
- Sally Pollak
- Mediterranean breakfast plate at Istanbul Kebab House
At Istanbul Kebab House, where I ventured for the restaurant's new breakfast, I was for a time the only person at a sidewalk table — or even out on lower Church Street. Waiting for my food and a friend, I thought of the Kris Kristofferson song "Sunday Morning Coming Down."
(There's nothing short of dying/half as lonesome as the sound/Of a sleeping city sidewalk/Sunday morning coming down.)
Resurrection, I thought, might come in the form of my Middle Eastern breakfast.
"How's the Mediterranean breakfast plate?" I asked the server.
"Perfect," she said, setting down a shot of Turkish coffee, sludgy and rich.
"I'll have one, please," I replied.
I had high hopes for this meal — I'd rather eat supper leftovers for breakfast than the standard morning fare — but this was quite the endorsement. And it turned out to be true to the food.
The $10.95 special is a beautiful and substantial array of sliced tomato and cucumber with chopped parsley, as well as Turkish white cheese drizzled with olive oil, hard-boiled egg dusted with paprika and pepper (cooked on the soft side and bright yellow), black and green olives, a tumble of greens, and Turkish bread.
The touch of sweet on the plate is a ramekin that holds honey and a pat of soft butter. You can choose to spread honey or butter on your bread, or a bit of each with one knifeful.
Perfection on a Sunday morning sidewalk.
I lingered for a second cup of coffee — this time the American version in a mug — after my friend joined me. And I was reminded of another verse of Kristofferson's song.
(On the Sunday morning sidewalk/Wishing Lord that I was stoned/Cause there's something in a Sunday/Makes a body feel alone.)
I thought of walking a couple blocks to another Burlington breakfast place for a CBD-infused truffle. Instead, I had one more drip of honey — this time with cheese and cucumber on my bread — and watched the sidewalk come to life.
Comments
Comments are closed.
Since 2014, Seven Days has allowed readers to comment on all stories posted on our website. While we’ve appreciated the suggestions and insights, the time has come to shut them down — at least temporarily.
While we champion free speech, facts are a matter of life and death during the coronavirus pandemic, and right now Seven Days is prioritizing the production of responsible journalism over moderating online debates between readers.
To criticize, correct or praise our reporting, please send us a letter to the editor. Or send us a tip. We’ll check it out and report the results.
Online comments may return when we have better tech tools for managing them. Thanks for reading.