Signature Dish: Kalamaki

A brief note about Signature Dish.  Kalkan has its fair share of restaurants, and each year many new restaurants pop up beside the classics that remain season after season.  To create our Signature Dish posts, we have partnered with restaurants in Kalkan to discover not only what their signature dish is, but also how the dish is prepared, where ingredients are sourced, and a bit of the chef’s and/or owner’s philosophy on food, cooking, and the restaurant experience.  Signature Dish will be a recurring feature on Turquoise Collected.

Up this time: Kalamaki, located in the Old Town, serving Turkish cuisine with a hint of Europe

Your chef: Kubilay Beytaşi

Growing up in Izmir, Kubilay watched his mother cooking, and at the age of 11 decided that cooking was what he wanted to do.  By the age of 15, Kubilay was working in Marmarus, learning the ways of the professional kitchen.  After over eight years of study and then time spent in the Turkish Army, Kubilay returned to Izmir, where he opened his own restaurant, Aciktim (pronouced "adjectum") meaning, appropriately, "I'm hungry."  Kubilay then came to Kalkan, where he began work on Kalakmaki's menu in 2009.  Below, some of the fruits of his labor - Kalamaki's Signature Dishes.


For a starter, Kubilay prepared Shrimp with Salmon in Avocado (be still my heart).  The shrimp is sautéed with cream and white wine, and salmon and peppers are added; the mixture is poured into the slightly hollowed out avocado half; the shrimp- and salmon-filled avocado is then covered with cheese; and finally, the whole shebang is placed in the oven, to let the cheese lovingly melt on top.

Kalamaki's Signature main course is çökertme - beef steak (which, along with all of Kalamaki's meat, comes from Kubilay's home town of Izmir) sautéed with garlic butter and rosemary, served on top of thin-cut potatoes, and covered with both a garlic yogurt sauce and a garlic tomato sauce, which makes for unique presentation.

Et voilà!

Beef, with a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde complex. Highly recommended - it's like getting two meals in one! 

And finally, Kalamaki's Signature dessert, the Kalamaki Dream - pear cooked with cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and simple syrup, served with an edible chocolate cup filled with ice cream.  And while it is a dream to eat, I have to admit, the real treat for me was watching Kubilay prepare the plate:

The artist and his work.

Kalamaki serves its guests on an enviable roof terrace with a sweeping view of Kalkan Harbour.  Reservations are recommended.


And because I couldn't leave you without it, as always, the money shot:

Making Waffles

As I think of Kalkan busily gearing up for the 2012 season, my thoughts inevitably turn to all things holiday: days spent on the beach, nights spent eating and entertaining, and of course, waffles.  Though he probably is not concocting any fabulous desserts at the moment (he mans the waffle stand at Fener Cafe from April to November), Ahmet will hopefully being doing more of the following soon:





Can't wait for waffle season 2012!

Bringing America to Kalkan

A note from Turquoise Collected: I originally intended to post this story right after the 4th of July, but it somehow got lost in the shuffle.  I was worried that posting it now would seem a little funny given that it's six months later and the dead of winter, but then I thought, "what better time than now to share a story about the middle of summer?"  It'll give us something to look forward to - less than six month until 4 July 2012!  Enjoy!




I consider it a bit of a coup that most of the people attending my 4th of July BBQ in Kalkan were British.  What I hadn't anticipated though, was the moment when all assembled guests hummed the US National Anthem for me.  For someone missing her homeland, having such a thoughtful group of friends around me on such an important day (did I mention that the 4th of July is also my half-birthday?) was a treat.  So, how does one hold an American 4th of July barbecue in Kalkan for a bunch of Brits and Turks?  Like so.


First, a little food shopping:

For some special ingredients:

Clockwise from top left, mini croissants, mini hotdogs, blue cheese, AVOCADOS.

Then, visit this guy, for your meat:

Bulent of Bulent's "Et Ve Tavuk Galerisi"

Run around Kalkan, sufficiently convincing people that you are crazy by asking where you can find something red, white, and blue to wear:

Found the dress at Vasila & Brako and the necklace at a jewelry shop just down the street from V&B.

Next, install yourself in your kitchen and chop, cook, mix, add mayo, strain, chop again, cover, refrigerate, rinse, and repeat until you end up with this:

Salads!  Including:

Watermelon, Tomato, and Blue Cheese Salad; Potato Salad; Bean Salad (brought by a lovely guest)

And:

Pasta Salad; and the winner of the evening, Corn and Avocado Salad

Then, fire up the grill, grill up the meat, and try to convince people that they should be eating the kofte (mini lamb burgers) and mini hot dogs like this:

Like mini burgers and mini hot dogs!

Check to make sure that glasses are refilled and move on to.....dessert:

Fruit Salad; Baklava; and HOMEMADE CARROT CAKE (which, luckily, wasn't finished on the night so we got leftovers!).

And, finally, score some of these:

So you can do this:




Hope everyone had a Happy 4th!