Beyoglu

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Ordering a spread of mezes will keep the price down--and it's more filling than a large main course.

Raki, an anise-flavored alcohol similar to ouzo and Pernod, is the drink of choice in the Istanbul neighborhood that gives Beyoglu its name. Adding ice turns the clear spirit milky white.

Beyoglu isn't your typical Turkish restaurant. It's a meze house, serving assortments of small plates, rather than big entrée platters of kebabs. And what meze it is. Items that are familiar throughout the Middle East and the Mediterranean are all done well: creamy hummus, tabbouleh, mashed eggplant (called patlican salatasi, it's like baba ghanouj), taramasalata (carp roe caviar spread), and a...

A "lively crowd" descends on this UES Turkish "standby" to graze on "irresistible meze" at an "oh-so-reasonable" cost; it can be "rushed", "cramped" and "loud", but the upstairs room is "quieter" and come summer the sidewalk seats are a "big draw."

The Scene
This meze house--the Turkish version of a tapas bar--attracts families, as well as older couples and groups. Since the place gets crowded, the usually attentive waitstaff can...

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