Istanbul Modern SF, Summer Dinner (10 Course)
In-PersonRussian Hill, San Francisco
SOLD OUT
$65.00
Pop-up space
Available for purchase
Banquet (20+ Guests)
greek, mediterranean, turkish
Local, Organic
In-Person
The legacy of Istanbul, once Constantinople, the capital of four empires, is greater than meets the eye. It's the Bosphorus, Black Sea, the Aegean, and the Mediterranean; Mesopotamia, Balkans, Anatolia, Caucasus, North Africa, and Persia. It's the palace and the countryside, the business capital and the cultural capital. It's a little Turkish, a little Greek, Armenian, Jewish, Arabic and Persian. It's Istanbul Modern. We tell the story.
This is a sample menu and the contents are dynamic.
Menu detail
Simit and yogurt butter
Small Plate
Simit is the most consumed street food in Istanbul. It resembles a pretzel but it's baked with molasses and sesame seeds. On the streets of Istanbul, it's served with 'smiling cow' brand cheese, the little triangles. We break bread with a yogurt butter.
Meze 1, Driven by the farmers market
Appetizer
We make dolmas, taboulehs, seasonal salads with feta, tahini, and roasted vegetables; Georgian, Armenian, Moroccan, Iranian, Jewish and Balkan specialties. But we want to keep these open and not constrain ourselves for these weeknight menus.
Meze 2, Driven by the farmers market
Appetizer
We make dolmas, taboulehs, seasonal salads with feta, tahini, and roasted vegetables; Georgian, Armenian, Moroccan, Iranian, Jewish and Balkan specialties. But we want to keep these open and not constrain ourselves for these weeknight menus.
Meze, Lakerda of albacore
Small Plate
Lakerda is a Greek preparation of bonito. We use the same curing technique for albacore and serve it with a pomegranate dressing.
Meze, Octopus with Harissa
Small Plate
Perfectly cooked Mediterranean octopus served with harissa, freekeh and winter squash. Britten with Morrocan preserved lemon.
Meze, Melon and feta salad
Small Plate
We love the combination of sweet and briny, a refreshing bite of melon and a rich creamy feta triggers a childhood memory for most from the Eastern Mediterranean. The combination is popular every from Bulgaria to Istanbul to Armenia to Lebanon and North Africa. We love it too!
Mid Course, Corn Soup with Dungeness Crab
Small Plate
Local ingredients from California meet Middle Eastern flavors to make a comforting soup. The garnishes are delicate yet bright with a little kick. We also use the South Indian cousin of Sichuan peppercorns called tirphal, a very unique ingredient with strong lemony spice.
Entree, Lamb Belly Kebabs with Spoon Salad
Entree
We make our kebaps with lamb belly, juicy, tender and flavorful. The marinade consists of ingredients inspired by the spice route; Smoked yogurt, Turkish pepper paste, garlic and saffron pickled shallots.
Spoon salad is a southeastern salad predominantly with parsley, tomatoes and pomegranate molasses.
Dessert, Antep pistachio pie with milk ice cream and ‘bird shit’ pistachios
Dessert
We have traveled long and far but have not seen pistachios as beautiful and delicious as those in Antep. We wanted to share this uniquely intense pistachio flavor with you.
'Liqueur', the Finale
Beverage
We made it a custom to start our meals with simit and finish them with a home made liqueur. We've served cherry/mahlab, mastica, bergamot and Turkish coffee liqueurs before. We'll have to see which one of our infusions have matured at the time of the event.
Beverage pairing, only available as an add on
Beverage
- Your first drink will be a seasonal cocktail, we are currently serving a Turkish tea and saffron kambocha and rum cocktail. We are brewing foraged eucalyptus kambocha to make a gin cocktail but we'll see where that goes. Stay tuned.
- Green grape raki is served with mezes (single)
- We will serve a Greek assyrtiko with mid course
- We will serve a Turkish red with the main course
- And we will finish the meal either with sahlep (an orchid root drink) or melengic (a wild pistachio drink)
Add-ons
Beverage Pairing
$30.00
Istanbul Modern SF, Summer Dinner (10 Course)
In-PersonRussian Hill, San Francisco