Corned Beef Tower @ Black Bar n Burger

This post actually dates back quite a while ago, at least a year and a half, which is the time passed since I've decided to go vegetarian/vegan.

Due to the above, it'll be useless to describe prices, service and ambiance that could have easily change in said period.
The dishes mentioned below however, they did not change, not at all.

Take a look, and if you go and try this sandwich - tell me all about it.

Ruben | The power of corned beef

I won't go on and on about Ruben, not since they don't deserve - because they really do; except I wrote about them before, so I'll just paste links to previous posts.

The picture below is from last week; I was drinking out with friends and when we got the munchies we realized Ruben was around the corner.

corned beef on white bread, with mustard, herb aioli, horseradish sauce, lettuce and tomato

The sandwich was amazing as always, so was the service.

Look at that pinkish, juicy meat.

LOOK AT IT.

Read more:

The Search for Tel-Aviv's Perfect Sandwich: Ruben

Corned Beef Sandwich @ Ruben

Beef & Turkey Pastrami Sandwich

Read this post in Hebrew

Corned Beef Heaven: Tal Bagels and a Side of Fries

This is going to be a short one.

The Missus brought me a differ in the form of this sandwich:

• Poppy seed bagel (don't argue, this is a bagel, they bake them thick and with almost no hole so stuff won't fall out).
• Spicy mustard.
• Corned beef.
• Pickles.
• Lettuce.
• Fresh cucumber slices.
• Tomato.
• Grilled eggplant.
• Deep fried eggplant slices.
• More spicy mustard.

There were fries.

That's all you need to know.

Hardcore Foodie Materials

Food porn show and tell continues:

(each segment's end is marked by a bunch of asterisks) 

This was the day Sriracha returned to the stores. I was so happy - words cannot describe.

Little did I know that the current batch was spicier than the last one, and not as easy on the stomach.

*****************************************************************

This is from a place in Petah Tikva called Pizza USA (or USA Pizza if you will). It's easily one of the best pizzas in town. Most of their local pizzas are crap, but some do have that 90's charm, when ingredients were simple and people didn't know any better.

The pizzerias in Petah Tikva have this weird fetish about their names, here's an example of several places' names - located on the same street: Pizza London, Pizza New York, Pizza Paris.

Get it?

*****************************************************************

Poppy seed bagel, spicy mustard, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, grilled eggplant, pinkish roast beef that was over heated and became a tad grey.

Delicious.

A take-away from Tal Bagelsת Karlibach 41, Cinemateque Qtr-Tel aviv.

*****************************************************************

Whole wheat noodles, pork, chicken, bacon, broccoli, sprouts, bok choy, cashews and crushed peanuts -  stir fried with a secret sauce.

Eaten at: Giraffe officer's club, 21 Ha'arbaa street, Tel-Aviv

*****************************************************************

Bought a sleeve of ice cream wafers, discovered they were randomly numbered.

*****************************************************************

Shimeji mushrooms, bleu cheese, balsamic vinegar and chestnuts. 

*****************************************************************

Bought a hard-ish avocado, got impatient and fried it, hoping that would make it go soft.

Apparently it was a horrible idea, the end product was bitter and only semi-edible.

*****************************************************************

Double-decker sandwich, a corned beef monstrosity.

Mustard and horseradish sauce, tomato and lettuce on wholewheat. Two gherkins and ten minutes of mouthgasms.

Eaten at: Ruben, Florentine 22, Tel-aviv (they have several venues).

*****************************************************************

A local store started selling Wonka Nerds. Oh happy days!

*****************************************************************

Got bored, squeezed juice from a grapefruit, orange, lemon and a clementine, although it might have been a tangerine or a mandarin.

*****************************************************************

My friends went for a vacation in the UK and all they got me was this amazing hot chipotle BBQ sauce from Bodean's BBQ.

*****************************************************************

Sambousek (also sambusak) with pizza sauce, cheese and olives, covered with a zaatar & sesame decoration.

Delicious, lovely and all the melting stringy cheese is complimented by the crisp of the exterior.

*****************************************************************

Dulce de leche doughnut, say no more.
(I have no idea where they are from, someone brought a box to the office and people gathered around it like hungry vultures, all was gone after less than a minute)

*****************************************************************

Ultra thin pizza that goes by 1/4's of a pie. So thin that it's just a bit thicker than an average tortilla.

So freaking delicious. They're called Agvania pizza, there are branches all over Tel-Aviv.

*****************************************************************

Chicken tikka, plain grilled chicken, rice, fried, couscous and steamed green beans.

Quite eclectic but very good. And a small tahini bowl on the side!

Eaten at: Tajine, Hamasger no.45, Tel-Aviv.

The Search for Tel-Aviv's Perfect Sandwich: Ruben

Ruben is a place that you can easily get addicted to its produce. They have several branches yet they're able to keep the original ma & pa look and feel, kind service and most importantly - incredible sandwiches.
Ruben, which sounds like Reuben and kinda looks like it too - is not your classic Reuben.

The pictures below were taken in the Carlebach \Yehuda Halevi branch, it's the closest one to where I live and I ate quite a few sandwiches there. You can smell the cured meats outside the store, and when you walk in the serving counter is right in front of you, there are bar stools to sit on and look out the huge windows. There's a second floor, with more stools and windows, and even a balcony.

Juicy, moist, thinly sliced corned beef, sauces, gherkins, a frosty Dr. Pepper

The menu is quite simple. Three sandwich sizes, two types of sliced bread, there's beef, there's turkey, sauces and vegetables, just name your ingredients and it's made in front of you while you drool. You might even get a few slices of meat to snack while you wait. Each sandwich gets a side of two delicious, crispy gherkins.

The fridge is packed with all the usual drinks, plus Dr. Pepper and several types of Dr. Brown's. There are also  two taps of beer (and pitchers if you're that thirsty).

Now for the sauces: there's a superb horseradish sauce, mustard, mustard cut with date syrup, herb aioli, and a hot sauce. The vegetables are pretty basic: tomatoes, lettuce, onions and pickled cabbage with onions.

A perfect corned beef sandwich

The sandwiches are of the kind that makes you come back again and again. Tender, smoked, moist meats, fresh and delicious everything, it's a foodies wet dream. The prices are reasonable and there's always good music playing in the background.

The only bad thing I can think of would be the opening hours, this place should operate 24/7.

If you're a fan of sandwiches - Ruben is a place that you must visit.

Corned beef sandwich for lunch

A bun with a baguette-like crust made the perfect bed for hot corned beef, served with tomatoes, cucumber slices, a dressing of mustard and tahini, at Rothschild Cafe.

Add some friends from work and a cold soda (carbonated water) with slices of lime, and you get a fun break in the midst of an unpleasant day.

Although in a perfect world this sandwich would offer more meat, I found it to be quite satisfying and just in the right amount to make my hunger magically disappear - yet not leaving me bloated and sleepy.

The original sandwich was supposed to have sauerkraut in it, and mayo instead of the tahini, but I made my choices. This composition seemed somewhat better, and I was right.

Food porn: all kinds of good

Lots of corned beef, a slice of aged goat gouda cheese, some BBQ sauce and a tad of sweet mustard. It was simple, delicious and since both the meat and cheese were at room temperature - they just melted in my mouth.

- - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - -------------- - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - -

Argentinian style rib area beef.

It was soft and juicy, with one side covered in fat that sort of melted upon touch but was also fun and crispy in some bites. You can see the rib bone on the bottom.

- - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - -------------- - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - -

Fava beans over white rice. They're cooked with crushed tomatoes and lots of confit garlic cloves. This was easy to make and a pleasure to eat.

- - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - -------------- - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - -

A slice of pizza I grabbed at some remote location. It was amazing, with this old-school flavor to the sauce, and the cheese was creamy and soft in a manner I've yet to encounter.

- - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - -------------- - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - -

Open pit asado style BBQ chicken. It was a smoky heavenly deliciousness. There was some rub involved but it wasn't really coated in a way that traditional American BBQ is.

Corned beef sandwich

Just for a moment, try to ignore this amazing sandwich.
Look at those gherkins. They tasted better than you imagine.

Now, the sandwich.
Woeber's Sandwich Pal horseradish sauce, spicy mustard, date syrup, lettuce, tomatoes, 400 grams of juicy corned beef.
All served between two slices of super fresh rye bread.

Again, you read the letters, you make words in your head, your imagination starts working overtime.
Yet again, you can't even imagine how amazing this sandwich was.

Food porn? YES.
Me being a tease? Well, no. I'm dying for one of these right now and I'm at work, pretty far away, it's scorching hot outside, this place discontinued their delivery service and I'm as miserable as you probably are.

Food porn: pizza and meats

I gladly present four dishes I'd love to eat each and every day + one I don't ever want to see again.

Enjoy!

A new place called Kababa - a word play on kabab (kebab an Arab word for skewed meat) and baba (father) is now serving chicken shawarma alongside veal doner and a variety of skewers. All of the above might sound very old-school and hardcore but the place is operated like a McDonald's, with trays, brand paper cups and lots of employees to take your order and put it into a touch screen computer. Also: the meat is cut by a robot!

8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8

Thin crust pizza with pineapple, corn and eggplants. It was awesome when it was hot but half an hour later it became tasteless. Seriously, it went from being a great pizza into cardboard just like that.

8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8

This never came near my mouth but I just had to take a photo. I'm not a fan of meatballs or minced stuff in general. It sure smelled good but still - I feel bad just looking at it.

8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8

A slice from a nearby Sbarro with a side of grape drink. This is a personal favorite that goes back to childhood. This specific branch was closed several weeks after I took the photo :(

8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8 * 8

These gherkins alone are amazing but that whole meal is just mind-blowing. Turkey pastrami, corned beef, mustard cut with date syrup, it was like a miracle in my mouth. All that and an ice cold can of Dr Pepper.

Food porn: sandwiches, hummus, noodles

People looking from the outside might think that I keep eating variations of the same foods all over again. Sure, some veggies, a sandwich, hummus, meat, noodles. Yeah, I guess that's about right.

Are not all foods are variations on a limited amount of ingredients?

Is music not a variation on the same 7 notes all over again?

This is from a new place called Mikveh Sandwich Bar. They close up even before I get off work so this was on my day off. I tried two sandwiches and they were pretty good. Not the best ever but they are singled out by the fact that MSB bake their own bread which is a Moroccan semi flat mini loaf and it's wonderful. They also make most of the sauces, cure all of the meats and make the most amazing spicy home-fries.

= = = = = = = + = = = = = = = + = = = = = = = + = = = = = = = + = = = = = = = + = = = = = = = +

Just a lil' something I made at home. Cherry tomatoes in balsamic vinegar over sprouts. The meat in the sandwich is from a deli and the bread is also bought but the I did create the bell pepper spread inside it.

= = = = = = = + = = = = = = = + = = = = = = = + = = = = = = = + = = = = = = = + = = = = = = = +

A great plate by Assaf, I've previously mentioned it - it is wonderful.

= = = = = = = + = = = = = = = + = = = = = = = + = = = = = = = + = = = = = = = + = = = = = = = +

A corned beef sandwich that really deserves respect ad appreciation. Just look at it!

= = = = = = = + = = = = = = = + = = = = = = = + = = = = = = = + = = = = = = = + = = = = = = = +

This is called The Imperial New Dish: whole flour egg noodles, chicken, pork, bacon, green veggies, spicy sauce and cashew nuts. I also added shredded peanuts on top and there was a party in my mouth and belly.

Food porn: pizza and stuff

Back with another batch!

I'm kinda hungry cos I've yet eaten today and it's past lunch time. These pictures are killing me so I'll get this over with and run out to grab something.

Enjoy!

Grilled cheese bagel with pesto sauce, tomatoes, corn and fried eggplants. It was better than one might imagine.

********************************************************************************

Just a plate of hummus from a place called Assaf (the name of the owner). They're really great and are easily  on the top of my favorite hummus places. There are two types of hot sauce on the table, complimentary falafel balls and relay sweet pickled cabbage that's served the moment you sit down. Their pitas are puffy and really soft.

********************************************************************************

An amazing pastrami sandwich by Ruben. It resembles a reuben sandwich but lacks the cheese. The meat is actually somewhere between pastrami and corned-beef and it's kept in a warm humidor. It's packed with overwhelming flavor. I ordered mine with mustard, horseradish sauce, lettuce and tomatoes. They also have a pretty good turkey pastrami.

********************************************************************************

This was actually one of the first places around to have Sriracha sauce. The pizza is so good you don't even need the sauce but still... The service is horrible but the quality of the pizza justifies a visit. This pizza is so good that it tastes amazing even after a night in the fridge - no heating.

********************************************************************************

A new pizza place I tried offered free toppings so it was hard to refuse. The pizza itself was pretty much okay but the cherry tomatoes and the mushrooms were pretty great. I will order the hell out of this pizza.

Food out: eating out

Good images of good eating.

This post has no reference to me cooking or to eating at home so I though "eating out" might be a good title.

Don't have anything else to add, the images and short descriptions are going to do most of that.

Enjoy!

I was peer pressured into eating at a horrible place I had all the reasons to hate. Nothing was fresh, the way they made my food was just wrong - I mean, really, heating up a cold chicken schnitzel in a pressure toaster? That's just wrong! Somehow, the end result was a bit better than I imagined. Still not going back, ever.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

A hummus place not very far from where I live (called Youness) makes these great falafel balls. They're really green on the inside (parsley) and brown, crunch and covered with sesame on the outside. They're served with some tahini and are just delightful.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

This place is called Tagine (or Tajin) after a North African dish which is called after the heavy clay post in which it is cooked. The place specializes in an assortment of home cooked dishes, home being all over the world - thus making it very multicultural and with many flavors and dishes that change daily.

You just choose what you wish to eat from the many pots and containers. I chose spaghetti, a grilled chicken breast, chicken schnitzel and some white rice (fries on top). 

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

This hummus is from a place called Hakosem (the magician). They have pretty good falafel, awesome shawarma, amazing beverages they make (lemonade, a mixture of lemonade with pomegranates, a tamarind drink and some alcohol variations of the above). They hummus is mediocre but all of their other dishes are almost divine

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@.

Corned beef on rye, with mustard and lettuce. Does it get any better? Well, it does sometime, but this was pretty amazing altogether.