Anyway, because of this I had a pretty limited window to do things in Izmir before needing to head to the airport. The AirBNB owner allowed me to stash the bags in the AirBNB while he was having it cleaned, but also needed me to pick them up by 2pm - effectively the time I was going to do so anyway. This was helpful since the only left luggage place I could find on AirBNB that seemed credible was smack dab in the middle of the consumer center (the main area I've eaten in and went out at night), and the two sites I wanted to see were both walking distance from teh AirBNB.
The first was their version of the Blue Mosque, which is way smaller than the Istanbul one, but if anything more blue, having about three different shade of blue tiles on the outside walls, dome and ceiling. The only negative being the inside was closed, but from outside it was pretty and situated at the top of the cliff right before by road a series of twists down to the sea level. From this high perch, the view of the city around it was quite picturesque.
Similarly so at the next site, which is the Izmir Elevator (Asansor) which takes you roughly from the level of the mosque, if not a bit lower, to about 200 feet higher (I entered from the bottom). It is crazy how hilly this part of Izmir is and any time you go up, there's always seemingly another daunting series of steps that could take you higher if need be.
The bottom of the Asansor was interesting in its own right, a weird little bohemian village of 2x3 blocks that randomly popped up aroudn the elevator - truly out of nowhere given teh blocks surrounding it were all relatively residential. The places were all empty (it was about 11am) but looked intriguing were I had more days in Izmir. From the top you can once again see the true size of Izmir, extending seemingly endlessly on both directions. What's a bit sad is from most of these common vantage points, be it up top here
The last stop in Izmir was lunch, but on the walk to Tavaci Recep Usta (the lamb spot I went to my first night), I went past a small pottery shop with the owner/potter in there workjing the wheel in the back. In the end I bought to small espresso cups, $9 each - far more reasonably priced than I was expecting. A small last gift from this wonderful place. Lunch itself was great too - knowing it would be a while before my 9pm dinner, I ordered their version of Adana Kebab (excellent, just the right amount of spice) and their braised lamb over a bed of rice dish that they served with this lovely hard to place sweet salsa that worked perfectly well. Tavaci is undoubtedly a popular place but has earned its reputation.
So did my dinner at Mikla - one of Istanbul's other michelin starred spots (if you're wondering why the jump straight from lunch to dinner, realize that again I ended up at the airport too soon, then from landing to taxiing Istanbul's giant airfield, to a traffic filled drive to the hotel, not much went on between these times). They have a 7-course listed tasting menu, with snacks and petit fours thrown in. It is on the top floor of an office building, with a great view of the part of Istanbul featuring the Blue Mosque lit up well.
The menu much like Neolokal's was heavy on Turkish ingredients made in incredible ways. What I really loved about this place, as a nice comparison to Neolokal, was it was fairly easy sounding dishes just made to perfection. I should say, I'm not saying this is better than Neolokal's more haute cuisine. But like say Mume in Taipei, or even Pujol in Mexico, these are dishes that when I receive them I coudl conceivably make a version of - it just won't be as precise, as flavorful and as complex in ingredients or taste. My favorites were their monkfish over a bed of lentis and other seafood in a sauce, the main of the braised lamb with basil cream and their desert, humorously titled "Birdshit" that had pomegranete and pistachio gelato with a single phylo layer of baklava fried perfectly. A really nice meal, worth the price I would argue.
After dinner was two cocktail stops, first a last go aroudn at Flekk, where the bartenders knew me by this point. It was surprisingly full for a Tuesday night, but there was a barstool at the bar, which anyway I prefer to a table given I can interact with and watch the masters at work. The other was Geyik, which is what was too busy on Saturday night - and only say 50% less busy now. Again just a solitary barstool available, though the crowd thinned out a good amount by 12:30 (1:30 being last call). Geyik is probably a little more buttoned up - more intricate drinks, more variety. Flekk I think going for more fun and vibrancy - again two nice complimentary spots both situated at either ends of Taksim's lovely late night scene.
Before I wrap, I want to talk a little about Izmir. One thing I will say: in the city limits itself there is not all that much to see. The sights are limited, unless we count Ephesus, or Pamukkale - both about an hour away. Now, both fall within my radius for counting them in my city rankings, but where Izmir nevertheless shines is the vibes of the city itself. If anything, it is more polished, more welcoming than Istanbul (though less choice, I geuss). The restaurants in the main area are great. There were various other neighborhoods of more family style or doner restaurants as well (including a great Lahmacun spot - O Lahmacun - that I went to yesterday). The nightlife is fairly contained in one part of town but has everything you would want. A great place to just spend time in. Till next time, Izmir.
