My trip down to the Bodega

 

 

This is my blog post that was published on yeahthatskosher.com! Enjoy!

If any of you have visited Gush Etzion lately, you will notice that the culinary scene has had a change, after many years of only having coffee shops and dairy eateries. People demanded meat restaurants and Menachem Katz delivered. An Efrat native, who wanted to be a lawyer but ended up in the food industry for many years, and eventually fulfilled his lifelong dream of opening his own restaurant. He got his culinary education under renowned Israeli chef Yossi ben Dayan at the Hadassah college. His passions are food and music and that’s what brought him to open the Bodega.

Menachem decided to call the place the Bodega because at a bodega you can get your daily fix. Originally wanted to call it Avocado but “Bodega” was catchier because the abstract to the east coast. Located in the Efrat shopping mall where a supermarket used to be (ironicly), the Bodega offers a unique fusion of Mexican and Japanese cuisine. You can order sushi and a burrito in the same place. The main crowd that we met at the Bodega was a young and hip crowd, whether singles or young couples, everyone came to enjoy not only a good meal but also a live show. When I was there, there was a live jazz band scatting away while playing great music. It was a bit loud for the size of the place but still nice to get live entertainment in an area where it never existed.

We started with a Saki sour that was delicious, after that we moved on a beer taster. They hold many beers that are made in locally in Israel on tap: Dancing camel, Shapira and more. All the beers were really good, from the IPA to the lagers. The rest of the alcohol menu is also great, from different bottled beers to cocktails.

The food menu at the restaurant is different than your regular menu because of the cuisine fusion. We ordered chili fries, sushi and hot wings. The hot wings where deep fried to perfection and coated with a sauce that was spicy, but in the right manner. When you feel the heat at the back of your throat and doesn’t burn your tongue so you can’t enjoy the rest of your meal. The sushi was very good. I liked the way he put a jalapeño chili on top of one of the rolls to really get the fusion vibe. The chili fries were different than just any fries. They are seasoned battered French fries, which by concept is a great idea. The chili topping was nice but a bit under seasoned and the fries turned into one big chunk of fries.

For the mains we ordered many different items: Steak salad that was cooked to a perfect medium rare; Chicken salad that was seasoned nicely. The tortilla chips were a very nice addition to make the salad crunchy.  The burritos are made from premium cuts of beef and wrapped nicely with rice and beans. I personally ordered a burger done medium and a beef hot dog.  The hamburger I ordered wasn’t the greatest, it was well done which dried out the hamburger. On the other hand the hot dog was on point. Covered with pico de gallo and sauerkraut it was the highlight of my night. The service was a bit slow but they were swamped that night.

The Bodega is a one of a kind concept that fits the Gush Etzion crowd. Live music, good food, what else do you need to enjoy a great night out?!

My trip to TLV got Wings!

After months of talking about how, when a reason comes up to travel to Tel Aviv, I will have to try out the new Wings Bar. Finally after months of not seeing why I need to leave the holy city of Jerusalem, I had a reason to go and will finally be able to try it out.

For those of you who don’t know about the kosher culinary scene in Tel Aviv, I must share. Everywhere you turn today you can find something kosher. Unlike 10 years ago, the  only kosher food item was a bakery or really expensive restaurants. But today anywhere you turn you can find something different to eat if it’s a cafe or a fast food joint or even some really funky places around the Carmel Market. For those who keep kosher, you do not have to be afraid to eat in the big city anymore, Bon Apetite.

Wings bar is located in central Tel Aviv, in the shadows of the Shalom tower. What I find cool about the location of the joint is that if you fancy wings but your friends fancy something else, there is a Asian stir fry place on one side and a deli on the other. The wings are king though because the concept of the place is based only on deep fried crunchy chicken wings. “It’s all about the wings” the owner Eitan White told me. When he opened this place with his partner Robert ben Or (who I didn’t get to meet sadly) he told me that this is the only kosher wings bar in the world! The concept was so unique, that chef Leon Elkalay had to get in and help these guys create the menu for the wings bar. When I sat down to talk to Eitan about this funky joint, it really was a dream come true for him. Coming from the hi tech world into the culinary industry is a big risk and it payed off. From cooking for friends on Sunday night football to here. A journey that is taking flight very quickly.

The wings bar is all about the sauces. The wings are all battered and deep fried , but the sauce is what makes the wings. They have an extensive list of sauces but me and my friend ordered the buffalo and curry. Eitan told me after that you can order the wings and get the sauces separately or to order half and half. We ordered onion rings too. The wings were cooked to perfection like I said, but what surprised me was the battered onion rings, they were amazing. The buffalo wings were very spicy but full of flavor, and the curry wings were sweet and savory deliciousness. The wings come in batches of 8/12/16 and you can leave there without damaging your wallet too. I highly recommend anyone in the area to go and try it out because the wings bar is a legit!

An Eilat steak house you need to know about

When I went on vacation with my family to the southern city Eilat a couple of weeks ago, we decided to go to a nice steakhouse while there. So how did I find out about the place, I asked a native eilatian. Everyone pointed me to one place that is called, Entrecote (http://www.rol.co.il/sites/entrecote-eilat-agmonim/menu.html). No relation to the one in Jerusalem or Tel Aviv, this is an independent franchise in Eilat with a couple of locations around the city. It is hidden in the heart of the city outside of the tourist’s reach. Although there were a lot of tourists there with us I feel that places like these are the best places to go.

Established almost 10 years ago this place has become an Eilat establishment. As the name suggests, Entrecote Eilat features entrecote steak, priced by weight, from 200 grams and up(35 shekel per 100g). But that’s hardly all! The Entrecote menu includes other grilled favorites too – kabobs, merguez sausages, marinated chicken, BBQ wings, and lamb chops as well.

I ordered a 300g entrecote steak and it was served with an au jus that was just heaven. My daughter ordered the home fries that are hand cut and spiced to perfection. My wife ordered the BBQ wings that were a bit on the spicy side and a bit burnt. But served with the BBQ sauce on the side mixed with the wings it was delicious. Still a bit spicy though. The service wasn’t the greatest the waitress didn’t really give us the attention didn’t really notice us. But the food was amazing!
I highly recommend it to anyone visiting Eilat.

מסעדת קונספט

Here is an article I write in Hebrew about the new wings bar in tel aviv:

אני קראתי השבוע בוואלה, שהולכים לפתוח מסעדה\בר חדש בתל אביב בשם “כנפיים בר”. ממה שהבנתי הולכים למכור שם רק מוצר אחד. כנפיים. אז שאלתי את עצמי, חוץ מהסיפור שעומד מאחורי המסעדה החדשה הזאת, האם מסעדה שמססת את עצמה סביב פריט אחד בלבד יכולה לפרוס כנפיים?
הסיפור העומד מאחורי הקונספט הוא סיפור טוב. מי שעומד מאחורי המקום הוא איתן ווייט. וויט עסק מעט במסעדנות בעבר כשגר בארה”ב וזאת המסעדה הראשונה שהוא פותח בעצמו .”הבאתי יועץ קולינרי שיעזור לי קצת, מעולם לא הלכתי ללמוד בישול אבל כנפיים זה משהו שטבוע בי עמוק עוד מאז שאני ילד”, מספר ווייט. חבריו ניסו לשכנע אותו לפתוח מסעדה כבר בעבר, וסוף סוף הוא פותח מקום קצת שונה ממה שהקהל הישראלי רגיל לראות.
בארצות הברית הרעיון של מסעדה שסובבת את עצמה סביב פריט אחד הינו תעשייה שלמה. ישנם את כל רשתות ההמבורגרים, פיצות וכמובן הטרנד החדש, משאיות אוכל. תרבות הפנאי של חובבי האוכל בארה”ב הינו כל כך שונה משלנו. שם חובב אוכל יעשה נסיעה ארוכה על מנת לאכול משהו שונה בטעם, במראה ולפגוש את האנשים העומדים מאחורי האוכל. שם לרב, המקומות האלה משגשגים ומגיעים להצלחות גדולות.
בישראל, הקונספט של מסעדה מסביב לפריט אחד שהיגר את עצמו מארה”ב אינו דבר חדש. אנחנו רואים את זה כמעט בכל פינת רחוב וקניון: דוכני פלאפל ושווארמיות היותר ישראליות, לעומת פיצריות,ורשתות המבורגר שעשו עלייה מח”ול. כל אלה, הינם סוג של מזון מהיר, וזה מאוד נגיש ולפעמים טעים ומי שמצא את המתכון הנכון דווקא מאוד הצליח. אז אני שואל, האם אפשר להכניס לקטגוריה הזאת גם בר כנפיים?
המחשבות שלי נוטות לכיוון שמקום כזה הוא מעולה. לא חסר מקומות כאלה בארה”ב שמוכרים כנפיים בעשרה סוגי רטבים. מקומות כאלה הם הצלחה גדולה שם. אבל כאן המציאות אחרת. כי מתי ישראלים אוהבים לאכול כנפיים? רק כשעושים “על האש” עם החברה, כמנת פתיחה במסעדה או בבופה לפני חתונה. ישראלים רואים בכנפיים כמנת פתיחה ולא כארוחה ששווה לצאת מהבית בשבילו. יהי קשה למקום כזה לפרוס כנפיים.
למרות זאת, המסעדה ייפתח בתל אביב, וזה משהו חדש, טרנדי ושונה במהותו מרשתות המזון המהיר(וגם כשר אגב), אני מקווה שחובבי האוכל בישראל כן יפתחו את התאבון שלהם למשהו חדש. זה מקום שהחברה יכולים לשבת ולהזמין כמה מנות ביחד, כדי שכולם יטעמו ויחוו משהו שונה, אפילו שמדובר בכנפיים. ובגלל שמדובר בכנפיים, המחירים יהיו נוחים על מנת שכולם באמת יוכלו לחוות משהו חדש ומרענן בעולם הקולינרי הישראלי.

One of my Favorite Burgers at Black Bar ‘n’ Burger in Jerusalem

As a Kosher carnivore, I have very limited options to eat a great burger. A couple of years ago when Black Bar ‘n’ Burger became kosher, I was very excited. It is very hard to find a really good kosher burger. You know, no cheese, bacon and such, but they really have found the recipe to success in the kosher burger world.

When the chain decided to go kosher they adapted really well. The decor in all of their restaurants are the same but it’s a comfortable environment. They have a couple of different menus: late night, business, alcohol and my favorite, the student discount(which is like the late night menu). They also have a membership that is worth every agura. You get 10% of what you payed back on every time you return to the restaurant.

I go there for the burger. Your burger comes medium! The meat that they get is fresh and portioned out daily, the sauces are made in house and the have a fully stocked bar. The burger sizes are 160-450 grams and they always taste great. They have a lot of different items on the menu besides burgers like: Grilled sandwiches, great appetizers, a variety of grilled meats, crazy burger combos(using a bagel instead of a bun) and delicious desserts. They just added stir fried rice with chicken, and it also isn’t half bad.

Whenever I go with my better half or just friends, I always get a burger. Which burger? depends on how hungry I am or how much money I have on me. I usually order the Yokozuna burger (330 grams), and its always done to perfection. Sometimes I order the Norma Jean which is made out of ground rib eye and is phenomenal! I also share a plate of wings that are deep fried and glazed with their homemade BBq sauce. On my birthday I order a 450 gram burger with a side of 1\3 litre of Stella!

I am never disappointed with the place because constancy is key there, and that makes a great experience at any restaurant.