I haven't been to Beyoglu in about 2 years and I missed the great food. They make the best charred octopus salad and you can have as much as you want of their freshly baked pita straight out of the oven. The octopus was just as tender as I remembered it but the pita wasn't as consistent. We had 3 pitas during our meal and each was a little different. The first one was only slightly warmer than room temperature. The 2nd was a bit over-baked. The 3rd was perfect, hot, thick, and soft in the center.
Lon ordered the Donner Kebab, which comes over rice with roasted tomatoes, onions, and nicely fried potatoes. It was so wonderfully flavorful and tasted even better with all the dips on my platter. I ordered the vegetarian platter because it is a huge assortment of several of their mezes: hummus,stuffed grape leaves, spinach, cacik (yogurt), ezme (mixture of spicy chopped vegetables), tabouli, and Patlican Salatasi (mashed eggplant salad). Every single one was delicious. Lon and I agreed that they have the best tabouli we've ever tasted.
We ended with the baklava which comes in such a big portion for such a rich dessert: 3 big pieces. Lon enjoyed it although it wasn't the best. I took a little piece and spit it out. ( I know that's gross but it was way way too sweet for me!) I enjoyed my coffee though and Lon had a glass of grappa as well.
We enjoyed the whole meal so much that I barely remembered dessert while writing this. The service was fantastic. Food came quickly, our waitress was friendly, and our water was filled regularly. I'm sure Lon and I will be back soon....probably with Kasi and Stephen since they live in the area.
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