October 14, 2011

Çiya, Istanbul. June, 2007


If all goes as planned, you’ll be reading this post on October 14, 2011, the day that Jay and I are meeting acclaimed Istanbul-based food blogger Cenk for lunch. When he heard we were going to be visiting his hometown, he suggested we meet, and I asked him to come up with a place we’d never find on our own, a place where we’d be the only Americans. Be careful what you ask for. Cenk replied: “Great! I have the perfect place in mind. Hope you guys like beans :)” OK. We do. Then, a few days later: “A friend of mine can not stop talking about the place. I haven't been there before, but she has amazing taste in food and I trust her. She said they only had two tables (two more outside during the summer), only serve beans, rice and pickles....Unfortunately they do not have a phone and she doesn’t even have an address....Her last visit was about a year ago, so if it turns out they are not open anymore, I’ll come up with something else.” I feel an adventure coming on. I’ll let you know where we wound up once I return stateside. Meanwhile, of all the places I ate on my 2007 Istanbul trip, my favorite (and Cenk’s, too) is Çiya, seen above. I’m sure Jay and I will be eating there, and I’ll have more to report right here in a few weeks. They serve beans, too.

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