‘Mediterranean’

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Gaby’s Mediterranean

February 2nd, 2009 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit
Green-free schwarma.

Green-free schwarma.

A friend of mine recommended Gaby’s Mediterranean in Palms, so I thought I would check it out.  They have a great outdoor seating area, so I was sure to grab one of those tables to enjoy the unseasonably warm weather we’ve been having in LA.

When I arrived and took a look at the menu, I was a little taken aback.  Despite having many countries along it’s coast, I have always associate Mediterranean food with being predominantly Greek.  Of course, Mediterranean could cover anything from Spanish to Egyptian, and in this case, I found the food to be quite Lebanese.  I was surprised because I typically consider Lebanese food to be Middle-Eastern, but I was also happy because I’ve always liked Lebanese food.  Did I say Lebanese enough in the last few sentences? Continue Reading»

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Turkish Food Week, Part V: Cigarette Bread, Meatballs and Pizza

January 16th, 2009 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

For my final day of Turkish Food Week, I’d like to wrap up with a few more interesting dishes I encountered on my journey. We’ll return to my regular unvegan lifestyle next week!

Not as unhealthy as real cigarettes.

Not as unhealthy as real cigarettes.

Cigarette bread is a mysterious food that was first served to me at the Ban Ban Cave Restaurant in Cappadocia. Considering how many cigarettes Turkish people smoke everyday, I wouldn’t have been surprised if someone told me cigarette bread was just a new way they found to ingest tobacco. For all I knew, it could have been bread wrapped around an actual cigarette. I bit in with immense curiosity and found it to just a thin shell of bread, wrapped around ricotta cheese and fried. This is probably only slightly healthier than actual cigarettes. It quickly became one of my favorite dishes in Turkey. Continue Reading»

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Turkish Food Week, Part IV: Orient Restaurant

January 15th, 2009 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit
Steak from Oriental in Cappadocia

Steak from Oriental in Cappadocia

In the frozen wasteland of Cappadocia, the man running my cave hotel recommended a restaurant close by, called Orient.  It was a short trek, but froth with difficulties like ice and snow.  After a few slips and close brushes with icy death, I made it inside.

I checked out the menu, remembering that the guy at my cave had recommended the steak.  After a short glance, I found the “Minute Steak.”  The name wasn’t terribly specific and I wondered what it could possibly mean.  Did it take a minute to cook?  A minute to eat? Maybe it was minute in the sense of being small?  Perhaps it was Turkey’s version of Minute Maid?  My curiosity got the best of me and I ordered. Continue Reading»

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Turkish Food Week, Part III: Doy Doy

January 14th, 2009 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit
A fantastic-looking pile of Doy Doy meats.

A fantastic-looking pile of Doy Doy meats.

Before I left for Turkey, a friend of mine told me I had to go to a restaurant called Doy Doy in Istanbul.  Since he hadn’t been to Turkey in a couple years, I took him seriously.  It’s not often that someone remembers the name of a restaurant they went to in a foreign country while traveling the world, even one with a name so memorable as Doy Doy.

I was told that I could find Doy Doy behind the Blue Mosque, which isn’t exactly a small building.  In fact, it’s hard just to tell what the front of the mosque is, let alone the back.  I encircled the building before I found a cobblestone street that I hoped would lead me to Doy Doy.  I rounded a corner, and there in bright yellow stood a building with a sign reading Doy Doy.  I finally made it, but would it live up to the expectations? Continue Reading»

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Turkish Food Week, Part II: Kebaps

January 13th, 2009 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Where I come from, we have a very limited view of what we call “kebabs.” For starters, we spell them k-e-b-a-b-s and assume that is the only way they can be spelled. Believing that the Turks just couldn’t spell the word, I laughed my way through all of the restaurants in Turkey that said k-e-b-a-p-s. Eventually, I realized that it was just another spelling of kebabs. I guess the restaurants got the last laugh.

Spelling, though, is not the only difference in perception of kebabs that I have with Turkey. I have also always been under the impression that kebaps are pretty much just foods grilled on sticks. Again, Turkey proved me wrong…twice!

A kebap. From pottery?!

A kebap. From pottery?!

The first strange kebap I had was the “Pottery Kebap.” This was in the Uranus Cave Restaurant in Cappadocia, which was a stop on my guided tour. Before delving into this mysterious kebap, I’d like to go off on an unvegan tangent. Anyone who says it’s difficult to travel as a vegetarian is a bold-faced liar. In all my traveling, on all the tours I’ve been on, the guide always makes sure to ask if anyone is a vegetarian. This was no different in Turkey. Before arriving at the cave, my guide asked about vegetarians, but made no effort to accommodate unvegans. As such, I was stuck praying that the meal I was about to get would be fit for an unvegan such as myself. Continue Reading»

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Turkish Food Week, Part I: Pide

January 12th, 2009 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Having just returned from a vacation in Turkey, I have decided to do a series of posts regarding my unvegan experiences abroad. Today’s review is about “pide” (pronounced pee-day), also called Turkish Pizza.

Maybe they should call this the "Turkish Calzone"

Maybe they should call this the "Turkish Calzone"

Eating something called Turkish Pizza really seems like a misnomer to me. I’m not sure if it is Turkey’s take on pizza, or perhaps they found that calling it Turkish Pizza makes it more approachable for visitors who may not have ever heard of “pide”. Either way, my first pide looked nothing at all like pizza. I got it at the Karadeniz Aile Pide & Kebap Sofrasi in the Sultanahmet district of Istanbul. It was called the pide with spicy meat pieces and the waiter told me the meat was beef. When it came, it looked more like a calzone than a pizza, and true to it’s word, it was full of meat pieces. The pieces, however, were not spicy, as I think they meant to write “spiced meat pieces.” Regardless, it was delicious and made me want more. Continue Reading»

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Yanni’s Greek Taverna

November 29th, 2008 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit
A nice arrangement of tasty Greek food.

A nice arrangement of tasty Greek food.

I was still recovering from Thanksgiving when a friend suggested Greek food.  It sounded good to me, so we decided to order some carry-out from Yanni’s Greek Taverna in Northwest Washington, DC.

Yanni’s menu is loaded with souvlaki, gyros and other Greek foods.  I decided on the chicken souvlaki, which comes as a pita or a platter.  Despite the “Greek Salad” that would be included, I opted for the platter, making sure to order without the vile onions or tomatoes. Continue Reading»

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Cousin’s

November 22nd, 2008 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit
A pretty-looking doner of meat and the veggies that would remain untouched.

A pretty-looking doner of meat and the veggies that would remain untouched.

I was craving shwarma.  It was late and it was freezing, so my options were limited to food within walking distance.  Once again, I found myself in Lincoln Park, Chicago, and needed to find food fast.  As luck would have it, I was directed to Cousin’s, a Turkish restaurant.

Cousin’s has the general ambiance of a typical Turkish or Middle-Eastern restaurant, with pictures of Turkey, arts, urns and hookahs on the wall.  As a bonus, it also has some floor seating, which I can only assume is the traditional way to eat in Turkey. Continue Reading»

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Beer Me Some Breckenridge Agave Wheat

The taste of skiing?

Colorado is definitely a beer state, and not just because Coors comes from the Rocky Mountain State.  No, it is also home to New Belgium (of Fat Tire fame) and seemingly countless other micro and craft breweries.  While in Breckenridge for a ski weekend, I decided I had to at least try one of these, and because it turned out to be the only one available at dinner, my choice happened to come from the creatively named Breckenridge Brewery.  The brewery, by the way, is actually no longer in Breckenridge, having expanded and moved to Denver in 1992.

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It doesn't taste like wool.

What is this?»

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