After grabbing more than our share of food form the Saturday Market in Selcuk we had a well earned nap. Waking later in the afternoon, we headed down the hill to Isa Bey Camii (Mosque) built around 1375, it is one of he few remaining Anatolian Beylik structures.
The Mosque was almost completely destroyed by earthquakes, but after serious refurbishing reopened in 1975. As it is a functioning mosque we approached it respectfully….
I walked up the steep and worn stairs and took a few photos of the courtyard.
Soon enough the call to prayer began, and we decided to leave the mosque to the faithful……. plus, I was getting hungry.
We walked up then back down the hill to the center of town, which is a pedestrian only area…..
Lest you think this a tourist only area, you'd be wrong….this is literally the center of town, and this was where all the older men hung out, drinking tea and coffee, playing backgammon, reading the paper, talking politics and what not……..
After looking around a bit, we decided on a restaurant called Ejder. The owner was very friendly and when the Missus requested a selection of mezes, was happy to oblige.
Seating in the public dining area across the restaurant we were soon joined by some very eager guests.
Can you see the remnants of the aqueduct in the background?
I went with, what else, the Adana Kebab (12 TRY – $9):
The kebab was very moist…. in fact almost all the kebabs we had in Turkey was way more tender and moist than most of what we get here in the states. This one was slightly gamey but not very spicy. The rice was too wet for my tastes. The grilled peppers were wonderful…..the char brought out some sweetness and some were a very sneaky hot.
The Missus's selection of mezes were pretty good, especially the red pepper dolomar (stuffed pepper).
The ezme was too watery and mild in flavor, I liked the beets, but the missus thought they were too sour.
Overall, this was a satisfying meal, the food was far from bland and put me in a good mood. The very friendly owner who came over to check on us several times also made for a pleasant meal. I even gave the cats some of my adana kebab….. I was a bit worried that the spices would be bad for them, but they seemed to love it!
We returned to the hotel full and happy, and had a wonderful night of sleep. We woke early the next morning and headed down the street past the parked tractors……
And caught our train to the airport in Izmir. Of course, no one in Turkey can even think of going a morning without simit (sesame bread), thus the vendor who got the train at one stop walking thru the cars selling bread, then got off a couple of towns later.
Selcuk and the surroundings sure had charm……
But it was time to move on to our next stop……
Stay tuned….
Thanks for reading!
great hearing about your adventures, keep them coming!
ha i know where the next turkey travel-post is going to be from! =) i always love your posts but i’m especially loving the turkey posts. hubby and i went there in summer 2008 and it looks like we went to a lot of the same places as you and the mrs. your pics are way better (plus love your accompanying posts!) but if you ever want to see another traveler’s perspective, check out my photo set http://www.flickr.com/photos/i_am_dancing/sets/72157606748939519/with/2765854578/. even with about 20% of the photos privatized (i tried to privatize close-ups of me or hubby), you can still see that we went to a lot of the same places in turkey! oh and this is totally unrelated but i wanted to ask if you’ve ever eaten at berta’s in old town. i don’t think it’s listed on your site so probably not, huh? i recommend trying it out sometime if you haven’t already been there (they have their own parking lot which is really handy in old town!). okay that’s it for now. i hardly ever comment but i am a faithful reader!
Thanks Kat!
Hi Dancing – I love your photos! And we did go to many of the same places…. I hope you enjoy my future posts on Turkey. As for Berta’s, we’ve been quite a few times, but not in, say, at least six or seven years….. I guess we’re overdue for a visit! Thanks for taking the time out to comment!
When we were touring the Med, there were cats everywhere. They are all so cute, especially when they do their “zen” pose, I call it. I’m sure their digestion is used to the local cuisine and spices. 😉
Ew beets! That is one vegetable I cannot get myself to like. It always tastes like dirt to me.
what beautiful plates of food. the peppers look amazing too, so nicely charred. Love! the pictures of the cats and what fun to feed turkish kitties bits of kabob. =)
Hi Rosa – These were very cute…… they just patiently waited for a hand-out.
Hi Lynnea – Those peppers were very nicely charred!
Thanks for the details in your posts- it is what makes this the best food blog!
kebobs are more tender /moist…gamey but not spicey….wet rice.. and so forth really helps to imagine the experience with the photos.
Hi Chris – Thanks! I’m glad you enjoyed the post!
ooh, I love that last photo… and the one with the kats! The area is so picturesque and the food looks delicious, what fun to read and follow!
Hi FH – Selcuk was a great little town…and walking distance to Ephesus too!