Tag: lamb

A Gutsy Wife

M's Adventures

Did I mention that I quit my Turkish language class? Well, I did. My classmates and the teacher wanted to get serious about grammar and homework… NO. I want to talk about food!

A Karin sheep intestine in front.

Anyway, although I am no longer taking formal classes, I have not quit learning random Turkish phrases. I learned a punny one the other day.

The four common types of intestine offered here.

Adana is famous for various dishes like the Adana kebab, but the one that is also famously from Adana is the şirdan. But this is not the only part of the sheep’s intestines that gets eaten. I learned the name of this other part when I was discussing Halloween costume plans for this year. I could go as a kebab, or a sirdan. Last year, I planned to go as a glass of ayran, the Turkish yogurt drink, but decided last minute that it was too hot to wear a costume with padding (as I had planned a cascade of cotton padding to mimic the bubbles of freshly shaken ayran). So then what to do this year? It will still be hot at the end of October — probably around 88 F (31 C) so I need something lightweight and cotton… no, not a cotton ball… as that has padding.

Back from my aside… I wanted to go as a sheep’s intestine. But the famous one is too “rude” in the British sense of rude. So maybe I could go as the round sheep intestine. It’s shaped more like a haggis. But, in Turkish it is called a “karin” which is hilarious because “karin” is also “your wife.”

Maybe I will go as a “karin” and hold an inflatable “husband” next to me…

But it also sounds like it would require stuffing. And that would be too hot.

The Special Foods of Antalya

M's Adventures
Piyaz salad and meatball kebabs.

Of course I tried the specialties of Antalya. At first the hotel person told me to go to a place called Seven Sultans, or something like that. But I told him that I wanted to go somewhere that locals would go to, not tourists.

Just a two minute away from the mega tourism of Hadrian’s Gate, one finds local Antalya. I walked past the touristy juice bar and found, around a corner, Arabin Yeri.

The menu.

They were friendly in there even if they spoke no English and I spoke no Turkish. They conveyed to me that they only had the two top items on their menu. I managed to convey that I was dying of heat and thirst and they immediately brought me a bottle of cold water. Then I said that I only wanted a single shish kebab. They said that the portion was six kebabs of kofte (meatball) kebab. So I got a half portion.

The lamb kebabs.

I asked if they had “cag kebab” as I was told that this was the specialty. They only had the two items on their menu… More about cag kebab another time.

Arabin Yeri.

So I got the “piyaz” which is a cannelloni bean salad. It has tahini dressing, olive oil, onions, tomatoes, and hard boiled egg. And parsley. Always parsley. One is supposed to drizzle lemon juice on it and more olive oil to taste while stirring it all up. Then eat with spoon.

Look at the smoke! And that is indoors.

Chelsea Market and Very Fresh Noodles

M's Adventures
The vibe at Very Fresh Noodles is Hollywood Chinese.

We went on a quest. To find good Chinese food. We went out to Queens. We did not need to. We found it in Chelsea. We found really good freshly pulled noodles in Chelsea at Chelsea Market.

Chelsea Market is a whole city block at 7th 9th Avenue. It is a food hall, restaurant venue, market, shopping center, and television studio. All owned by Google. I just wish they would put more toilets around the place.

The line to order is about 15 minutes at this point.

The Very Fresh Noodle restaurant makes excellent food. EXCELLENT. Their Dan Dan noodles were spicy, numbing, complex, and classy. Their noodles with lamb in cumin sauce was also really good. We made the mistake of not thoroughly mixing the noodle dishes. The sauces are so complex and mostly at the bottom that one needs to mix it well to get the full aroma and array of the sauce.

The line to eat here is long but moves quickly. They have a few bar stools but otherwise, take the food outside or elsewhere. The thumping disco music, the red lights, and the neon signs all added to the clubby Oriental nightclub. The dishes are made in front of you and they call your number before the noodles go into the water. That way, you are ready when the noodles are ready.

Dan Dan Mien/noodles, cumin spiced lamb, and smashed cleaver cucumber salad. Make sure to toss well.

I would recommend Chelsea Market on a cold winter day. It is a magical world.

Best Vineyard Food – New Zealand

M's Adventures

Eggplant/aubergine salad. So much better than it sounds.
Eggplant/aubergine salad. So much better than it sounds.

We were whizzing past the views of paradise on Waiheke Island off Auckland’s coast. The bus driver/guide had suggested places in his well rehearsed voice but after all the other tourists got off at the beachfront restaurant, I asked him again. Where would you eat? He mentioned a vineyard that had won some award last year. He said it was a bit of a walk at almost a kilometer.

The view from our table... vineyard to ocean...
The view from our table… vineyard to ocean…

We got lost. We asked a local for directions. He heartily endorsed Casita Miro. When we found it, we went in through the kitchen. Like everything else in New Zealand, it was both casual, elegant, and ridiculously fresh. The restaurant bakes all their own bread and their food is tapas style. They make good coffee as well so you can enjoy a latte as well (in New Zealand, they have another drink called a “flat white” which is a latte with no foam hence flat. The best one we had was made by an Italian guy down at the harbor in Auckland).

Tagine style lamb shank.
Tagine style lamb shank.

Casita Miro is only open for lunch so plan for it. Enjoy some of the vineyard’s wines… make this a destination.

Deep-fried mozzarella.
Deep-fried mozzarella.

The large windows of the restaurant.
The large windows of the restaurant.