PRICE:
Frommer's Recommended

While tourists are inundating Tugra (the Çiragan's five-star restaurant) for authentic Ottoman cuisine, Divan Lokantasi is considered by locals as one of the only restaurants in town where the food doesn't taste foreign. What Divan calls "World Cuisine" is just another way of saying that they're constantly updating traditional recipes with new innovations, creating a dining experience enriched by the sound of classical music in the background. Last I checked, you could delight in balik pilakisi (fish stew), Çerkez tavugu (Circassian-style chicken), or the more Anatolian anali kizli (poached lamb and veal patties with a bulgur and tomato concasse). Desserts feature goodies available in the adjacent Divan Patisserie, as well as a rich and decadent künefe (sweet, stringy pastry with melted cheese).

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's Istanbul, 1st Edition, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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