Good for him wanting to open up a kosher restaurant. These Middle Eastern restaurants helmed by Israelis are bizarre. There's simply no tradition of "treyf" (unkosher) seafood or pork dishes while they rhapsodize about the family heirloom recipes. It's embarrassing and unnecessary. Particularly since the Jews from Sephardi countries (Mizrahi is technically more accurate for some) like Yemen and North Africa tend to be more traditional, meaning they keep kosher even if they're not strictly observant. Also the prices are crazy at some of these Israeli joints. Fifteen dollar plates of hummus, ten dollar Jerusalem bagels? In Israel those prices would be one third of what these Israeli chefs are charging in America.
4
Really, there's no difference in rent and labor costs between Israel and NYC? How interesting.
2
Excellent review of an excellent eatery. Flavors overwhelm (positively!) and an urgent diet is needed right after - but run, don't walk.
One thing: that the qatayef's sauce comes in little cups doesn't mean its a chaser. Next time take sips as you eat. And surely there will be a next time.
One thing: that the qatayef's sauce comes in little cups doesn't mean its a chaser. Next time take sips as you eat. And surely there will be a next time.
4
his kosher restaurants in Tel Aviv are considered some of the best kosher restaurants in Israel. here's to hoping he will open a kosher place here
7
@ Jos Ny
Good to know, thanks. I am weary of the kosher food because there are no prohibitions on eating anything in the Ten Commandments. All these were added later by the Judaic and Christian theologians, only proving the point made by Ecclesiastes [7:29], “God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions”.
Good to know, thanks. I am weary of the kosher food because there are no prohibitions on eating anything in the Ten Commandments. All these were added later by the Judaic and Christian theologians, only proving the point made by Ecclesiastes [7:29], “God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions”.
2
Kudos to an (ex?)-Israeli chef who strives to combine the dishes of Middle East and North Africa. It must be easier to do this in laicistic New York than in Israel, in the shadow of the theocratic Parchment Curtain that makes the offering of certain foods to the public difficult.
Perhaps Mr. Adoni's culinary efforts will help bridge the millennia-old gap in the Primordial Monotheism that developed between Judaism and Christianity.
Perhaps Mr. Adoni's culinary efforts will help bridge the millennia-old gap in the Primordial Monotheism that developed between Judaism and Christianity.
Definitely not ex -Israeli. His home is in Israel, as it says in the article
Of course these food are "pluralistic." Israel is a pluralistic country and half its population are Jews from Arab countries, most specifically Morocco, Yemen and Iraq.
11
Many young Israeli chefs have been influenced by Meir Adoni. ZiZi Limona in Williamsburg and Timna in the East Village are prime examples.
1
Just imagine. All these delights (bar the non-kosher and albeit a bit simpler) are everywhere here. We, who hail from around the world, celebrate our culinary differences with flair. Our mixes and matches are mouth-watering.
6
Pete had me at "the finest couscous I’ve ever eaten in a restaurant."
10
The presentation of the dishes in the slideshow is beautiful, along with the diverse plating and some fanciful elements like the bagel on the "newspaper" (I was trying to make out the words), and the scallops perched on a silver mountain of foil. But I think it also speaks to the skill and artistry of Francesco Sapienza, who makes good food photography look easy. Which it isn't. His perfectly lit, straightforward and powerful compositions do great justice to the dishes. These types of photos are so pedestrian and purely functional that I don't generally notice them, but I found these images quite striking. Great job, Francesco!
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I wish I could ask Pete: What is the finest couscous you've ever eaten? Because I get the sense from this offering of his -- ""the finest couscous I’ve ever eaten in a restaurant" -- that it wasn't in a restaurant.
1
We are clearly in a very rich period of pan-Middle Eastern cooking, with people such as Mr. Adoni, Yotam Ottalenghi and Michael Solomonov leading the charge. I am anxious to try Nur, but that's a high price-point.
11
There are plenty of cheap Middle Eastern places in NYC.
9
Plenty indeed, be adventurous and get out of the city. The small ones, you more like a guest than customer. I like trying food from all around the world right here in NYC and I found them mostly in queens and Brooklyn .Once in Brooklyn and hungry, went to a very cozy restaurant , we found out that it was Yemeni, the food was delicious , it was my first time to try their food. The last time I was in a Tibetan restaurant( the kitchen was right there in front of you and you see them prepare the food...love it) . A friend strolled Jackson height queens and saw a sign of an Afghanistan restaurant and that will be my next stop.
7
“Game of Chefs,” where he is both a mentor to one of the teams and a judge. (Television viewers in Israel must have different ideas about impartiality.)"
The judging is based on blind tasting as well as on numerous guest judges at various stages.
I have never heard of any charges of favoritism in any form in the judging.
All three of the chef judge show no mercy; they seem quite objective.
The judging is based on blind tasting as well as on numerous guest judges at various stages.
I have never heard of any charges of favoritism in any form in the judging.
All three of the chef judge show no mercy; they seem quite objective.
11
True
Mr. Wells has made not one but two very serious errors in his piece, first about the drink that wasn't a drink and then about the partiality that wasn't partiality. He owes readers two apologies!
Pete Wells: you give out too many 2 stars.
Nur deserves one.
* bar area super noisy (even as early as 6 PM with only 5 people at bar. Low ceilings do not help
* Waiter gives wrong descriptions of plates: every plate is big enough to share. He told us it is small so we therefore overordered. He also said: order everything at once as it takes long: it doesn't: everything came fast. do yourself a favor: order small: One bread, 2 appetizers, one medium plate is enough for 2 people..then you can order more.
*Lots of spices and lots of spicy food. I love cardamon and middle eastern spices but every single dish is spicy and spicy hot. that is too much. need to cut back
* some dishes are just not good: gefilte shrimp (actually shrimp and fluke) ? ugh, meh...pass on it
* red snapper cerviche (the special): needed pinches of good salt, pinch of sugar...spicy yet tasteless....but beautifully presented. every dish was beautiful
* breads: basically a delicous Parker House roll loaf (if you get Eli's chalah (3rd ave and 80) for shabat then skip this bread
* every dish comes with additons....just too much
*beef tartare: Please..just go to a good French restaurant...only place to have delicious beef tartare (Bar Boulud on BWY)...the beef here was tasteless unless you mixed in the other 5-6 ingredients...beef tartare should arrive and be delicioius as is.
*smoked eggplant carpaccio: delicous
*Damascus Qatayef: delicious
*excellent cocktails.