ISTANBUL'S TOP TEN COFFEE HAUNTS
The American passion for java's extended across the globe, and nowhere is this trend more apparent than in Istanbul. The popular shopping strip, Bagdat Caddesi, for instance, counts more than six Starbucks branches along its 6-kilometer--4-mile--stretch.
Actually, like a boomerang affect slow on the return, both the term coffee and the brew are derived from the Turkish word kahve, which itself originates from the Arabic term qahwa.
Some Italian highbrow so adored the hot drink during his travel in Anatolia in the mid-16th century that he brought it back to mainland Europe where it made a furor. The rest is history!
Some three centuries later, it's back in all of its frozen, frappéed and pressed incarnations. Note that since entering the Anatolian landscape in the 11th century, Turkish coffee as we know it never left--except when the stimulating libation was banned by Islamic elders in Mecca through much of the Middle Ages.
Today, it's not just Türk Kahvesi (as the natives refer to it). It's about the Afagato--espresso with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and Frappucino--no explanation needed!
And for the city's top ten coffee meccas:
1) Simdi Café
2) The House Café
3) Java Studio Istanbul
4) Midpoint Café
5) ADA
6) Starbucks (Turkish Only)
7) Gloria Jean's Coffee
8) Second Cup Coffee
9) Fazil Bey's Turkish Coffee House
10) Barnie's Coffee & Tea Company
These are all great choices, but I love Kahve Dunyasi. I actually have two in a two-block radius in my neighborhood of Kalamis, with a reserved table at each. Both are rearmost two-tops from which I plug up my Mac and let the espresso flow. This joint's also known for its chocolate: dark, creamy, and overall yummy. The best part is that the larger branches--those who boast a Chocolate World section-- continuously put out tasters of dark chocolate-enrobed lokum, dragées, bitter choc orange sticks--whatever. So, every half-hour or so I'm dazzled with yet another taste-see of what I may just want to bring home to my brood of chocolate fiends.
ESSENTIALS
Coordinates for the above prize winners can either be trailed online at the links provided, or by visiting my virtual pal and Istanbul fan Mitch Rynart's cool Web site. You'll see that this post was inspired by this entry on his site.
STRICTLY SPEAKING
Milk = Süt (pron. as it's read, like the French 'u' in 'tu')