Before we went over to Burlington to see Raffi, I looked on the internet for a good place to eat. I found one that I knew we would love, and made reservations. It is called Istanbul Kebab House. I had the very best meal I’ve ever eaten in a restaurant. You may read more about Turkish food here. This is my favorite food. I could eat it every single day and never tire of it.
I had
Turkish red wine
Red Lentil Soup
Falafel with yogurt sauce for dipping
Blurry, but I wanted you to see the inside.
Tom had
Beer
Falafel
Shepard salad
For the table:
Hummus
Lavash bread to scoop up the hummus. It's a little like pita bread, but puffy.
Baklava made with Vermont apples and maple syrup
And Tom had Turkish coffee afterward. So thick he could spoon it up when the liquid was gone. The white square is some kind of sweet which you eat, and then take a sip of coffee.
Afterwards we met Hazel, Margaret, and Matt’s sister at Ben & Jerry’s.
We had gotten Hazel Nina a Peppa Pig at Barnes & Noble.
We walked around Church St.
until it was time for Raffi. Honestly, one of the happiest evenings of my life.
I don't think I've ever done a restaurant post for Weekend Cooking, and it is fitting that it be the best one I've eaten at!
We saw Raffi in Charlottetown, PEI, with our two granddaughters. It was a wonderful day.
ReplyDeleteThat's amazing! He came right from you to me! It makes me happy to know another grandmother had the same experience on the same tour.
DeleteI don't know much about Turkish food. Looks good. Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteCheers from Carole's Chatter
Well, it is certainly my favorite. I could easily live on it.
DeleteWhat a great idea to use a restaurant review for weekend cooking, Nan! And this Turkish food looks heavenly. I'm jealous!
ReplyDeleteOh, thanks Debbie! It is the.best.food in my humble opinion!
DeleteI'm a big fan of falafel and actually everything that you ate! ;-) Looks like it was a great evening.
ReplyDeleteMe, too!!
DeleteAmazing how Turkish cuisine influenced the whole Middle East, presumably because the Ottomans ruled it all. I also love Turkish food, especially the pastry.
ReplyDeletebest... mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Yes, indeed. I've eaten much of the same food at an Israeli restaurant and an Egyptian restaurant.
DeleteThis sounds amazing. All that delicious food then great music. No wonder you are posting.
ReplyDeleteI try hard to post often, and read other blogs often, but sometimes it just gets so busy! Good busy, but still busy.
DeleteThe dinner looks delicious... what a happy evening!
ReplyDeleteYes, it was!
DeleteOh, I love Turkish food. Do you remember that we had a Turkish exchange student nearly 10 years ago? She was a delight and we fell in love with her AND with the cuisine. I think the sweet with Tom's coffee was probably Turkish Delight. My exchange students mother visited while she was with us, and she taught me to make (authentic) Turkish coffee in a little Turkish pot. Also, we LOVE Raffi too. His music was a huge part of my children's early years! What a beautiful day you had. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThat's right, I do remember! And yes, it is called that. How cool she taught you how to make the coffee. Maybe you could post about that sometime. And I just knew that you'd love him, too!
DeleteWhat a fabulous day/evening. I too could eat Turkish / Lebanese food every day. YUMMMMMM. I was also going to also say the sweet was probably Turkish delight. Now I have a craving for really good falafels.
ReplyDeleteMe, too!!! And yes, to the Turkish delight.
DeleteNan, everything looks delicious, the Red Lentil Soup and Falafel especially so.
ReplyDeleteHeavenly, really!!
DeleteWhat a wonderful evening! Thanks for sharing the details with us. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteSounds life a wonderful day. I also love Turkish food, and I believe that like sweet by Tom's coffee is Turkish Delight - one of my very favorite sweets. Falafel looks wonderful, so does the Shepard Salad. I can't believe how big Hazel Nina has gotten. Thanks for sharing your lovely evening with us.
ReplyDeleteYes, it is. I like the name. It was all so perfect. And I can't believe how big either. A long way from 2.2 pounds!!
DeleteLove Turkish food. When we lived there I put on way too much weight from eating donner kebabs, korfte, hummus, eggplant.
ReplyDeleteGood weight, though, from really healthy food! I wish I had lived there, or at least I wish I lived really close to that restaurant!
DeleteWhat a wonderful day, Nan. I've never had Turkish food, so there's that for me to look forward to. Maybe one of these days. There's lots of new foody action going on around these parts so you never know...
ReplyDeleteHazel Nina is such a big girl already. Wow! They grow so fast. You blink your eyes and they're not babies anymore. :)
Thanks for sharing your day with us.
I've been making my own hummus for forty years, but have never managed falafel. I've tried the mixes but they just aren't the same. You are absolutely right about Hazel. The conversations we have now are just amazing.
DeleteMy whole family loves Raffi, though I have not listened to him for a while now....And what a feast. I wish we had a Turkish restaurant near here, or could get the wonderful ingredients available there!
ReplyDeleteI love hearing about all these blogging Raffi fans!!! I think you could probably get ingredients in most stores. I buy chickpeas and tahini and I live in a small area. If not, you could always buy online. My hummus recipe is here: http://lettersfromahillfarm.blogspot.com/2007/03/hummus.html
DeleteHello, hello!
ReplyDeleteI've found you again ... back in 2012 when you said you were stopping your blog was the time I moved to what surely will be my last home on this planet. In all the chaos of moving I lost many computer friends. Somehow, and it is just wonderful, I found you today. So happy to see you are still "doing it!" with your blog and so surprised to see you now have grandchildren. Starting tomorrow I will read all your blogs beginning with 2013. I did cheat and saw a photo of your new stud/den with the gates to keep out the dog and cat. Really, I feel I've been given a treasured gift to find you again ... you may be my only blog friend who knows and appreciates Gladys Taber.
I am so very pleased that you found me, and that you wrote. Please leave me some notes if you do read the old postings. I will get notifications. I'm really happy to reconnect, Jill! That study/den is all different now! Gates are gone. I should do a new post about the changes. Did you ever join the Friends of Gladys Taber?
DeleteLike some of the others that commented here, I think the sweet with Tom's coffee is lokoum (Turkish Delight), at least that's what it looks like :-)
ReplyDeleteTurkish immigrants making up the largest group of immigrants in Germany (many of them in second or third generation already), we have plenty of places where you can eat and/or buy Turkish food. Some places are really good, and I am always happy to come across a place that makes good falafel and hummus.
It is lovely to read about you having had such a great time altogether, meal, music, everything!
You are right! Lucky, lucky, lucky you!! Thanks for your nice words.
DeleteOh yumm. We would love all of this, except I need white wine instead. Bill makes a good humus , we eat it several times a week. I want to look for lavash bread, it looks great with it. Thanks for sharing your perfect day, in both posts.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a wine girl, but I usually have it in restaurants with a meal. I'm a cosmo girl at home. :<) Lucky you that he makes you hummus. I'd like to compare recipes. Mine is above on my reply to thicket house.
DeleteWe have some Turkish restaurants in our neighborhood that we have yet to try. After your review
ReplyDelete, we will definitely make more of an effort.
You are so lucky!!
DeleteWhat a delicious meal, thank you for sharing it with us, mouth watering here! I have never heard of Raffi but will now send the link to the younger grandchildren who will love him. Peppa Pig is a great favourite with Twis, youngest grandaughter.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure they will love him, as will their parents! I really should do a post on the English tv shows we watch with Hazel.
DeleteI loved this review and was very taken with the use of apples and maple syrup in the baklava - how ingenious.
ReplyDeleteNow I am craving falafels...
It's a little homage to the state of Vermont which has both. I crave falafels every single day. Wish they weren't two hours away.
DeleteYum. I'm going. Glad you had fun in Burlington. Now that you've abandoned FB I'll be keeping a closer eye on your blog to keep up with all your doings. FYI - That book that I can't seem to shut up about is going to be featured today in a BookBub email blast - if you happen to be looking around on Amazon this evening you might have a look at the kindle version. BookBub is a miracle worker for book sales and I'm looking forward to a moment in the Amazon best seller sun. (Shabby I know but I'm still not perfect). Happy Memorial Day to you and yours.
ReplyDeleteIf I lived closer, I'd go at least once a week! I bought the kindle version ages ago! I have the one you gave me (the arc), the published pb, and the kindle version!! I've not heard of bookbub. I'll look it up.
DeleteBless you. I wasn't really trying to make a sale I just wanted to have my little brag about moving (however briefly) into Amazon best seller territory. More than a thousand copies sold today! Wish I could say that everyday.
DeleteI know that! I'm thrilled for you!!!! Well-deserved, I may add!
DeleteJust ate a couple of hours ago...and now I'm hungry again! :) - J.
ReplyDeleteYou probably have a lot of these restaurants not too far away!
Delete