that it would be too difficult to make at home makes it a delight to eat as well. I do not have the time to pick the best raw fish. A recent movie Jiro:Dreams of Sushi chronicles the life and everyday life of the most famous sushi master in Japan. A mediocre movie at best is still a pleasure to look at because it includes detailed scenes of sushi making and fish buying. There they discuss how to be the best sushi master. Apparently the process entails  distinct care for details, an eye for quality product and a taste for good food. Jiro makes his chefs taste the sushi so that they know what the best fish tastes like. 



In New York for those who live here sushi often comes as an evening or lunch delivery delight. If always hungry for me, the sushi in the box at first looks as if it will not be enough but after two rolls, the third seems like pushing it but you go for it. Personally I love a good spicy tuna and an eel avocado  I also try new rolls here and there. Now this is no comprehensive list but my journey with sushi ever since I lived here. 

When I first moved to New York -- I lived on the street of a famous sushi restaurnt: Tomoe. For the year I lived there Tomoe never lacked the lines. I went once or twice. Back then sushi was not a necessity of weekly eating and I was not a sushi connoisseur by any means. Tomoe, located in Soho, is famous for its fish so do not expect fancy rolls. The sushi resembles the sushi in Jiro -- the documentary. So good sushi but did not turn me into the sushi-fan that I am today. 


Instead it was Marumi that introduced me to the sushi culture. A small joint located in between Soho and Union Square, right by NYU -- the school I was going at the time,  Marumi is that neighborhood joint.  It is the Greenwich Village joint that plays nice jazz in the background-- always busy. You go in and its consistent. Their sushi rolls are to die for-- particularly the spicy tuna. A must also is the spicy sashimi salad and the lunch bento box. If I am not in the mood for sushi ( sometimes I will have it 3 days in a row and will need a day of) then I either go for Chirashi (sushi rice topped with fish eggs and sashmini) or the rice topped with Eel (Unagi Don). I have been there for random lunches and dinner for the past 10 years. I am yet to be disappointed.
A great photo of Marumi-courtesy of : http://newyorkdailyphoto.com/

My friends and I will go to Takahachi on 6th and Avenue A. It is a crowd favorite. It is also small. There you can indulge not just in the sushi but all the appetizers they have. The tuna tartar is amazing for example so are the salmon gyoza. Sushi rolls - creative and classic- are also good. The atmosphere is pleasant. They also have a branch in Tribeca but it attracts the banker crowd who live by there-- the Tribe outpost due that is too stuffy. 
This is the amazing sushi at Hibino. In the middle is their spicy tuna. That sauce on top is to die for. In the back is the eel pressed sushi topped with shredded eggs. 

Last but not least is Hibino-- for Hibino you have to trek to Cobble Hill- Brooklyn but it is worth the visit. This is not just neighborhood sushi restaurant. It is my favorite sushi restaurant. My bi-weekly visits leave me full and happy and when leaving with happy thoughts of my return. The atmosphere unassuming but perfect. A soft jazz playing in the background, the long sushi bar you can watch, the place is for fanatics like myself. I see people like myself who come there all the time. There are so many good things about it--(1) Obonzai--- the Japanese tapas like small dishes that changes everyday. They are made with seasonal ingredients I am yet to have a repeat. (2) the Sushi---- the Kyoto style pressed sushi is to die for--- so are the spicy tuna-- I love the pressed sushi with tuna and mackerel. (3) the place in general - is what an ideal restaurant should be -- has its own identity, has a small twist, consistenly good. If one restaurant could be our home, this is where I would stay.    

The back is the pressed tuna sushi at Hibino and in the middle are salmon avocado. 


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Cooking with Farmers Market Produce for a Dinner Party

Comments (0) | Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Coming back home I thought that I would be depressed for bit. Travelling for a while tempers with the idea of home. What I didn't take into account was the comfort of being home and how meaningful it becomes after being away from it for a while.


As our return date was August, also a nice welcome was the fresh new vegetables- this is the season for tomatoes, corn and more. Some zucchini flowers are still out. 

What is fascinating is how fresh produce is much easier to work with. As the produce tastes as itself, (which majority of store bought fruits and vegetables do not) the advantage of cooking with these ingredients is the less you have to do with them. 

We had a small dinner upcoming. With the ingredients from the farmer's market I produced a simple but filling (and mostly vegetarian/vegan) menu. 

An idea for appetizers is to do something inspired by a trip you recently took. Here is a Scandinavian starter plate I made with random stuff that reminded me of my trip to Sweden- blueberry chutney, fresh rye bread (buy a box from ikea), pickles, and Norwegian cheese


The menu included the following--- Swisschord kale borek, roasted vegetable and basil salad, heirloom corn tomatoes as appetizers-- Main course is hunkar begendi an eggplant mash usually topped with lamb but I replaced the lamb with wine cooked mushroom mix-- desert was cracked into pieces chocolate bars served next to farmers'market bought fresh rasberries. All takes few minutes to cook and rely on the natural taste of the vegetables. A few rules though: 

ALWAYS KEEP A BOTTLE OF NICE OLIVE OIL. like the fresh vegetable the nice olive oil speaks for itself.

DO NOT OVER SPICE. the key to cooking with fresh grown vegetables are to let them be. one or two spices or herbs per dish is the way to go. 
Let start with the appetizers.---

WHEN I DO THE SHOPPING LISTS I ASSUME THAT YOU HAVE BASIC SPICES SO THEY ARE NOT ON THAT LIST. TO ENSURE YOU HAVE EVERYTHING READ THROUGH THE RECIPES. 

GREENS BOREK

This is the golden color you are looking for in your borek. Topped with blacksesames it is good warm or cold!

Shopping list: Turkish yufka, a block of cheap feta, packaged or fresh greens(swiss chard, kale and spinach will work), plain yoghurt (small), 1-2 eggs, olive oil
Where does the borek come from? The South Slavs call it burek - us turks call it borek. It is almost a filo dough dish and you can make it with filo although this recipe is with yufka- turkish version of filo dough- thicker when bought in the us in vacuum packs. You can buy it online

To wet filo pieces: mix one egg, 1-2 tablespoons of oil (vegetable or olive oil), 1-2 tablespoons of unflavored yoghurt, a cup of water- whisk this combo. 

When you buy the yufka it is somewhat stuck together. You can seperate small pieces. You are trying to make layers. You should use the dough so that you put as much in the buttom as you would put on top. If the sheets seperate don't worry. Do a patch work as you wet them they will come together. Before you put your filling in a rectagular baking dish of medium to large size do two-three layers of the though in ways it would fit your pan. Each layer you lay should be topped with the liquid mixture you describe above. You can use your hands so the filling seeps through the dough. 

Filling: Mix store or farms market bought of greens of your choice. I used two bags of spinach and kale pre-packed from Trader's Joe. Add a tiny bit of water so that it wilts the greens. A spoonful of olive oil. Close and stir here and there. This should take approximately 5 minutes. Mix the greens as the parts in the bottom small down. After 5-10 minutes when your greens are cooked (1) get rid of excess water (you can drain your grains and put them back to the pot) (2) get a block of the cheapest feta you bought from the store (any kind) crumble it on top and mix when it is hot with the greens. 

Put the filling on top of the first two layers. Distribute evenly. Then put another 2-3 layers of the dough. Repeat the same way- a layer and the liquid press with your fingers make sure that the liquid is all around. Pour whatever is left of your liquid to the top layer. You can always make more of the liquid mixture if it runs out. 

Optional: top it with black sesames if you can get a hold of it. 

BLACK SESAMES ARE AMAZING FOR BAKING! 

Preheat oven at 350-375 F. Bake your borek for 40-50 minutes in a preheated oven. When the top is golden your borek is ready. 

HEIRLOOM AND CORN SALAD 

Shopping List: 3-4-5 heirloom tomates, 3-4 corns, 1 lime, olive oil


This has no recipe really. 
Buy the best heirloom tomatoes at your farmers market. Bring them home and wash them. 
Buy corn from the same market (the season is ending - be quick) 
Boil a pot of water. Add your corn (3 or so) to the boiling salted water (add salt too I forgot) and cook for 10-12 minutes in medium heat. Take the corn out of the water. Cut the kennels of the whole corn. 
Cut your heirloom tomates however you like. I usually just rid it of its hard parts and cut based on the shape of the tomatoes I have. 
Mix your corn with tomatoes. Salt it to your liking. With salt because it is based on personal taste I think less is always better. A bit of cracked pepper. Add a generous bit of good olive oil. (1-2 tablespoons not a cup by the way when I say generous) Squeeze the juice of a lime on top (I don't know why but I think lime goes better with heirlooms) IF you have it get a cilantro(fresh) Just take of 5-6 leaves and leave it on top of your already mixed salad. 

ROASTED VEGETABLE SALAD 

Shopping List: 2-3 zucchinis, 3-4 bell peppers, 4 red potatoes, 2 red onions, a bunch of fresh basil, garlic, olive oil 


I baked my farmers market bought vegetables as soon as they were bought. This was fresh zucchini and bell peppers. I revisited the market the day my dinner party was and bought some red potatoes and 2 med size red onions. Baking depends on the vegetable. High heat (400 F) is your friend and checking your vegetables is what you should do. I baked zucchini and bell peppers together (took about 30 minutes as I like a crunch on my zucchini) and cut up the potatoes in equal size and wedges from onions (took about 40 minutes) Before you bake drizzle top with coarse salt and olive oil. 
That is it. You can keep this in the refrigrator and use it for whatever. But if you are making the salad I made, mix all your roasted vegetables together. I bought fresh basil leaves and coarsely chopped about 8-10 leaves. I minced a garlic clove and added that to my nice olive oil-(1-2 tablespoons) added onto that the juice of a half a lemon. Quickly whisk and make a vinegratte. Add on top of your vegetables. Top it with the fresh basil and that is it. You have divine and filling salad. 

As for the Main Courses... 

HUNKAR BEGENDI (Eggplant Mash) 
Shopping List: 1-2 large eggplants for baking, flour, milk, butter, a bit of grated cheese (what would work: mozarella or kashkaval)

This is simple but divine. Hunkar begendi in Turkish means the king liked it and he liked it for a reason. Eggplants are used a lot in Turkey and this mash - a perfect sub for mashed potatoes tastes amazing. Great to serve with meat- if you are a faux vegetarian like myself for cleansing purposes are also a great bed for grilled or sauteed warm vegetable dish. In this case I will not include the recipe  but I just topped mine with sauteed mushrooms (portabello and crimini) with dryed thyme, salt pepper, olive oil and a touch red or white wine). 
Bake one or two  of the fat big eggplants you buy from the farmers market. Before you make make small knife marks around your eggplant letting air in. Just stick a knife in and out around the eggplant. Preheat oven in 400F. Slightly rub your egplant w olive oil and salt. Put it in. Move the eggplant to its different sides every 10-15 minutes (total around 40-50 minutes depending on the size of your eggplant) When it is cooked the hard fat eggplant should feel mushy inside. I prepare big bath of cold water with ice, squeeze a lemon inside and put the eggplants in there. Let it cool. Once cold -- cut the stem of the eggplant and clean it off its outside. The remaining insides of the eggplants you put in a cutting board and chop as fine as you can. 
In the meantime -- in a pot- melt a tablespoon of butter and add to that a tablespoon of olive oil. When hot add 2-3 tablespoons of flour. Mix and let it get golden. It should make small dough like peaks. Add to that 1/4 or so cup of milk. Mix or whisk together. Add your eggplants to that mixture. Add salt.(two three small pinches) A little bit of cracked pepper. Take handheld processor (if you do not have that pouring the mixture when not too hot to an actual food processor and pouring it back will help) Into it also add 1/4 cup of grated kashkaval or mozarella cheese. Process + Mix until it takes the consistency of mashed potatoes. Taste to make sure it is creamy and tasty. 
Top it with a steak, lamb or vegetable. 

For desert---- if you are lazy like me 

RASBERRIES WITH CHOCOLATE 


Shopping List: A box or two of rasberries, a bar of chocolate
Buy a nice bar of chocolate 
Buy a box or two of rasberries. 
Seperate the bar into pieces. Put that next to the rasberries. 


Offer tea if you want to be remembered as a nice host.  My favorite is the Harney and Sons -- Hot Cinamon Sunset tea.






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Bologna Guide

Comments (0) | Sunday, August 5, 2012

The Guide to Being Plump but Happy

Us tourists complain about tourists. The more tourist free the more valuable a place becomes. It is hard to find such place in Italy. Venice is the Prague of all year particularly in the summer. You rarely hear Italian and you pay more than 5 Euros for your slice of Pizza. The historic city is hard to spot from the crowds that seem confused from the makeup of the city. Verona is better. It is still filled with tourists. There are also areas that lack the tourists. You go to Verona for the opera. You can buy tickets for as low as 25 Euros. If you want to escape the tourists (there are still a few) you go to Bologna. Bologna is a rare Italian city - it is big enough yet it does not feel like it is made for those who visit it. Rather it is the culinary capital that lacks the loud pride such a title would give to an area. Perhaps everyone there is too full to brag.

Bologna is a walking city. The streets are narrow and are filled with historic corridors such as this one. It is also very conducive to getting lost so carry around a map with you. 
The cheese slice at Pizzeria Del Turri. 
Afternoon delights at Gamberini. Some are sweet some are salty. My favorite was the one that combined salami and blueberries in a bite.


I arrived to Bologna with little hope of a love affair. We were going to stay with my cousin who goes to university there. I thought I would walk around during the day. Instead I found a city of food. I also put on a couple pounds after the visit. They are the kind of pounds one is proud of. The extra belly is due to the one too many cheeses I ate and the fuller cheeks is a result of the daily gelato I had. Take a weekend or week and go to Bologna and do the following. I am not going to separate what to do from what to eat as they are connected in the case of this visit. If you are not a foodlover avoid Bologna as it has little to offer to those whose yet to be taken by food or for those who count the calories.

What to Do @ Bologna

Apperativos are the thing in Italy in the summer. They are small bites that are offered to you free if you order a summer drink- in this case the national summer drink of Italy- Spritz. I love Spritz- it is part Aperol (like Camparo), part Prosecco and part sparkling water. Why don't we have Spritz more? It is orange and it goes down like Fanta but beware as it is much stronger. 


Spritz are bubbly, fun and refreshing. They are also orange. 


Zanarini by the main Piazza is a must. You sit down out and get served small sandwiches with your drinks. If you want a more relaxed option head to Via Marsala and Marsalino. Wines and drinks are cheap. You get served unlimited breads with melted cheese. It is great to have when you are drinking. I often went there alone in the afternoons. Late afternoon/evening go to Via Zamboni- this is the street where the university students hang out. There are tons of outside drinking places. Order your 3rd spritz. Smile and be happy. For an afternoon and dry version of this, go to Gamberini- an amazing patisserie. Replace your spritz with tea or coffee and enjoy your little sandwiches or sweets. 

Pizza is always good. Pizza Due Torri on Strada Maggiore is the best pizza by slice. Go for the pepperoni slice. Fold it bite it. It is a great substitute for lunch.After your Pizza right by where Strada Maggiore and Via Zamboni meets is Gelataria Gianni- We sometimes went for twice a day. I like all flavors. Until recently I was not indulgent in icecream flavors- I was more of a vanilla and chocolate kind. Now I wonder the reason behind such stupidity. Icecreams varieties has much to offer particularly in gelato. Even when fruity it is creamy. My favorite at that spot is the chocolate. It may be too much for some. It is dense like a chocolate sauce. Think about your sauce turned into icecream. A scoop is too much but necessary.

Evening meal options are endless. Trattoria da Gianni is where you go for traditional pasta. They have a great setup in a dungeon like downstairs. The prices are fair. The bolognese sauce tagliettelle the city pride is to die for. So are the gnocchi. What I loved doing though was not to have a full meal- you should experiment with that with your own cooking at home- but rather to go for a Tamburuni like meal. Tamburuni is the best delicatessen in town. They also offer a cheese and meat plate. They just ask you for how many you want your plate for. A huge plate coupled with wine is what life was all about. Towards the end of the meal, I sweated from overeating but I kept up. The wine went down to help with the eating.




Bologna is the food capital so there are amazing food shops. That is why you should rent an apartment as opposed to staying at a hotel (check out airbnb.com or homeaway.com). Everything is by each other. There are amazing fruit and vegetable shops, butchers, fish shops, delicatessen next to one another. What I loved doing was to go for afternoon strolls, buy a few things and go home and eat them. Italy is cheap when you buy out and eat in. For your food shopping head around Eataly- they have basics. Around there is Gilberto where you would buy the Bologna classics (great biscotti, balsamic vinegar and more-- also look for these jams called mustardos - they come in different fruit flavors- a horseradishy taste meets fruit it is amazing with meat or cheese)



If you want to indulge in food culture more, there are walking food tours and day tours to food plants. What I did was to take a pasta making class. Taste of Italy with Maribel is very low key. We met at the food markets. She showed us around. We head to her house to learn how to make pasta dough and pasta after. For those who are angry at the price they pay for a plate of fresh pasta- note to all- it is worth it. I want to become proficient later in life with kneeding and handling dough. We made tagliettelle, tortellini and other pasta shapes. We also made the famous bolognese sauce. After we made all this from scratch we sat down and ate it all. She offers longer classes for a couple days. I want to go back to learn how to make Lasagna next.

The pastas that I produced during my lesson with Maribel. The small penne like pastas are hardest to make. 

There are many more spots Bologna has to offer. You have to go there and go around. Food was always good from the simplest to the most intricate.

What to Think @ Bologna



Someone asking you what your favorite kind of gelato is blasphemy.


How am I going to make up for all the eating and drinking I am doing at Bologna?

Why doesn't everyday end with gelato? If by chance your days start to end with gelato- What flavor of gelato should I try today?

Why is spritz not a major drink? It could compete with a lot of mixed drinks and should be a favorite for hot afternoons?

Why doesn't more places offer little foods for free with drinks? That is such a good idea.

What are the limits to my eating? How much more can I eat?

Even though it is so diverse and great how long can one survive on Italian food?


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Weekend Guide to Stockholm

Comments (0) | Thursday, July 26, 2012


Chasing Jay Jay at Stockholm

My fascination with Sweden begun in 1994. This is the date that I purchased my first Jay Jay Johansson CD (not the jazz artist but the avant-garde pop singer). The electronic dark sounds coupled with the singers depressed voice made me imagine a country that this music was a soundtrack for. After JJJ- my next discovery was E.S.T, a jazz band whose CD I bought by chance. I followed Swedish music closely over the years. The music was the reason why I wanted to go to Sweden. From the music begun a fascination with things Swedish- murder mysteries to food. I remember the meal that I had for my birthday at Aquavit a couple years back in New York.  Sweden was one of the three places that I wanted to see for a very long time. When I received a gift of a visit there I was ecstatic. Finally will I be able to hear the land of the soundtrack in person.


From the music I was expecting a place dark but intriguing. As I do for most places that I visit in the recent years before our departure I did a social media shout out for those who had information about Stockholm. I re-connected with a couple friends who resided there. When we arrived at Stockholm my first impression was how much smaller the Arlanda airport was and how much older it looked than what I expected of Sweden. (for those of you who are looking for the more lively Scandinavian experience please visit: Copenhagen).  You are greeted by the pictures of famous Swedes (Greta Garbo to the author of the Girl with a Dragon Tatoo trilogy) We took a bus into the city and from the city we took a cab to our hotel which was located slightly outside - 1.5 km from the Photography Museum at the Marina Tower. The hotel though was what I expected Stockholm to be- stoic, silent, well-designed. The Elite Hotel at the Marina Tower is worth the daily long walks. They also have a shuttle-boat into the city. It stands on the water. Our room had amazing water-views, beautiful furniture and perhaps open of the most comfortable beds that I ever slept on. In this part of town you hear near to no sounds. The city stands in distance. There is an occasional fog that compliments the gray air. Night never becomes morning morning never becomes night. Even in the light days, the hours are in limbo searching for their true color. 

In Stockholm, during the month of July, it never gets completely dark. There is an interesting pace to colors. 8 PM is the brightest hour we experienced. Yet even when it gets dark it is never pitch dark. There is always a light out there. This explains a lot about the music.

What to Do in Stockholm 

Long walks in Stockholm are delightful. The Photography Museum on the side of the town that we were staying at has stunning views of the city. They also have an amazing cafe on the top floor of the building. You can go there for lunch or drinks. They also have a cafe outside but the one on the top floor is much better. The exhibits are good. It is definitely worth the visit. Long walks around town are fun. A quick visit to Gamla Stan (historic part) is a must. There are narrow streets and it is one of the oldest downtowns in the world. I liked the claustrophobic lineup of the buildings I also liked their colors. 
The Photography Museum is great to spend an afternoon at. The cafe has stunning views. It also has great food. 

Before you cross to Gamla Stan on the side of the Photography museum is the Gotgatan Street with lots of cool shops. Swedish fashion is expensive but one piece will update your look for a long while. There are also design stores that will add cool touches to your apartment. In the main city, there are design shops and long ports. The city consists of many islands. Go to the island with the Wasamuseum- the museum that holds the old ship that sank. It is worth a visit. I also received a lot of recommendations to the Djurgarden there but I did not get a chance to visit. Apparently there is an amazing restaurant that serves food produced in the gardens there. 

At night you can have a nice meal. I was in Sweden for the music. In Gamla Stan we stopped at Stompen an old jazz club. It is festive. The musicians are mostly not swedish but it is that live music atmosphere that you drink and move to. What is a gem is the Glenn Miller Cafe- stationed in the back streets of the shopping are this small cafe/bar has some of the best that Swedish jazz has to offer. We ordered mussels to accompany the music. This was what I was expecting my time to be- crammed in my seat, feeling contemplative due to the music that has a dark undertone- a darkness of the city and the country that slips into the notes of the music. The music creeps you in a good way.

My quest to find Swedish Jazz at Stockholm ended happily at the Glenn Miller Cafe. A small band playing the best Swedish jazz to offer. 

Where to Eat at Stockholm 

The first night, we met a family friend. We met at the T-Bar in the Diplomat Hotel. Right on the water, this is the hot spot. Drinking is very expensive in Sweden. My father suggested a great solution that will not hurt your pocket. If you are a beer drinker, couple your beer order with two aquavits- it is the national drink and it will double the impact of your drink. Also good at T-bar is the house champagne. The food is decedent. Order the shrimp plate- a lot of fresh shrimp with bread- Salmon is also always good in Sweden. Pricey but good it is a must try.

The amazing herring appetizer at T-Bar


What everyone recommended me is the Urban Deli at the Nyogen neighborhood by the Photography Museum. It is part deli, part supermarket, part restaurant. Each time we walked by it - it was busy. Go there for the smoked shrimp or any of the fresh fish choices.  Around there is Parlans- a great caramel store (thanks to Amy for suggestions). If Parlans is closed, Urban Deli also sell their candy. Across from Urban Deli is Roxy which also has good food.

Urban Deli is always crowded. Good for brunch, order a smoked fish dish. 

By our hotel is a little on the water bar/cafe- Boule and Barsa. Go there just to relax. It is a bit far from the action but they have bocce, they also have good food.

The deconstructed burger at Boule and Bersa was delicious. What was also cool was the lack there of tourists and the relaxed atmosphere by the canal

Street food is also good. If you spent too much too quickly indulge in the weird hot dogs form one of the stands that comes with mashed potatoes inside. It is good and filling. 
When walking around in Stockholm if you come across this Swedish candy get a couple and try. It is basically licorice with a lot of different flavors. 

What to Think at Stockholm 

How can people be so good looking? (and the answer to that is revealed to you by a combination of genetics and the large number of people running around here) 

Lost the opportunity to look like someone from Sweden from birth am I forever doomed? Will replicating the rigorous exercise regimen result in comparable looks? 

How can music be so reflective of a place? If you are not familiar with Swedish music, indulge in some Tonbruket- the band formed after E.S.T front-man died in a diving accident. It is amazing music. When you close your eyes you will feel Sweden.

Gamla Stan's narrow streets are good for a visit.

Why does the darkness of the city never leave, even during the rare light months? 

How can the population bare the darkness when it comes? (ironically Swedes leave the city in July-August when it is light and come back when the city starts getting lighter- for that reason for a full experience - maybe think about a trip during the darker months) 

How can one survive on Swedish food? (I loved the few meals I had but I can not imagine consuming smoked fish, raw fish, meatballs and root vegetables for much longer than the weekend that I was there) 

How can I dream to visit a place for so long and how can I leave with the feeling that I do not want to come back upon departure? 


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Datca Guide

Comments (1) | Sunday, July 22, 2012




What can I do to protect something I love?

I left Datca in a rush wanting to stay there for longer. We were here for the whole month of June- the end of the offseason.  I would like to warn you though – the best time to come here is the offseason- whatever it may be. We arrived before anyone else arrived and we are leaving before tourists make it here. That is the perfect time to be at a summer spot. Unless you are into crowds and action. When we got here, it was us, the retirees who live here all year around and the locals. Now for the past week, we see more of the summer house owners showing up with their large families.  There were less of the little kids running around also. Aim for June or September….even May or October.
The sunset from Kynidos. The drive is a bit rough so when trying to make it on time for sunset you should think about the rough roads. 8 km=at least 20-30 minute drive

Some quick things to love about Datca:

1-    Due to the fact that it is fairly hard to get to (about 10 hours by car from Istanbul –nearest airports are Dalaman (about 3 hours) or Bodrum (4 hours) or by ferry from Bodrum which is only available in the summers- it is fairly untouched. Particularly the villages and the bays by villages are quiet. There is no pop music accompanying people’s swimming.
2-    There is amazing local produce at Datca and the locals only cook with that produce. So none of the vegetable oil cooking but more of foods made with home-made olive oils. What is native to here are various kinds of honey( amazing is the one with oregano- bees who fed on the oregano plants- not bee flavored by oregano), olive oil and amazing almonds.
3-    The Datca Bazaar- If you rent a place here for a while you go to the Bazaar- Every Saturday- with all the local goods- you will spend your time eating seasonal fresh vegetables and fruits. You can buy honey to dip your bread into for the mornings.
4-    The water is amazing. Go for the more secluded beaches- you can find many on the way to Knidos or come to Mesudiye where we stayed for a month. A village with two bays.  Either go left for Hayitbuku( smaller and calmer water) or Ovabuku (more waves but much quieter)
5-    It is really quiet- this area attracts (mostly) tourists who are in their own world. If you write, think for a living this is where you come.
6- Think abou taking a day trip to Symi, Greece. It is only 1.5 hours to get there although might be tricky to arrange a boat - go to the yacht boat and looking for rentals for the day. It is a shared ride for a day trip around 70 euros per person. 

What to Eat @ Datca

We ate all the time. For a month we ate out minus the fruit consumption at home. This is not because I gave up on cooking. This is due to the fact that our rented bungalows kitchen was too small and the food at Datca is too good and reasonably priced.

These are places that are ok—you can go once but no need to go if you are here for a short period of time.

The Kucuk Ev at Datca town and Captain’s Place both have solid mezes but they are slightly priced for the tourists. Nothing original but you will get the basics here- grilled octopus is good at Kucuk Ev and Captain’s Place signature borek is good. You eat overlooking the yacht port so that is a plus.

Elaki in the Mehmet Ali Pasa Mansion right outside of Datca is scenic. It is also pricey for the same type of food you would get elsewhere. It is a favorite with the middle-older tourists as it has that fresh historic boutique hotel feel. The shrimp stew was good though. We went once and that was enough. (why Tripadvisor is bad is Elaki is rated as exceptional- for a bon vivant Turk Elaki is far from that- just a nice atmosphere that justifies high prices for ok food) Yakamengen, in the Yaka Village is exceptional though. You feel like you are in a little cafe in Mexico. Home-made drinks and food it is hip and cool spot. Try the daily mezes and the homemade lemonade. 

Food at Kucuk Ev is ok. Not great. Not bad. But these octapus were good. 

Instead- you eat and keep wanting to eat at Kulinaryum. From the outside it will look like an Italian spot- don’t be fooled.  It is not a tourist trap international food place. Rather, also located by the yacht port, is a restaurant/owner/chef who cooks with passion. It is one of those meals you could get wherever you were in the world- you would have a bite and say wow- what did I just eat? Some dishes are fusion of Turkish Italian cuisine. The Circasian ravioli is to die for. Home-made ravioali stuffed with potatoes topped with yoghurt and spicy butter peppers on top of that. You eat each and humm- make sounds without realizing. The bites are velvety, slightly spicy. The Italian ravioli with the feta sauce is as good. The prawn stuffed zucchini flowers explode with flavor. You deep your bites into your cream sauce. Main courses are also great- you go for the spaghetti- al dente with shrimp- this is good food. You leave full. You leave surprised. You go back. I will be spending the next months for my trip next summer for Datca and Kulinaryum.


Yakamengen makes you feel like you are in a little hidden world. They make their own mezes. Relaxing and charming! Good for an afternoon drink, lunch or dinner. 

For lunch or after you visited the Datca Bazaar- you go to Zekeriya Sofrasi- a typical Turkish home-cooking spot. You see the food. There are 5-10 dishes a day. There are vegetable stews (the borani with swisschard and chickpeas with little dough pieces is amazing), the zucchini patties are to die for so is the icli kofte--- a meatball covered with bulgur and fried. You see something you like you order it. The grilled meatballs are also good. You will not have room after all this food but you order desert. A local favorite Damat Tatlisi (groom’s desert) is flaky dough filled with almond and topped with syrup. You almost wish you are that groom who inspired that desert. (there is also a local bride’s desert)


The important question to ask at Zekeriya Sofrasi is how many lunch plates can you order. There is a big selection the more small plates the better. However also remember in the summer Datca is hot although eating too much and sweating due to that was a problem we happily dealt with.


For lunch go to Ege Kafeterya at Hayitbuku. The sea in the front is great. It can be noisy if it is a week where families with small children are there. They have basics. Ask what they have as they don’t have menu. Freshly made gozleme (stuffed with a variety of possibilities from cheese, herbs, eggplant to potato) and toast (pressed bread with cheese) are their specialty. They also make new foods everyday. They use produce from their garden. They have nearly everyday some sort of dolma. Start with that, have a gozleme and then swim to compensate for the dough. (I kept telling myself- it is just a little round dough ball – rolled thin very thin…)


We were wondering the whole time how can we swim all day and not loose weight? The answer is the gozleme above consumed daily. Worth the little extra belly. Although for a healthier summer life get one maybe every 3 days.


Almost used as a daily cafeteria by us and also the best meze/ Turkish food spot in the whole area is Poyraz- located in Ovabuku/Mesudiye village right by the water- you hear waves. A test of a good restaurant is consistency and I ate here almost every other day. Every time we visited here the food was fresh. Another good surprise is the chef Ercan makes new things everyday. So even if you go back you will be surprised by the ingredients and the dishes. What he does amazingly is to utilize local ingredients. So the ezme (chopped pepper tomato salad which tends to be spicy) is topped with crushed almonds (what a great idea) , capers are native here—but it is not the capers but their greens the chef pickled. It is an amazingly sour meze. So is the deconstructed fava--- a cold dish of fava beans and dill. The stuffed calamaris are good as well. You sit and eat and sit some more and eat some more. You order a bottle of raki and you go through with it. If you go early you can swim in front of the restaurant. This is life at its best. No music, no loud noise, surrounded by trees a mouthful of deliciousness. After you are almost too full, you order desert. Everthing, even the baklava is made here. The baklava is also stuffed with almonds. If you like milk deserts order this time bride’s desert- a thick pudding topped with peaches and almonds, or the keskul (also a pudding) topped with crushed almonds.


Where to Stay at Datca


There are many options. We stayed at a bungalow at Ovabuku about 13 km from Datca. Gultekin Pansiyon has cute wooden houses. They are very kind and helpful. A stunning set up is Gabaklar - again in the same area. Long palm trees and an isolated setup recommended to all but those who are scared of bees who are very attracted to the pretty flowers and trees that surrond the area. For the luxurious stay go for Mehmet Ali Pasa Konagi- right outside of town. There are many more places but these are the ones I know about. 


What to Think About at Datca

This was the view from our beach. Always quiet the best time to go there is early Fall or early Summer. 

When am I going to be back?

Will the tourists invade the untouched parts of Datca? 

When British tourists love and cherish life at Datca- why are less people in Turkey prone to living like this? 


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Teatime Delights

Comments (0) | Friday, June 29, 2012

This is my lazy pogaca when I mix the filling in the dough. I make them thinner like little crisps but they are traditionally more round like little bread rolls. 
Why do we need to eat at teatime? 

There is something special about teatime. It is a completely unnecessary mid-day meal. The foods associated with it takes eating just over the top. That is not what you are supposed to eat at that point in the day. Yet the combination of offerings different depending on the location, the female and the gossip heavy environment make this unnecessary hour a must. I used to enjoy these mid-day engagements. The way in which I got to enjoy these in earlier age was when I accepted the invitations of family members. Consisting of female family members who did not work, my mother huffed and puffed at the prospect of her only day that she did not work doing something with her distant family. She also did not find the conversation topics to be all that interesting. It was different for me as I both enjoyed the offerings different in every house hold coupled with the latest news from the family; who was cheating on who, whose kid was a bit too old to get married, who joined a cult and what did the cult required them to do (all real life conversation topics from family gatherings by the way) Some members of the family were cake makers. The cake makers know how to make their cake rise. My favorite cakes are the ones who are fluffy yet moist. Some make boreks and lentil meatballs. I never liked the ones who tried to be inventive. This is an hour whose food shall not be changed.

Due to changing conditions of health and the need to work, this is a meal I can no longer indulge in - unless on special occasions. Still someone who keeps me on the loop is Sedef Iybar, an amazing cook whose cakes are to die for. Unlike many bakers, she does not keep measurements but can bake from whatever is around the house. Her cakes are always delicious. One inventive cake I remember is the one we made at Lake Placid with mastic and lime. If you speak Turkish click here for her recipes. I am sure she will have an English site up soon as well.  She enjoys this hour and is a great friend to gossip with whilst the cake bite gets moister with the sip from our teas.

Below are four recipes that I associate with tea-hour. All four can easily be re-purposed as Sunday breakfast dishes. Each has a story as well. (so will all the recipes here)

This is what the pogaca looks like when properly filled!

Pogaca

Making pogaca is a sign of home-sickness. When in Turkey you can buy amazing pogaca from a store. When away it is not as easily available. There is a distinct taste to the home-made version. When done properly it brings the place missed when consuming this delightful pastry. 
Ingredients

3.5 cups flour
1 cup full-fat yoghurt
1 cup vegetable oil
2-3 teaspoons baking powder
2 eggs  + 1 egg yoke
1 teaspoon salt
If you have it a bit of black or regular sesame to sprinkle on top

Filling
A combo of crumbled feta + chopped parsley + dill
If you want to be inventive red pepper flakes and scallions can also be added

Mix the above ingredient for the dough. If you have a KitchenAid just add all and let it mix w the dough hook. Otherwise do it with your hand leaving the flour to the last. Once you have a slightly stick dough- first set your oven to 350-375 F (180 C) - preheat- take a baking pan and brush it with oil. Now you have a choice- if you are lazy you can throw in the filling materials and mix the dough. If you do so make small egg shapes and slightly press and place them in your pan. If you are not you take slightly larger than wallnut pieces into your palm-- move the dough around and extend it to one side put your filling and close the other half on top. Put these individual pieces onto the pan. After you are done with all (about 20-25 pogaca with these ingredients) brush them with the egg yolk. Sprinkle the top with black sesame and sesame.

Bake for 25-30 minutes. Watch your own. Little soft on the center- golden on top you are ready to go.

Yoghurt cake is very pretty when served with berries and creme

French Yoghurt Cake

In the lookout for the easiest cake ever and the healthiest cake ever? It is not the healthiest cake really but you can claim that it is as it takes no butter (instead yoghurt + olive oil) Great to serve with fresh berries. I saw this on a website and made it a bunch of times. The best thing about this cake is you mix all ingredients in one bowl. Whisk or mix well if you want your cake to rise.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups full fat yoghurt
2/3 cup olive oil
1 1/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon (optional) orange or almond extract
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
PInch of freshly ground nutmeg

Preheat oven 350 (170C). Grease your pan. First whisk yoghurt, olive oil, sugar, eggs, vanilla. Then add flour, baking soda, salt. Whisk well until no lumps. Pour it into a round cake pan. Bake for 50-0 minutes. The last 10 minutes cover the top with foil so that the top does not turn brown.

I also make a lime cream that you can serve this cake with and that is simply

1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoon conf. sugar
2 lime's zest

mix until the cream is before stiff. Goes great also with berries.

Lentil Meatballs 

I have lentil meatballs in my fridge often. Good for any occasion. Vegan/vegetarian. These are some I made recently.
A unique teatime and all day around recipe- very healthy as well. A relative, my mother's cousin's wife whatever that makes us would make these so perfectly and bring it to any teatime she attended. I awaited her arrival to down 4-5 of these when no one was looking.

Ingredients

1 cup lentil or 2 cups lentil (ratio is 1 cup lentil to 1/2 cup bulgur but you can up it)
1/2 cup bulgur or 1 cup bulgur
1/2 cup olive oil.
1 mid size white onion chipped
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp pepper paste (Turkish style) -- if you do not have this nevermind! 
2-3 stems of scallions
Chopped Fresh parsley + Dill
Red pepper flakes
Sumac
Lemon Juice
Salt + Pepper

Add to 1 cup lentil 2 cup water. Let it cook until lentils absorb water and get mushy (15-20 minutes). When it is slightly still liquidy but cooked to point of mush add on to bulgur and immediately cover it with airtight cover. Let it rest for 15-20. Better to work with it when cold. In a pan sautee the onions w oliveoil + tomato paste and pepper paste. Sautee until the onions are soft. When the bulgur +lentil mix is cool- add on to the mixture olive oil, the cooked onions, lemon juice, spices, thinly sliced scallions, chopped fresh parsley + dill. If lazy you can eat it as if its rice. Amazing when it is cold. If not make slightly chubby finger shapes from it. Serve it with lettuce leace and or lemon. Juice a lemon on top before you put it into your mouth.



Last teatime recipe is...

Stomach Medicine --- Wet Chocolate Cake

During a sleepover visit to my aunt's I woke up in the middle of the night with something which I later on described as a stomach ache- I think really just a desire to have another slice of the delicious cake that I had before I went to bed. When caught I claimed that the consumption of the cake was due to a sudden stomach ache. I had to have the cake. So from then on, the cake was immortalized as my stomach medicine. 

Ingredients

Stage 1
250 gr melted butter
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon brandy or liquor of your choosing
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons cacao
1 glass of milk

Stage 2
2.5 cups of flour
3 teaspoon baking powder
4 eggs

Mix the ingredients in stage 1. Separate a glassful from the mixture put it aside. Add to stage 1 mixture- 4 eggs - mix- one egg at time- Last but not least add flour and baking powder. Pre-heat your own around 375F (180C). Bake for 30-40 minutes or as my mother does it until a tooth pick you stick to your cake comes out clean. Once it comes out of the oven, when it is hot, pour the glass of liquid you retained from stage 1. Let it cool and absorb the liquid.


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Madrid Guide

Comments (0) | Thursday, June 28, 2012


Why does a drink need a cover?

Madrid is my second home. I have no good reason to love this city. It has no views. I do not have many friends there. Yet I keep coming back to Madrid. I have been there 5 times in the past 2 years. I get an itch to go back every 6 months. We match somehow. I remember the first times I went to Madrid. 20 years old, it was one of the first European cities I went by myself. At the time, I was not a big pork eater. I blame that for not falling in love with Madrid at the first site. Still, my first visits to Madrid was still filled with excitement. Every meal, I felt as though I was in an Almodovar movie. How good is he in capturing the colors and the feeling of Spain in general. When I went back many years later, I still had a recollection of where everything was. Now though, I had a desire to eat like never before. I rediscovered Madrid a bite at a time. 

Madrid is known for its tapas- meaning a top/cover to a drink. Only with the systematic consumption of this food can you be ok from the all day drinking you will be doing. It is a must to drink all day in Madrid, you will see many doing the same. A genius invention of small glass beers (go for local favorite Mahou) to wine in the evening, the days in Madrid are best spent slightly tipsy from morning to evening. 

What to Eat @ Madrid

Casual Eats
Everyone will tell you to go to Mercado de St Miguel. They are right go there. It is one of the many open food markets that has been popping up around the world. There are big tables in the middle. You can pick different foods from different vendors and come to the middle to eat. Finding a table is a challenge but the foods are great. I recommend the cheese stand and the tapas stand right next to the cheese.



Mercado de St Miguel is filled with unique delights. From cheese to tapas to sweets to oysters. 


As you will be eating and drinking all day at Madrid, it is good to give quick tapas breaks.  The best spot to do that is Plaza de St Ana. It is festive in the nice weather and a wide selection of tapas places. You will not go wrong. Order a couple glasses of wine or beer to go along with your meal.


Plaza St Ana, by Sol neighborhood is your hub for mid-day tapas and drinking. Also what it is great for is people-watching. 
If you want another quick bite, go into a Museo del Jamon (a museum dedicated to jam) There are so many all around Madrid (one right by Sol) . Get a couple sandwiches stuffed with iberico. 

Right in the center of Sol area is my favorite patisserie, La Mallorquina. You see the big display with amazing sweets. I go there for Pepito con Crema- an amazing dough desert stuffed with cream.


Goes great with coffee. One is enough per trip but I went back for a second serving!

The Belle Artes building (right across from the Prado museum) is a very nice setup for a before dinner drink and appetizers. 

Go to the neighborhood - La Latina- on a Friday or Saturday night. There are some tapas joints that are good. But the point is to go from one joint to the other having a tapas and a drink at each until it is 2 or 3 am. If you over do it you will be one of the many in the neighborhood who is drunk and loud and happy.


Nice Eats and Innovative Eats

Botin is the oldest restaurant in the world. Hence it is touristy. However you should go for lunch. Some go for dinner but the food is heavy. You have to order a whole suckling pig or a baby lamb. 

Innovative cuisine in the shopping district of Madrid. You have to order the Russian salad and the dried tomato appetizers. The atmosphere is also very pleasant. From the door it looks like a store.


This is the Russian salad mixed when ordered at the table at Pan De Lujo. Next to it are the succulent tomatoes.


Nice tapas spot with innovative tapas. The atmosphere is amazing. Get the re-constructed patatas bravas and the sardines.




My favorite restaurant in Madrid. The most innovative restaurant in town, nestled in a residential neighborhood, you can order anything but what you have to definitely order is the warm potatoes in a jar with truffle oil. Also make sure to order the scallops as well. It is a gastropub so it comes with a great wine menu as well. If you speak Spanish, the wine menu is in the shape of a test asking for you preferences in music, films, and other questions about your mood and dispositions. When you follow the lines, supposedly you reach to the wine of your liking.


The potato jar in Gabinoteca is a piece of heaven. You will not be disappointed with anything you order.


What to do at Madrid Besides Eating @ Madrid 


Both Prado (classic art) and Reina Sofia(modern art) are great museums. Reina Sofia has great Dali and Picasso pieces. Prado is the home from Goya. 

Plaza Mayor is a must-see. As cheesy as it gets, join the other tourists, pay a bit too much for your cafe con leche because of the location and take photos with the cheesy entertainers. 

Madrid is also good for shopping. Go around Sol and Gran Via and get what the Spanish fashion has to offer you. If you are into high-end shopping go to the Salamanca neighborhood of Madrid. 

For a good flamenco show go to Casa Patas. When you enter it is a tapas bar behind it is the location where they host the show.


Amazing show as Casapatas. You will be surrounded by tourists. When was the last time you went to a spot to watch your national dance? 

Sit at Plaza St Ana and watch people. Be amazed by the amount of alcohol being consumed early in the day. Decide to do the same when you return home. Without the atmosphere in Madrid the drinking is not as much fun (experience speaking) 

Go out at Chueca neighborhood. Great bars and gay bars. Late night gay-tapas bars are amazing. So is the club Studio 54. In this neighborhood Calle de Horteleza and Calle Fuencarral are huge shopping streets. 

Visit Hakei a great new clothing brand from Spain and Salvador Bachiller for amazing bags and luggages. They are all around town

Also for great men's wear- visit right by Plaza de St Ana- the Eduardo Rivera store. 

Did you know that South of Spain, such as Seville is 2 hours with fast train from Atocha Station

Where to Stay at Madrid 

I stayed at many. If you are going to pick a budget hotel go for around Gran Via or Sol. If you want the nice ordeal Hotel Wellington is my best. 

What to Think @ Madrid?



Start drinking early and ask yourselves--- why not do this everyday? Why the rush to get everything done?

When having a sip of your drink and a bite of your tapas- think about the value of small bites and drinks. Why do they go so well together? Why not do this all the time to avoid the belligerence that comes with over consumption of alcohol on an empty stomach?

When having a Pepito de Crema -- ask yourself--- can I have two of these or would that make me a complete glutton?

When watching the flamenco show- when they are clapping -- ask yourselves- do their hands hurt?

When going around from Mercado de St Miguel to dinner - after a whole day of eating and drinking ask yourselves-- Can I keep going and repeating doing the same thing?

I hope that the answer to your last question will be : "hell yes!"


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