Is Istanbul the place to go for Foodies in 2008 (as New York Times suggests)?

In Cultures Meet at the Dinner Table, Matt Gross (NY Times) gave pole position to Istanbul on his list of must eat in cities for 2008.
Suzanne Fowler of Globespotters (sister paper IHT) is based in Istanbul and concurs in Discovering Eat-stanbul.
Her favorite restaurant there is Ciya. Unfortunately their site seems to have only a Turkish version.
The pictures wet your appetite though.
Check their page On Herbs they use.

Related: Crossing the Bridge, the Istanbul Music Scene