A question arrived in Craig LaBan's chat today (8/19) about Divan Turkish Kitchen at 22d and Carpenter: "Did you see that Divan is advertised for sale on Craigslist?" Apparently the point was referenced on at least one food blog, which didn't bother to get an answer.
What's the deal? LaBan asked me.
I tried that old reporter's trick and picked up the phone. Ilker Ugur, the owner, acknowledged that Divan is indeed for sale -- asking price is $1.4 million. He said he and his partner, whose name he did not divulge*, had a falling out. They either want to sell the restaurant outright (hopefully to someone who wants to maintain the Turkish theme), or bring in a new partner. Either way, he said, the restaurant will not close until a sale occurs. Ugur and his sister Fulya own Cafe Fulya, a coffee shop in Queen Village.
Update (8/20): Ugur's partner, Isil Ozturk, returned my call. She is an architect, while Ugur is in construction. She said that she didn't know of a falling out, or of the Craigslist ad. She said both want to keep the restaurant going, but find that it takes up too much of their time. There are no plans to close, she said.