Couple of years ago a rumor about a weird beef restaurant came to my ears. The word was that somewhere in the old industrial zone of Natanya, in some warehouse, lays a new restaurant where they serve nothing but beef. Not drinks, no sides, no starters. Beef. Now ain’t that intriguing. After some time, and after hearing more and more about the place, I found just the time to check it out, inviting few of my friends to a dinner at Alabama.
The Charcoal Meat Smoker
Please don’t expect to find any Alabama cuisine in the restaurant; though do expect a huge charcoal meat smoker, and an atmosphere that will make you feel really welcomed. The fact that you bring your own booze (and light drinks) actually emphasizes the homely feeling even more.
Arriving to Alabama, you are informed about today’s cuts. You can order a la carte, but you better get the fixed priced menu as there are few paths to follow from 120 to 160 NIS. It will depend on how hungry are you and which cuts would you like to receive. A nice thing is that you can decide that as you go.
Unlike the rumors, we did get some starters – a descent vegetables salad, pickled cabbage and peas and beef stew. We can’t write much about either of these as we came with a goal and couldn’t let the starters interfere with it.
First Make us Happy
After few shots that made us happy, we were served with Beef Thin ribs. The cut, which is not usually considered as one of the best, was the best of its kind we ever tasted. The smoker flattered the beef in a way I haven’t tasted before, not to mention the (smoked) potatoes that came along with it. What a fine way to start the dinner.
Beef Thin Ribs
Next came a Sirloin Steak that, like all other courses, came alone without any sauce. This actually shows a lot of courage from a place that is really confident with its meat quality. Though I thought the Sirloin was the weakest cut, it was still pretty good. The Hanger steak brought back the bar just near “Excellent”, as the smoker left it tastes really well on the meat crust.
Sirloin Steak
Hanger Steak
The last two cuts that raised the fixed-menu to its higher level were easily worth it. The Pork Rib was so tender and didn’t feel dry at any point and the Fillet with Foie Gras was quite decadent food, and tasted great (event though the Fillet is not the most suited cut to a smoker).
Fillet and Foie Gras
Though the desserts were pretty weak and blend, we didn’t mind, it might be because we were a little drunk by then, but most probably because we came for the meat, and it was really, really good.
The Desserts
The Check Please (lots of people)
Tastings menu – 120-160 NIS PP (include starters)
Summary
Food: Steaks. Just Steaks
Price: Medium
Location: Natanya
The Cizer Kobrinsky Scale
4 Forks
Contact details: Alabama
Address: 47 Pinkas st. Natanya | Phone: 0544557287
Tel Aviv Food 