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Archive for August 2019

Quick Eats – Lola’s

Aug30

Restaurant: Lola’s Peruvian Restaurant

Location: 2610, 230 N Brand Blvd, Glendale, CA 91203. (818) 956-5888

Date: July 18, 2019

Cuisine: Peruvian

Rating: Excellent Old School Peruvian

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Seb and I and another friend were wandering around Glendale for lunch and ended up at Lola’s Peruvian after I rejected a couple unappealing chain-type restaurants.

This is an old school, classic Peruvian place.
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Baggette-like bread.
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Zesty sauces.
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Delicias Del Mar. Ceviche, tiradito, yellow and red chili peppers, mussels, fried calamari, fried yucca, peruvian corn (choclo), toasted corn (cancha).
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Saltado de Vegetales. Vegetables stir fries, onion, tomatoes, soy sauce over French fries. Served with rice.
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Pescado Sudado – PeruvianSteam Fish. Juicy sole steamed fish, sauce of onion and tomatoes, bell peppers and potatoes. Served with side of rice.
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Roast pork. Very tender and great with the sauces — needs them though to give it some more complex flavor.
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Arroz con Mariscos – Seafood Rice. Considered to be an adaptation of spanish paella with shrimp, octopus, squid and mussels.

Lola’s isn’t a fancy place, but it is tasty and if you want to experience that sort of classic, heavily Spanish influenced type of Peruvian, quite good. Now this is very different from the more modern Picca style of Peruvian with its strong Japanese and Chinese influences, and is more typical of South American food in general before the modern culinary revolution, but this is well made traditional food with plenty of flavor.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Quick Eats – Seasalt
  2. Quick Eats – Little Sister
  3. Quick Eats: Brentwood
  4. Quick Eats: Panini at Home
  5. Quick Eats – Da Jeong
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: cerviche, Glendale, Peruvian cuisine, pork, Rice

Eating Tel Aviv – Manta Ray

Aug28

Restaurant: Manta Ray

Location: Promenade | 7 Koifman St, Tel Aviv 63305, Israel. +972 3-424-7717

Date: July 6, 2019

Cuisine: Israeli

Rating: seafood!

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Our final night in Israel — just hours before heading to the airport for a very long series of flights home.
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Some friends had recommended this.
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And it’s right on the beach.
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With a straight on view (and the typical glass barrier beach restaurants often have).
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The menu.
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Plain pasta.
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Pasta sauce.
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Here they bring this slate of mezze and you can choose whichever ones you like. Pretty good stuff.
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And served with fresh bread.
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Filleted Blue Bream served on red rice, pineapple & chili butter.
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Chunks of Filet of Grouper on mashed blue potato and shallot flakes.
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Mixed seafood in a black cast-iron pot. This had a slightly sweet sauce.
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Sharing Seafood: mussels, shrimp, and crabs, sweet potato and grilled pineapple in a coconut milk sauce with lemon grass, ginger and curry paste. This broth was better (although the seafood quality was good for both). Really nice vaguely Thai flavors. Lots and lots of crab! Probably 4-5 whole ones.

Overall, a fairly simple menu, but I liked the Mezze and the seafood was delicious.

Click here to see more Eating Israel posts.

Related posts:

  1. Eating Tel Aviv – Shila
  2. Eating Tel Aviv – Onza
  3. Eating Tel Aviv – a Place for Meat
  4. Eating Tel Aviv – Claro
  5. Eating Jerusalem – Dolphin Yam
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Beach, Easting Tel Aviv, Eating Israel, Manta Ray, Seafood

Eating Tel Aviv – Claro

Aug26

Restaurant: Claro

Location: Rehov Ha’Arba’a 23 | Corner of David Elazar 30, Tel Aviv 6107450, Israel. +972 3-601-7777
Website

Date: July 5, 2019

Cuisine: Israeli

Rating: Surprisingly delicious — incredible lamb

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Our penultimate night in Israel led us to this totally different much more modern area of Tel Aviv.

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Like a Jinga building, lightweight edition.
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And to Claro, which I was worried (from the online reviews) would be overly “international.” Turned out to be great.
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Interior is the Israeli version of one of those DTLA converted warehouse restaurants. Older warehouse building with hip new decor. Large.
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The menu.
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Some more bubbly.
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Puffy zatar bread with olives, yogurt, cucumbers, etc.
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Asparagus, asparagus cream, butter, chili sheep cheese.
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Beef tartare, spinach, mustard-labaneh, seasonal vegetable, Kodosh cheese, bruschetta. Great tartare.
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Leaves salad, herbs vinaigrette, pickled onion, sheep cheese.
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Mediterranean fish confit brushetta, tomatoes, spinach-labeneh, olives, capers.
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Seared sea fish, mustard horseradish puree, garlic aioli, red chili.
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Asparagus gnocchi, cherry tomato, spinach, butter, white wine.
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Family style lamb platter, tzatziki, matbucha, pickled vegetables, pita bread. This was one of the best dishes I had in Israel. My father and I split the whole thing too! Let’s take a closer look.
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Various sides and toppings, almost like a Korean meat or Vietnamese fish dish: tzatziki (garlicky yogurt), spicy red stuff, herbs, pickled veggies, lettuce.
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Then this huge hunk of incredibly tender lamb and the really nice fresh thick pita breads.
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The dessert menu.
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King size truffle. Milk chocolate mousse, caramelized hazelnuts, creme anglaise.
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Sticky toffee pudding. Dates, coconut sorbet, toffee sauce.

Overall, Claro turned out to be lovely. In it’s way, it is an international restaurant. It would be at home in LA. But the ingredients are Israeli centric. The room, service, and food quality were, however, excellent.

Click here to see more Eating Israel posts.

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Related posts:

  1. Eating Tel Aviv – Onza
  2. Eating Tel Aviv – a Place for Meat
  3. Eating Tel Aviv – Shila
  4. Eating Israel – Aroma Cafe
  5. Eating Jerusalem – Mona
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Claro, Eating Israel, Eating Tel Aviv, lamb

Eating Tel Aviv – Onza

Aug23

Restaurant: Onza

Location: 3 Rabi Khanina, Tel Aviv 6813731, Israel. +972 3-648-6060

Date: July 4, 2019

Cuisine: Israeli

Rating: Really great

_

On this particular evening, our restaurant was in the historic port city of Jaffa.
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The port where Jonah supposedly hitched a ride with the whale. But regardless, it’s been an important seaport since ancient times and is the only ancient part of Tel Aviv.

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On our way to dinner we wandered through the old arab quarter of Jaffa, which is now home to art galleries.
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Our destination was Onza, a modern Turkish-Israeli restaurant.
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Two inside floors and a lot of outside patio dining (which is where we were).
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The menu.
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Because Israeli wines were mysteriously double the price of European wines, I ordered this Spanish Albarino.
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Bread for the mezze.
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Simple pasta.
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Pickled peppers and onions.
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Pickled cauliflower.
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Tahini with tomato and olive oil.
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Warm Eggplant. yogurt, butter & pistachios. Aka Babaghanoush. The first of many mezze. A very nice one. I liked the pistachio angle.
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Gigik yogurt. cucumbers, dill & mint. Aka Tzatziki.
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Melon and feta. Salty sweet!
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Tomato Salad. chili, walnuts, pomegranate syrup & feta cheese.
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“Choban” salad. Selanova, caesar lettuce, puff quinoa, date, Tulum & cucumber.
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Pasturma cigar “Kashkaval”, chives & dill yogurt.1A0A2019
Fish Sashimi. pickled beets, sheep yogurt, citrus peel, aniss oil & Sumak.
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Eggplant “Mafrum”. Minced meat, roasted tomatoes, potato, pistachios, eggplant foam.
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Balik Kofte. Brioche, fish patties, yogurt tahini, “matbukha” & coriander. Like the fish versions of crab cakes in tomato sauce, with different herbs.

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Fried Cauliflower Salad. Cauliflower, tahini, onions, almonds, garlic & lemon. Liking the cauliflower tahini combo.
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Sea Bass Fillet. Eggplant cream, black lentils, salicornia, fries eggplant & “Beurre blanc”.
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These Pie flat breads are like Turkish pizzas.

“Pide” Roka. Tomato sauce, mozzarella, olives, parmesan & arugula.
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“Pide” Lamb Bacon & Shrimps. Arugula salad, kashkaval cheese & olive oil. More exciting!
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They had dessert, but we wandered down the street into the market (below).

Overall, Onza was great. Personally I finish Turkish to be one of my favorite middle easterns as it unifies the swath of influences from the Balkins to Persia. I particularly enjoyed the mezze here.
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Click here to see more Eating Israel posts.

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Related posts:

  1. Eating Caesarea – Portcafe
  2. Eating Tel Aviv – a Place for Meat
  3. Eating Tel Aviv – Shila
  4. Eating Jerusalem – Pergamon
  5. Eating Israel – Aroma Cafe
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Eating Israel, Eating Tel Aviv, Eggplant, Mezze, Turkish cusine

Eating Tel Aviv – a Place for Meat

Aug21

Restaurant: A Place for Meat

Location: 64 Shabazi Street | Neve Tzedek, Tel Aviv, Israel. +972 53-944-4023

Date: July 4, 2019

Cuisine: Israeli

Rating: Not my favorite

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After a morning touring some of the city’s historic sites…
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We ended up needing to get my dad lunch — he’s a definite 3 meal a day kind of guy.
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And in search of a Yemenite restaurant ended up at this steakhouse — boo, not a steakhouse fan.
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The lunch menu. This is like Israeli Houstons or something.
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Tomatoes, onions, etc.
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Greek salad.
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Beef carpaccio. I ordered this and it was actually a pretty good beef carpaccio. Very salty though, both from the parmesan and probably from some salt.
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Home made potato crisps — aka chips. Nice and crispy.
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Creamed spinach.
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Grilled artichokes.
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Skewered filet. A bit tough.

There is nothing wrong with the kitchen here, but it’s just kind of boring. I like more exotic flavors and spices.

Click here to see more Eating Israel posts.

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Related posts:

  1. Eating Tel Aviv – Shila
  2. Eating Israel – Aroma Cafe
  3. Eating Jerusalem – Pergamon
  4. Eating Jerusalem – Dolphin Yam
  5. Eating Caesarea – Portcafe
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Eating Israel, Eating Tel Aviv, Meat, Steak

Otafuku – Carb Coma

Aug19

Restaurant: Otafuku

Location: 16525 S Western Ave. Gardena, CA 90247. (310) 532-9348

Date: June 21, 2019

Cuisine: Japanese Izakaya / Tempura / Noodles

Rating: Great noodles and tempura

_

Asian Food Friday (AFF) is another of my fun food “groups” — composed of a bunch of Santa Monica guys that on certain Friday’s set out in search of great Asian eats.
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This time we headed off to Otafuku, recommended as one of the best soba and tempura places in LA — located in Gardena Little Japan. You enter through the less than glamorous back.
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It’s really an Izakaya, they have a lot of sochu on the wall and a very drinking friendly menu.
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Very casual small interior. Really nice staff.
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Pickled Vegetables. Japanese love pickles. Several radishes, Japanese Mountain Yam, cucumber, carrot, etc. Nice complex vinegar flavor. Good crunch.
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Japanese Omelet (tamago). Really nice savory omelet. Great fluffy texture.
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Small horse mackerel with fresh vegetable bowl. Very fresh mackerel, not at all fishy, with a good bit of ginger and various veggies.
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Delicious Small Tuna Bowl. Just straight up tuna sashimi.
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Fishcake Tempura. A battered chopped shrimp and scallop with assorted vegetable tempuras. This was the best “tempura mixto” I’ve had — and I always get it. Lots of tender shrimp and scallops in here. Perfectly crispy light breading.
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Sea Eel Tempura. Extremely “Big” sea eel tempura which is “absolutely unique” (with a few assorted vegetables). I’ve actually had eel tempura several times, but this was light and fabulous. Hannosuke has a somewhat similar eel. Not sure if it’s exactly the same type.
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Shrimp Tempura. Black tiger shrimps with some assorted vegetable tempura. Excellent. Classic.
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Vegetable Tempura. Shitake mushroom, red pepper, onion, asparagus, perrilla, enoki, sweet potato, Japanese Squash etc. I like the perrilla (shiso?).
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Broiled chicken leg. Really nice dark meat.
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Stir fried Kurobuta pork with ginger soy sauce. Like a pork version of the meat that goes in a beef udon bowl — delicious.

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The pork came with miso soup.
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Special Seiro Soba (cold). Specialty soba which is quite thin white noodle made of a mixture of special white buckwheat flour. The difference from the Zaru is used on heart of soba seeds. It’s that special!  Really nice light noodles. These were served with a bowl of noodle sauce I forgot to photo, plus some chopped green onions and wasabi.
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Kikouchi (cold). Dark brown noodle made of 100% buckwheat flour. Gluten free. Really great buckwheat noodles! These are also dipped into the dipping sauce.
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At the end they bring this broth you can add to the dipping sauce to drink it like a soup. Very nice too.

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Curry Udon. Great curry udon. Chicken, onions and curry. Lighter and more complex than most curry udons.
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I brought some of my gelato too:

Arancia Crema Fiorentina Zabaione — Marsala Orange Vanilla Zabaione base with Orange Variegate — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — Very close to the oldest gelato flavor!! — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #orange #Zabaione #CremaFiorentina

Salted Caramel Chocolate — House-made salted caramel forms the core of this base which then is layered with house-made Valrhona dark chocolate ganache and Valrhona milk chocolate chips — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — my best salted caramel yet — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #caramel #chocolate #Valrhona #ganache
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The owner loved my gelato so much they brought us free this fabulous flan with dark caramel. Really nice custard with a perfect creamy texture and contrasting caramel.

Overall, this was a great place. On the border of sketchy neighborhood wise, and very hole-in-the-wall, but super nice staff and really great food. Everything we had was quite good, particularly the tempura and noodles.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Không Tên – Brunch
  2. I-Driva to I-Naba
  3. Hannosuke Tempura
  4. Szechuan Impression Tustin
  5. Happy Table 2X
By: agavin
Comments (1)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: AFF, BYOG, Gardena, Gelato, Japanese cuisine, noodles, Sashimi, soba, tempura

Eating Tel Aviv – Shila

Aug16

Restaurant: Shila

Location: Rehov Ben Yehuda 182, Tel Aviv 6347122, Israel. +972 3-522-1224

Date: July 3, 2019

Cuisine: Israeli

Rating: Great

_

The end of our trip brought us to bustling Tel Aviv.
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Only about 100 years old, Tel Aviv is a radically different kind of city than Jerusalem.
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For our first restaurant we went to Shila.

The restaurant was established ten years ago by Sharon cohen and his wife Adi. At the first years Sharon worked with 2 cooks and Adi with 1 waitress. Year after year, step by step the restaurant grows and expanded its size, staff and culinary vision. Today shila became a home for people that love to eat and have fun, Sharon Cohen, the chef, manages his kitchen with laughter and humor behind the Flame, Seasoned with grace and serves with love.
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The interior is decidedly more modern than most of what we’ve seen in Israel up to this point. Space was crowded and buzzy too.
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The menu.
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Bread.
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Tahini and spicy sauce.
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Fisherman’s Caaprese. Mozzarella di Bufala, cherry tomatoes & Spanish anchovies.
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Iron salad. Spinach, endive, walnuts, beetroot carpaccio & Feta cheese.

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Yellowtail Sashimi. Sliced apricot, cherries, wakame seaweed & Labaneh stone.

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Sea fish tartar. wrapped in avocado, served with almonds and a mint Aioli.

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Tel-Aviv mix of fish on top of tzatziki & pita bread.

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Green Tortellini. filled with a homemade Ricotta. Served with Crystal shrimp and crab meat.

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Fish Fillet and Lobster Ravioli in a Swiss Chard Stew with a lemon butter sauce served with mussels, Tiger shrimp & calamari.
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Seafood spaghettini. Shrimps, mussels & calamari in crab stock & pickled caper leaves.

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The dessert menu.
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Entremet. Dark & Milk Chocolate Mousse, Salted Caramel Cremeux, Sesame Crumble & Sesame Nougatine.
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Caribbean Crème Brule. Crème Brule, Almonds Crumble, Coconut ice cream & tropical fruits.

Overall, Shila was great. It was young, hip, loud, crowded, and full of energy. Service was good. The food was more unusual and more contemporary than many places we visited up until this point. The presence of so much “seafood” (aka tref, shellfish) was a pleasant change too. It was definitely rich, but didn’t come off as heavy.

Click here to see more Eating Israel posts.

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Related posts:

  1. Eating Caesarea – Portcafe
  2. Eating Jerusalem – Dolphin Yam
  3. Eating Jerusalem – Mona
  4. Eating Israel – Aroma Cafe
  5. Eating Rosh Pina – Auberge Shulamit
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Eating Israel, Eating Tel Aviv, fish, Sharon Cohen, Sharon Cohen's Kitchen & Bar, Shellfish, Tel Aviv

Eating Caesarea – Portcafe

Aug14

Restaurant: Portcafe

Location: National Park of Caesarea Harbor, Caesarea 3842134, Israel. +972 4-610-0299

Date: July 3, 2019

Cuisine: Israeli

Rating: Lovely location, great food

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On our way from the “North” to Tel Aviv we visited the port city of Caesarea.
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Above are the ruins of old Caesarea, founded by King Herod as a new Hellenistic capital away form the “overly religious” Jerusalem.

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Passing through the ruins to the port we met up with relatives at Portcafe.
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The sea breeze was gorgeous.
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The menu.
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Caprese. Tomato caprese, fresh mozzarella, basil and olive oil and Calamata olives.
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Market Salad. Lightly salted Bulgarian cheese, with fresh vegetable salad, lemon, olive oil and hyssop.
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Homemade Icra (fish roe) with red onion and pita bread. Love, love this salty umami dip often found in Greece.
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Roasted Eggplant Carpaccio. Baladi Eggplant Filet charred on the fire. Ethiopian tahini, tomato salsa with green onion and olive oil. One of the best eggplant and tahini dishes we had on the trip.
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House baked pita bread. Thick and excellent.
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Fresh Cheese Ravioli filled with ricotta and feta cheese in rose sauce (aka pink sauce) — tomatoes, cream and parmesan.
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Fish and Chips. Filet of cod in beer batter served with lemon and tartar sauce.

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Portburger. Signature burger 100% fresh Angus beef, brioche bun, BBQ aioli, pickled cucumber and rockat cheese, onion jam.
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Vegan Port Burger. Beyond Meat Cut, chopped pea protein hamburger, Ethiopian tahini protein, lettuce, tomato, pickled cucumber in a bun and a green salad.

I really like Portcafe. First of all, the seaside setting with its sun and breeze was classic Mediterranean. Then beyond that the food (really the mezze, which is all I ate, skipping the fried stuff) was very fresh and delightful.

Click here to see more Eating Israel posts.

1A0A1699-PanoThe ancient (and modern) theater.

Related posts:

  1. Eating Jerusalem – Pergamon
  2. Eating Jerusalem – Touro
  3. Eating Rosh Pina – Shiri Bistro
  4. Eating Jerusalem – Mona
  5. Eating Israel – Aroma Cafe
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Caesarea, Eating Caesarea, Eating Israel, Eggplant, Mezze, Port Cafe, tahini

Kass has Class

Aug12

Restaurant: Kass Restaurant – Wine & Bar [1, 2]

Location: 320 South La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036. (323) 413-2299

Date: June 19, 2019

Cuisine: California French

Rating: Fabulous

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Years ago I enjoyed Chef Christophe Emé’s Ortolan and have had attended private dinners he’s prepared.
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So it was exciting that he opened a new place on La Brea — supposedly a bit more casual this time (as is in vogue).
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I think the sign was completed in 2018, I believe the restaurant itself opened in 2019 :-).

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From my cellar: 2006 Billecart-Salmon Champagne Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon. VM 94+. The 2006 Rosé Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon is powerful, intense and also classically austere in its make up. Crushed flowers, mint, red berries and cranberries are all finely sketched. The 2006 finishes with striking mineral-driven precision, and while it doesn’t have the opulence or exuberance of the 2002, it is still a very pretty and appealing Champagne. The Elisabeth Salmon is 50% Pinot Noir and 50% Chardonnay, with about 8% still Pinot Noir. Dosage is 6 grams per liter.
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Erick and I, then Ron, sat outside for a bit drinking our Champagne while we waited for the full crew to assemble.
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This is the inside after dinner when we outlasted everyone. Clean and cosy.
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The kitchen was small and neat and you can see Chef Christophe Emé in the center, carefully managing every detail.
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Grilled Sardines with Eggplant Caviar. Delicious and perfectly cooked sardines. The eggplant beneath had a Lebanese sort of flavor. Delicious!
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The next dish makes an arrival.
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Egg Caviar. The classic, with scrambled eggs and Kaluga caviar.
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Close up. This was a perfect pairing with the 2002 Krug!
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Ron brought: 2012 Domaine de la Vougeraie Vougeot 1er Cru Clos Blanc de Vougeot. VM 92. Pears, white flowers and quince meld together in the 2012 Vougeot Le Clos Blanc de Vougeot. This is another rich, inviting white with lovely resonance and an inviting, soft personality beautifully suited to near-term drinking. The oak still needs to become a bit more fused with the wine, but there is a lot to look forward to.
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Tuna Sashimi. Arima Sansho Infusion. Crispy Rice. The textural play here was perfect, with the soft tuna and crunchy rice. But the flavors were amazing. There was some olive oil, giving it an Adriatic Italian vibe, and a perfect zing from the Sansho.
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From my cellar: 1993 Robert Ampeau & Fils Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières. 93 points. This has aged well, and I think the second time I have encountered the wine in the last four years, as Howard Cooper also brought it to another holiday dinner a couple of years ago, if I recall correctly. It may not have as much precision as the Ramonet, tasted just before, but I really like how it combines grace and “fat” at the same time. Indeed, the palate is more broad than long, but always pleasing. I am not sure how much longer anyone should hold on to this. It seems fine now and likely just on its plateau.
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Housemade Tagliatelle. Lobster Bolognese. Caviar. Another amazing dish. Petite, but the pasta was cooked perfectly and paired fabulously with the rice lobster. Very umami.
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Erick brought: 2002 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut. JG 100. It is hard to believe that two and a half years have now passed since Champagne Krug unveiled its long-awaited 2002 Vintage Brut. I do not know if there have been different disgorgements of this bottling, but this one is the same as the last bottle that swept me off of my feet back in the spring of last year, having been disgorged in the autumn of 2015. The wine is a blend of forty percent pinot noir, thirty-nine percent chardonnay and twenty-one percent pinot meunier in 2002 and is already one of the legendary vintages of Krug ever produced. The bouquet is deep, pure, ripe and vibrant, wafting from the glass in a marvelous blend of pear, apple, almond, a stunningly beautiful base of soil tones, subtle spice shading, patissière, a touch of citrus blossoms and that signature Krug smokiness in the upper register. On the palate the wine rock solid, mineral-driven and shows off stellar purity, with its full-bodied format seamlessly supported by great structure and grip. The mousse is impeccable, the complexity still youthful and growing with each visit and the finish, long, refined and absolutely perfect. This will last almost forever and I suspect at age fifty-seven, I will never drink it at its absolute zenith of evolutionary perfection. But, I admit very much enjoying my occasional visits as the wine is in climbing mode to that future peak!
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Grilled Octopus. Basil mashed potatoes, red pepper coulis. A very nice and tender leg of octo.
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Seared Maine Scallop. English peas, salmon roe, beurre blanc sauce. Awesome. Totally brought together by the peas in butter and elevated with the briny bits from the roe.
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Ron brought: 1998 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape. VM 92. Good medium red. Aromas of red fruit syrup, cola, milk chocolate, humus, graphite and prune. Sweet, lush and rich, with the fruit syrup flavor showing a distinctly roasted quality. Grew fresher and juicier with a bit of aeration and held its shape nicely, but eventually the pruney element became more pronounced. With little in the way of primary fruit remaining, this doesn’t really come alive, in spite of its complexity.
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Grilled quail breast. Meaty, almost livery like. Delicious.
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Larry brought: 2001 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage. VM 94+. Good bright medium ruby. Subtly complex, granitic nose melds cassis, blueberry, smoky gunflint, pepper, tar, bitter chocolate, roast coffee, leather, game and animal fur. Wonderfully juicy but currently rather folded in on itself. But this has brilliant acidity, precision and penetration on the palate. Almost painfully intense and wonderfully long and gripping on the back. Very firm and structured but not at all dry. This will need a good decade of additional cellaring.
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Braised Lamb Shank. Jus. Gnocchi. Super rich and meaty. Absolutely delicious. Needed bread. haha.
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Cheese and raison bread. The left one was barely cheese, pretty much fromage blanc. All lovely.
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Cherry tart. Perfectly in season and a fabulous cherry flavor.
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Poached Rhubarb. Strawberry sorbet. Very nice light dessert. I don’t even normally like rhubarb. Sorbet has that paco jet thing where the structure starts to melt instantly (a gelato maker’s complaint). Tasted great though.
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Tarte au Citron. Orange Granite. Crunchy, meets cold, this had amazing textures and bright orange flavors.
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Tarte aux Pommes. Vanilla Ice cream. A perfect classic Tarte Tartin. Ice cream again was delicious but instantly starting to lose structure. It’s a pacojet thing, because it wasn’t formulated perse but is just frozen and whipped.
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But this is the real thing, even if a bit ugly in this container. My home-made gelato:7U1A3383
Arancia Crema Fiorentina Zabaione — Marsala Orange Vanilla Zabaione base with Orange Variegate — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — Very close to the oldest gelato flavor!! — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #orange #Zabaione #CremaFiorentina

Salted Caramel Chocolate — House-made salted caramel forms the core of this base which then is layered with house-made Valrhona dark chocolate ganache and Valrhona milk chocolate chips — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — my best salted caramel yet — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #caramel #chocolate #Valrhona #ganache
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We spent at least 30 minutes talking with Chef Christophe Emé after dinner.

Overall, this was an amazing meal. Our wines were nice, and service was really spot on, but it’s the cooking that really showed everything else up. Every dish was amazing. 8 out of 8 for the savory and 4 out of 4 for the dessert. Even the cheese course was really nice. Bravo!

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Or for epic Foodie Club meals, here.

Related posts:

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  2. Happy Table 2X
  3. SGV Style – Deferred Maintenance
  4. Thai Tour – Night+Market Song
  5. Double Eagle is Pretty Standard
By: agavin
Comments (1)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: BYOG, Champagne, Christophe Emé, French Cuisine, Gelato, Kass, Krug, La Brea, Los Angeles, Wine

Eating Rosh Pina – Shiri Bistro

Aug09

Restaurant: Pina Barosh – Shiri Bistro

Location: Rehov HaChalutzim 8, Rosh Pina 1200000, Israel. +972 4-693-6582

Date: July 2, 2019

Cuisine: Israeli

Rating: Great view, sloppy service

_

For our second night in Rosh Pina we went up the street again to Pina Barosh and its Shiri Bistro.
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They have a lovely (if slightly dated) outside patio with great views.

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Said great view.
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The menu.
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Geoni Salad. With sprouts, carrots, beets, cucumbers, walnuts and goat cheese.

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Seared Cauliflower. With tahini sauce, chimichurri and radishes. As I’ve already noted, Israeli’s LOVE tahini. This was quite good though.
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Foie Gras Terrine. With onion and pears comfiture. Tasty. Too bad it’s been banned again in LA!

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Simple pasta.
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Chicken breast with green beans.
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Sea Bream fish. Whole baked and served with bonfire vegetables.
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Seafood Risotto. With shrimps, baby shrimps and calamari with parmesan cheese. A bit heavy. Not a perfect Italian risotto, but not awful either.
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Lamb T-Bone. With antipasti bonfire vegetable.

Shiri Bistro had a great view, but the food was a touch sloppy and the service very slow and confused. They were sweet, but there was basically one waitress for the entire large space and she was overwhelmed — and maybe a bit young and untrained.

Click here to see more Eating Israel posts.

Related posts:

  1. Eating Rosh Pina – Auberge Shulamit
  2. Eating Jerusalem – Touro
  3. Eating Jerusalem – Pergamon
  4. Eating Israel – Aroma Cafe
  5. Eating the Golan – Shawarma
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Eating Israel, Eating Rosh Pina, Israeli Cuisine, Pina Barosh, Shiri Bistro

Eating the Golan – Shawarma

Aug07

Restaurant: Shawarma

Location: Somewhere in the golan

Date: July 2, 2019

Cuisine: Kosher Shawarma, Falafel etc

Rating: ok, but not amazing

_

While driving around the Golan Heights we stopped at:
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This authentic kosher Shawarma place. I have no idea where or what it’s actually called.

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The inside is very casual. Very. There was substantial authentic Israeli salesmanship going on in dragging us inside. Many of the customers were young army soldiers.
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You can see the rotating cylinder of Shawarma in the back right.1A0A1498

They really good self serve pickles. The peppers were incredibly spicy, even by my standards.

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Shawarma. With fries. It was all a bit dry. Flavor on the meat was good. But it really needed the tahini. Probably the kosher meat factor. Plus it was chicken or turkey or something. Lamb would be better (aka fattier).

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The ruins of Beit Shean (a late Roman city)

Falafel.

I was not super impressed. I was hoping for some really good beef/lamb — ideally with yogurt (aka lebneh). This was much like you get at a super casual LA kosher Shawarma place.

Click here to see more Eating Israel posts.

Related posts:

  1. Eating Jerusalem – Touro
  2. Eating Jerusalem – Hamotzi
  3. Eating Rosh Pina – Auberge Shulamit
  4. Eating Jerusalem – Pergamon
  5. Eating NY – 2nd Ave Deli
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Eating Golan, Eating Israel, Kosher, Meat, Shawarma

Eating Rosh Pina – Auberge Shulamit

Aug05

Restaurant: Auberge Shulamit

Location: 34, Rosh Pina 12000, Israel. +972 4-693-1485

Date: July 1, 2019

Cuisine: Israeli

Rating: A little old fashioned, but good

_

After our stay in Jerusalem we moved up north to the Galilee (named after the large and famous lake in the region). And more specifically we stayed in the small town of Rosh Pina.

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Auberge Shulamit was recommended to us by our guide and was located in this building atop the hill.
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For obvious reasons the position led to an excellent view.
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And the glassy restaurant space takes advantage of that.

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Here is the menu.
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We ordered this local sparkling wine.
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Watercress salad. with apple,red cabbage and pomegranate vinaigrette.
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Grilled portobello mushroom. Mushrooms, peppers, mustard sauce, almonds.
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Shrimps in butter. garlic and with wine /cream and roquefort. I actually loved this dish.
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Simple pasta.
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A bit of mango sorbet as an intermezzo.
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Grilled lamb ribs. Mashed potatoes.
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Salmon fillet in salvia butter,thyme and white wine sauce.
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Pannacotta with fruit (and those Middle Eastern pastry noodles).
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Creme Brûlée.
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Chocolate sorbet. A bit icy.Overall, Auberge Shulamit was a good place. The view was nice and the service very friendly. Food was solid, if a bit old fashioned. After mostly kosher meals — or at least ones without shrimp on the menu — it was nice to get some shellfish back in my diet :-).

Click here to see more Eating Israel posts.

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Above, the Sea of Galilee.

Related posts:

  1. Eating Jerusalem – Pergamon
  2. Eating Jerusalem – Touro
  3. Eating Jerusalem – Mona
  4. Eating Jerusalem – Dolphin Yam
  5. Eating Israel – Aroma Cafe
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Eating Israel, Eating Rosh Pina, Israeli Cuisine, Rosh Pina

Eating Jerusalem – Mona

Aug02

Restaurant: Mona

Location: 12 Shmu’el ha-Nagid, Jerusalem 9459212, Israel. +972 2-622-2283

Date: June 30, 2019

Cuisine: Israeli

Rating: best place we ate in Jerusalem

_

I really wanted to go to Machneyuda but I didn’t get my butt in gear early enough to make a reservation, so I ended up making one at Mona (owned by the same people, I think) instead. Turned out to be a great choice.
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More gratuitous tourist shots: David’s Citadel.
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Mona is located in the Artists House, an older and attractive house which is part of Art University in Jerusalem. An unusual, but attractive location for a restaurant.
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The menu is short but sweet.
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We ordered this Israeli sparkling.
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Bread came with various salts and roasted garlic and tomato. Garlic was great.
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An amuse of watermelon water.
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Tomato Consommé. Pickled cucumber. I don’t even like tomato and I really enjoyed this.
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Green Salad. “Fakus”. Peach vinaigrette.
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Fish Tartare. Chili Oil. Labneh. Tomato Seeds. Again, despite my fear of tomato goop, I ordered — and very much enjoyed this dish.
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Pasta for the boy.
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With cheese sauce on the side. He fell asleep and my mother and I took turns mixing the cheese sauce with this lovely homemade pasta and dumping black pepper in. Delicious! Really excellent pasta and sauce actually.
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Fish Fillet. Beurre Blanc. Courgettes.
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Smoked Tuna. Soba Noodles. Walnuts vinaigrette.
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Rump steak. Yellow wax beans. Boy choy.

Overall, Mona was great. Service was much better than most places in Israel (which is usually friendly but slightly confused). Food was interesting, sophisticated, and on point. Not as middle eastern as some places, but modern and delicious.

Click here to see more Eating Israel posts.

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Related posts:

  1. Eating Jerusalem – Pergamon
  2. Eating Jerusalem – Hamotzi
  3. Eating Jerusalem – Dolphin Yam
  4. Eating Jerusalem – Touro
  5. Eating Jerusalem – Inbal Breakfast
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Eating Israel, Eating Jerusalem, Israel, Jerusalem, Mona
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