Friday Night in Jerusalem – Muna

Recently we have celebrated our second anniversary. We have decided to celebrate it a short weekend at Emek HaElah (Valley of Elah) including sleep in Ein Kerem at Montana Boutique hotel.

When we go on vacation we love to plan it in advanced, searching the internet for the best hotel, the most successful restaurants and exciting places to visit. When we have planned this short trip we knew that eating in this area on Friday night will be challenging as most of the places in Jerusalem are closed due to kosher limitations. We booked in advanced a table for two for the hottest spot (and almost the only place open) in town – Muna.

Muna is a well-known institute in Jerusalem that lately was handover to a new ownership by the people of Machneyuda. While the Machneyuda restaurant have the market vibe, Muna is the older respectful sister among the two. We were offered seven portion tasting meal that was served one by one with long breaks. A dinner in the full sense of the word.

And now for the excuses section in this post – it have been a while since we ate there and not all the courses that were served appear on the menu. The chef is creating the dinner for you according to what you love or hate, so we decided to show you all the portion without too much explanation about each and every dish. We will just say that we have enjoyed every portion, some we liked more and some less but overall all of them were tasty and original for us.

The Check please – 630NIS

Summary

Food: Chef Restaurant
Price: Very expensive
Location:  Jerusalem

The Cizer Kobrinsky Scale

4 Forks

Contact Details:

Shmuel Hanagid 12, Jerusalem | +972-2-6222283 | http://monarest.co.il/mona/en/

Christmas at Munich

It have been more than three months ago, and it was business not pleasure, but we really enjoyed our stay in the great city of Munich. It was the beginning of December and we arrive just in time to experience the preparation of Christmas celebration.

Munich

We stayed in Unterschlisem, 20 minutes train ride from Munich, as Inbar was on a training at Microsoft office. Unterschlisem is quite boring city so we have found ourselves on the train to Munich every night. The biggest advantage of the hotel we stayed in was that we found out that Bayern Munich players are preparing to their games in our hotel.

Karlplatz to Marienplatz

Between Karlplatz to Marienplatz

Most of our visit, walking and shopping was between these two main plazas.

Augustiner Großgaststätten

Augustiner

Walking between Karlplatz to Marienplatz, we found the Augustiner. Large restaurant, in which you share your table, eat sausages and drink a beer. In general, this sums up the experience in most of (tourist) German restaurants we have visited. We had the Augustiner beer, Bavarian beer that was very nice. http://www.augustiner-restaurant.com/

Augustiner Beer

Viktualienmarkt

Gluhwein

Very cool market, most of it is food (meat), fruits and flowers. We drank there Gluhwein for the first time in our visit. Gluhwein is hot red wine and it seems to be very popular to drink it at this time of the year. Lots of street counters were selling red wine and eggnog and many people stops for a short warming break.

Viktualienmarkt

We also ate a bun filled with piece of meat. For us, eating “Dry” sandwich is quite weird because we are used to rich, full-of-vegetables sandwiches along with some sauce or paste. Nevertheless, we found out that fresh bun, with good meat and a bit of mustered on the side, was quite satisfying.

Fresh bun with good meat

Xmas Market

Christmas decoration

Most of our meals in Munich were on counters located on the street and not in restaurants, as we used to. As I mentioned before, it was December and the streets were full of counters selling food and Christmas decoration. We had some fried potatoes (Pommes Frites), Hot Chestnuts, Banana and strawberry topped with hot chocolate on a skew and many more.

Pommes Frites

Hofbräuhaus

Huge touristic restaurant with impressive history of over a decade homemade beers and Bavarian Bands playing traditional music. We eat nice Shpetzli and very good Schweinshaxe (pork leg). http://www.hofbraeuhaus.de/

Hofbräuhaus Beer

Oliveto

We had a chance to meet in Munich our Mexican friend, Luis. We scheduled a dinner with him and he brought another friend from Australia, whom he met in his hostel.  We had a nice dinner and eat some very good food: Pizza, Fish and Shpetzili again. http://www.restaurant-oliveto.de/

Tollwood Market

Famous Christmas market with lots of food counters, music, drinks and clothes. Unfortunately. We forgot to take the camera that day. http://www.tollwood.de/en/

Nam Giao 31

Nam Giao

We’ve decided to end our journey at the restaurant that is located on the 1^st place in Trip Advisor for Munich. Ambitious, I know but definitely worth it. It is a small, family-run Vietnamese restaurant that cooks their traditional food. Because of its size, one must book a table ahead. Everything we ate there was perfect and very tasty. It was only when we got back to Tel Aviv we found out that the Asian restaurants are now a big hit in town as well. http://www.namgiao31.de/

Nam Giao

Allianz Arena

Allianz Arena

Though we usually write about food, we do want to share some other exciting events. Being at the Alianz Arena is definitely one of them. We had the chance to go to a Bayern Munich game in the Champions League. This was amazing (cold) experience, and we were lucky to be in the crowd when Bayern beat Bate Borisov 4:1. Amazing Stadium, Amazing crowd and Amazing team. Go Bayern!

Bayern Munich

Overall we can say we really enjoyed this business trip. Thanks to my colleagues, Steve and Annkathrin for their recommendations.

Just Us

Fine Beef Alabama

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

Tengo Hambre: The Spanish Experience

Two years ago Shahar and I visited Madrid for a private vacation just before I started to work for Microsoft.  As food lovers we searched for places to eat and as usual we were looking for the locals recommendations instead of the touristic places. At that visit we came across a blog of a Spanish guy from Madrid that wrote English recommendations about the Spanish restaurants. In that trip we have realized we should write such a blog about Tel Aviv. My current trip, which was a business trip, was some kind of a closure as I visited the city in which the blog was founded from.

Thanks to my Spanish guide Hector, and some wondering around the streets I have tested again the wonderful tastes of Madrid.

Mercado de San Miguel
I admit, this is a very touristic place and it seems that the locals don’t really go there. Nevertheless it was very nice experience of colors, tastes and sounds.  I even discovered over there that Sea Urchin is something people actually eat.

Mercado de San Miguel

Mercado de San Miguel

Bazaar Restaurant

Very ‘value for money’ place. You can’t book a place in advanced so we came there, registered and went to drink a beer in the Chueca barrio. At the restaurant itself I took a Burger that was a bit dry in my opinion but overall it was a good lunch. Very good Cheese Cake.
http://www.restaurantbazaar.com

Bazaar

El Zagal
To this place I arrived just because it was very close to my hotel. I had a traditional dish of Octopus with Potatoes and Paprika (Pulpo Gallego).
http://madrid.salir.com/cerveceria_restaurante_el_zagal

El Zagal

Taberna Txacolina
I have asked Hector for a tapas and beer tour in all the cool places, so he took me to Calle de la Cava Baja in La Latina. We were in a few places and the one I liked the best was Txacolina. The place had good vibe and quite big tapas.
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g187514-d1942497-Reviews-Taberna_Txacolina-Madrid.html

Txacolina

Txacolina

With Hector at Txacolina

La Gloria Montera
Another place by the owners of the Bazar restaurant. Overall i think it was also value for money as I payed 21 EUR for a good Salad, Entrecote Steak and wine. I drank the wine by myself, wishing Shahar was there to share the experience with me.
http://www.lagloriademontera.com/

Malatesta
I have arrived here by chance. I was walking around the streets looking for something to eat and I was already a bit tired from all the deep fried food. Then I have noticed this small and cute place and I knew right away this is the place for me. It was a bit expensive but definitely worth it. The pasta was great and I finally had a real salad with fresh vegetables
http://trattoriamalatesta.com

Malatesta

Orio Fuencarral
I went there on our night out with all the Spanish guys and the people from the training. In my opining the tapas there were over-fried. I mean why everything should be deep fried? And when I’m saying everything I mean that even the oysters were fried.
http://www.oriogastronomiavasca.com/

Orio Fuencarral

Tempranillo
My biggest challenge in Madrid was going by myself to a tapas bar, push people in order to get to the bar and then to ask for food in Spanish. On my last night in Madrid I decided I will do it no matter what. I went back to Cava Baja and found Tempranillo. It wasn’t easy for me but I found myself at the bar asking for “Jamon Serrano con pan tomate y vino tinto” and afterwards I was able to ask for 2 or 3 more tapas by myself from the Spanish menu. That was a joy! And the food was very good as well.
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g187514-d990681-Reviews-Tempranillo-Madrid.html

Tempranillo

Tempranillo

Santiago Bernabeu
Yes I know, this is a food blog not sports. Nevertheless one cannot miss mentioning that he (or she) was at a game of Real Madrid in the Santiago Bernabeu. Absolutely amazing experience that does not remind the Israeli football in any way.

Real Madrid

Off Topic – Thailand

Koh Samui

It has become a tradition in our blog – writing summary post about a visit abroad. This time we spent the holidays in Thailand. It was actually our second visit and it was worth coming back.

Phuket

Kata Beach

We started the trip with a gamble about the weather in Phuket. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a good bet but we did have the chance to eat good food.

Lucky Toms

Lucky Toms – Traditional Thai food in reasonable price for a place that is located in center of touristic street. The spiciest Som Tam (Papaya Salad). http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g1210687-d1898885-Reviews-Lucky_Tom_s-Kata_Beach_Phuket.html

Largo Tapas – Although having oxymoron in their name, the place serves seafood tapas at a higher level than the average in Phuket. And no, the tapas were not big as the name promises and were quite expensive.  http://www.facebook.com/LargoTapas

Weekend Market

Weekend Market

Weekend Market – We can’t recommend on a specific stand but you can be sure that everything there looks good. We had a very good dinner just by picking small dishes form different stands. When you are tired from going around, in the middle of clothing section you will find a bar, located in a leather store where you can drink a beer and relax from shopping.

Weekend Market

Kwong Shop Seafood

Kwong Shop Seafood – Nice place to eat seafood, big crab and prawn shrimp on the grill. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g1210687-d1792735-Reviews-Kwong_Shop_Seafood-Kata_Beach_Phuket.html

Il Tagliere da Massimo

Il Tagliere da Massimo – Italian relief from all the Thai. Good Pizza. This is also the place to ask why does every restaurant in Thailand that specialized in non-Thai cuisine doesn’t have courage of not having Thai menu? http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g1210687-d2152086-Reviews-Il_Tagliere_da_Massimo-Kata_Beach_Phuket.html

Koh Samui

Lamai Beach

Harry’s – The place specializes in breakfast (American style) and open just until the afternoon. We ate lunch that was the cheapest meal we had in Thailand – 280Bhat. Very good Massaman curry and Tom Yum Goong.

Harry’s

Harry’s

Chaweng Beach

Samui Institute of Thai Culinary Arts – Very nice cooking class that introduces you to the basic ingredients of the Thai cuisine.    http://www.sitca.net/

Samui Institute of Thai Culinary Arts

Samui Institute of Thai Culinary Arts

Samui Institute of Thai Culinary Arts

Bophut Beach

Zazen – Samui was supposed to be a culinary center and as such there are several chef restaurants. We decided to check Zazen that was declared as the people’s favorite in a fine dine local guide. Although the prices were much higher than the average Thai restaurants (even above average Israeli restaurants) the food was just OK. http://www.samuizazen.com/bestrestaurantssamui.html

Zazen

Zazen

Koh Tao

Barracuda – The Koh Tao’s surprise. Thai fusion. http://www.barracudakohtao.com/

Barracuda

FIZZ beachlounge – Beach bar with surprising good food.

Moov – Bar with a good atmosphere, good drinks and interesting food. Bad service though.

Bangkok

Bangkok’s Skyline

Above Elven – AMAZING experience! Don’t miss the view from the 33 floor. Though there is a roof top restaurants trend in Bangkok, we heard most of them don’t justify their price. Above eleven was recommended otherwise and delivered. Above eleven is a Nikkei (Peruvian/Japanese) cuisine bar-restaurant that provided some excellent original dishes. Don’t forget to visit the toilet for another great city view. http://www.aboveeleven.com/

Above Elven

Bangkoks Skyline

Isao – Tagged in some blogs as the best Japanese in Bangkok, Isao proved to be excellent. Smaller and more casual than expected, the sushi there was far better than any Israeli sushi we had. The Nigiri are especially tasty. http://www.isaotaste.com/

Isao

Isao

Tapas Café – As we can’t finish a trip without trying some Spanish food we tried Tapas Café, that was considered as a place of real tapas. The dishes weren’t cheap but quite true to its native country. Add the casual Spanish atmosphere along with the good authentic food (try the Galician style prawns) and you get a very nice place to have a dinner. http://www.tapasiarestaurants.com/

Us…

Japanese BBQ – Yakinuki Tenka

This time we decided to buy a coupon for a restaurant we wanted to check for a while – Yakinuki Tenka.  A yakinuki is a traditional Japanese grill, on which meat, fish and seafood are grilled. Each of us paid 159 NIS for dinner full of dishes that usually costs 320NIS. I would have written down all the courses but it was too long so I decided that this post will be all about the photos. I would say this – it was definitely worth it and the experience was quite unique. Good idea when you want to celebrate with a private atmosphere.

Sake

appetizer

appetizer

Meats waiting for the grill

Meats waiting for the grill

Meats waiting for the grill

Yakinuki – The Grill

Desert

The Cizer-Kobrinsky Scale:

4 Forks

Contact Details: Yakinuki Tenka

9 Maskit Street, Herzliya |
Phone: 09-9580322 | Sunday to Friday 19:00-Late |
http://yakinukitenka.rest-e.co.il/

On the way to Eilat – Korenmehl Farm

Finally, Passover and all its food restrictions, is over.  Except for Matza bread (which we didn’t eat), Passover also means holiday – and this year we decided to explore the Negev and we took Adi and Tomer as hostages.

The Dead Sea

We started in the Dead Sea area and then we moved to Sde Boker. We had a quite long trip but this a food blog so we will only focus on the culinary, and coming to describe the culinary side, there was one restaurant that worth mentioning and stopping by – if you’re on your way to Eilat or around the Negev.

Sde Boker - Tzin Creek

Korenmehl Farm is located on road 40, just a bit after Tlalim Kibbutz. It is a lonely farm on a hill top with extraordinary view. The farm raises flock of sheep and serves food that is based on their milk. As such the restaurant is vegetarian. Fortunately, we sat at the best place in the restaurant observing the desert breathtaking view.

Goat Yogurt Drink with Sweet Syrup

We started with a special drink – Natural goat yogurt drink that was served alongside sweet syrup that gave it a nice twist. At this point we were very hungry and decided to share several courses: Tomme Katom – grated Tomme cheese served above Cherry Tomatoes and roasted red Pepper. Simple dish that respects the homemade cheese; Mini Red Peppers filed with soft cheese on top of cucumbers. The spiciness of the Mini Peppers rescued the dish from being mediocre.

Tomme Katom

Mini Red Peppers

Then, we were served a Plate of cheese with homemade bread (Passover Kosher). We wish we could share with you the name of the cheeses on the plate but unfortunately, this information wasn’t shared with us as well. We can only say that some of them were really good, especially the hard and spicy cheeses.

Plate of cheese

In addition to the above we also ordered Goat cheese Pizza (again Passover Kosher dough), that was surprisingly more tasty then our expectations and Hagar in the oven – Camembert cheese served on top of potatoes slices with yogurt & garlic sauce.  This dish was a bit 80’s like but the quality of the cheese gave it a special kick.

Pannna Cota

For dessert we took Goat Pannna Cota that was a thicker version of the Yael drink.

Overall and although the service was lacking, we were quite satisfied with the quality of the restaurant in the middle of the desert – which we defiantly didn’t expect to find. We will not go there especially, but on our way to Eilat we will definitely consider it.

The Check Please (4 people)
4 X Yael – 68 NIS
Tomme Katom – 33NIS
Mini Red Peppers  -21NIS
Cheese Plate – 57 NIS
Goat Cheese Pizza – 37
Hagar in the oven – 39 – NIS
Pannna Cota  – 21NIS

All in all 278NIS

Summary:

Food: Vegetarian – Goat cheeses
Price: Medium
Location: Negev (Road 40, Tlalim)

The Cizer-Kobrinsky Scale:

3.5 Forks

Contact Details: Korenmehl Goat Cheese Farm
Address:  Korenmehl Farm, Negev Highland, Northern Negev | Phone: 08-6555140 |
Daily 10:00-18:00 (but call to make sure it’s open)
http://kornmehlfarm.ramon.gonegev.co.il/english.asp

Adjusting Expectations – Doris Katzavim (Butchers)

About four years ago, I was travelling up north when I started to look for something descent to eat. In general, the restaurants around Rosh-Pina do not offer something exceptional. Even though around the town entrance, right behind the gas station I found Doris Katzavim (Doris Butchers). The Beef displayed raw in front of the diners really aroused and the steaks were simply amazing.

The Beef display

Few years have gone by, and “Doris” has made a name for itself as one of the best steakhouses, opening two more steakhouses – In Tel Aviv and Zichron Yaakov. The Tel Aviv branch has recently closed its doors so when travelled with family up north for Mom’s birthday, Doris at Zichron was an obvious pick.

Doris is a steakhouse offering local Beef from the Golan Heights, which definitely has quality. According to some reviews it seems that the glory that it has back then, has quite crumbled. That was a chance to check it out.

The appetizers

With eight people sitting around the table (plus a baby), it is not that simple to serve easily nor with a constant smile upon your face but I think the Doris team managed to pull it off. The service was good and attentive to our needs. Even though, it is a shame that the appetizers were simply bad.

Beef Carpaccio

Yes, I do know this is a steakhouse and we all come there to eat some dead cows, but the appetizers, which included Eggplant with Tehini, Chickpeas, Egg salad, Cauliflower, Beets and Sweet Potato, were quite embarrassing and tasted as they were taken out of a tin can. The other starters, which included vegetables salad, Wheat groats Salad and Beef Carpaccio were much better (especially the Beef Carpaccio).

Fillets of Beef

Most of us took steaks for main course. There were few Fillets of Beef, a T-Bone Steak, a Lamb Burger and I took the Hanger Steak (which some say is the ultimate test for a quality Steakhouse). One can’t argue that all the steaks were good. They felt as quality, fresh and tender. Even though, most of the faces around the table looked disappointed. At these prices, at that restaurant, you would expect to have one of the best steaks you ever had. It wasn’t the case – not even close.

Hanger Steak

The side dishes – Onion cakes, over Potatoes and grilled vegetables – were quite nice, so as the sweets – a classic and tasty crème Brule, an Apple Crumble and an excellent Kanafe (though not as good as  the one in Kalamate).

Kanafe

Summarizing Doris I would state that it is an expensive Steakhouse with some good steaks, but unfortunately, not exceptional relatively to other places (up north or in Tel Aviv).

The Check Please (8 people) – Highlights

Beef Carpaccio – 59 NIS
Mezze Plate – 59 NIS
Wheat Groats Salad – 25 NIS
T-Bone Steak (400 gr) – 129 NIS
Fillet of Beef (250 gr) – 137 NIS
Hanger Steak (250 gr) – 137 NIS
Crème Brule / Kanafe – 30 NIS each

All in all – 1490 NIS

Summary:

Food: Steakhouse
Price: Very Expensive
Location: Zichron Yaakov

The Cizer-Kobrinsky Scale:

3 Forks

Contact Details: Doris Katzavim
Address:  near Baron Gardens, Zichron Yaakov| Phone: 04-6397030 |
Sun-Thu 12:00-23:00 Fri-Sat 12:00 – Late
http://doris-k.co.il/ (no English)

Was (not) Born in the USA

But it doesn’t mean I can’t write about it… Last month I was in the US for a business trip. I started in Seattle where I had attended Microsoft’s conference – TechReady 14 – an amazing experience with the best sessions on the newest technology.  But eating in Seattle is not something the write about. We did eat at the Cheesecake factory and Ruth’s Chris and hang a lot at the Tap House Grill (which seems to be the only place to drink beer after 10 PM).

But the interesting culinary staff happens in New York. On my way home I did stopped in New York for a short vacation.  I wanted to share with you several places I liked.

New York, New York

Topaz Thai Restaurant

I had arrived to the city in the late afternoon and I was hungry. I wanted something tasty and close by. The nice girls in the reception of Wellington Hotel recommended on Topaz – Thai restaurant located on the 56^th street. For starter I received a kind of complimentary potato chips that were served with a very tasty Thai sauce based on peanuts. For main dish I ordered traditional Thai dish of stir-fried rice. Nice restaurant if you are around and looking for an oriental bite.

Topaz Thai Restaurant
127 W 56th St (between Avenue Of The Americas & 7th Ave), New York, NY 10019

Saju Bistro

On the next day I was walking around Times Square, looking for breakfast, a real one, not eating something on the street while standing. I sat on the bar for brunch at Saju Bistro and ordered the Eggs Florentine that was served with English muffins, Fresh Spinach and Hollandaise sauce. That was exactly what I was looking for; alongside with fresh orange juice I was ready to start my morning in New York.

Saju Bistro
120 W 44th Street New York, NY, 10036 | http://www.sajubistro.com/

Eggs Florentine @Saju Bistro

Lombardi’s Pizza

On that evening I had tickets to the Spider-Man show – “Turn off the dark” on Broadway. Beforehand I had to eat something and since I was already in little Italy I thought pizza would be the best choice. Lombardi’s Pizza is a well-known institute since 1905. The place has a very warm atmosphere and the tables have the traditional white and red maps. The pizza itself was very good (and huge for one person). Note that they will not accept credit card, so be prepared with cash.

Lombardi’s Pizza
32 Spring St, New York, NY 10012 | (212) 941-7994 |http://www.firstpizza.com/

Since 1905 - Lombardi's Pizza

Balthazar

For the second breakfast I decided to check another well-known institute on Soho (not far away from the previous one) – Balthazar. While seating there I couldn’t help comparing the place to the Israeli Brasserie of R2M, it seems that I have found their inspiration. Nevertheless, it didn’t reduce any of my pleasure eating their Eggs Benedicts and drinking their amazing espresso.

Balthazar
80 Spring Street, New York, NY 10012 | (212) 965-1414 | http://balthazarny.com/

Did someone said Brasserie?

Eggs Benedicts

Trattoria Dell’arte

The last place I visited, just before getting back home was Trattoria Dell’Arte. I was really in a hurry but since I got this recommendation from Shaul, I knew I had to check it. I took the “One Hundred and one layer lasagna” that is one of the place’s special dishes. Indeed that lasagna was exceptional and contained many layers of pasta. Another specialty of the place is their antipasto bar that I didn’t have the chance to check.

My Windows Phone 7 and One Hundred and One Layer Lasagna

Trattoria Dell’arte
900 7th Avenue, New York, NY 10106 | (212) 245-9800 | http://www.trattoriadellarte.com/

If I have to sum my short visit to New York – I had very good luck with the restaurants and the weather and sure hope to visit there again soon.

On the road – Nof Ha Carmel

Sunny Saturday in the middle of January is something one can’t miss. We took the company car and headed north to the Carmel View Road, the one that located in Israel, not San Diego. Faulty yet amazing road, that ended right before Isfiya because of pothole on the way. When the road ended unexpectedly, due to this pothole, we found ourselves hungry in the middle of Isfiya, looking for a place to satisfy it.

Carmel View Road

After long search after a restaurant named “Keter Ha Carmel” (Carmel’s Crown) which we could not found, we sat at Nof Ha Carmel (Carmel’s view) that presented itself as chef restaurant. In practice, it didn’t remind us any of the chef restaurants we know from Tel Aviv, but it was definitely a good place.

Salads

We started with “Salads”. Salads in the Arabic style restaurants means filling up the table with all kind of salads. This time the variety was exceptional in comparison to other similar place (such as Haachim and even Haj Kahil). To the table, one by one, we were served Pita bread, cauliflower, Matbucha, Tuna salad, cabbage salad, Labaneh, Pickled Carrots, beet, 3 kinds of vegetables salads and hummus. All of them were quite good and tasty.

Mansaf

For main course we shared Lamb Mansaf – a soft and full of tastes meat that laid over amazing rice that was getting its taste from the lamb, and all of this wonder on top of pita bread. For dessert we took the traditional Kanafeh  which was too sweet in our opinion and can definitely be optional if you choose to adopt our recommendation.

Kanafeh

All in all, Nof Ha Carmel is a good option if you are around and looking for Arabic style food (which is pretty much all you can find in this area). And if you can – we strongly suggest trying the Carmel view road as well.

The check please (2 people)

Salads with main course – 29 NIS
Salads without main course – 35 NIS
Mansaf – 85 NIS
Kanafeh – 30 NIS
Soda water – 7 NIS
Pepsi – 10 NIS

All in all: 196 NIS

Summary:

Food: Arabic
Price: Medium
Location: Isfiya, North

The Cizer-Kobrinsky Scale: 

3.5 Forks

Contact details: Nof Ha Carmel

Address:  Main road Isfiya | Phone: 057-9441083 |
Opening Hours:  Monday-Saturday 11:00-20:00 |   http://www.rest.co.il/RecordPage.aspx?RestID=1017#1