Cafe Istanbul = Yummy.

I confess, this has absolutely nothing to do with photography.

People, if you live in Albuquerque and you haven't ever been to Cafe Istanbul, you're missing out. If you like Middle Eastern food, you have to go check it out. The seating area is pretty small, but it was packed for lunch. I've lived about a city block away from it for 5 years now and I'm sad I never checked it out before. I don't know why I didn't.

I used to go to Petra all the time. Just about weekly. I was so sad when they closed their doors because of that little hip strip brick light renovation across from campus. (There are good things there now too, but I still want Petra back)

Anyway, this place is awesome. And when you're done eating, you can go shop in the grocery section. Now I know where I can get most of the stuff I need for recipes in my Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cookbooks.

When I was done, I bought a jar of marble halvah from the grocery section. If you haven't had halvah before, you should try it. It's a sweet made with sesame that you can eat with a spoon. I don't know what you're supposed to do with it, but that's what I do. Eat it with a spoon. ;)

I'll definitely be going back. I had a hard time deciding what I wanted from the menu. This time I got the kibbeh plate. It was great. I think next time I'll try the shawerma.

You should go. It's on the east side of town. The address:

Cafe Istanbul
1415 Wyoming Blvd NE
Albuquerque