Vitrina | Sausage (and Burger) Fest

Problematic eating habits a hard thing, especially for a foodie.
I have various issues, textures being just one of them. Never been a fan of ground or thinly minced meat; on top of that there's my growing dislike for meat in general.
It's not easy being me; it's also uncomfortable for my food companions.
Now, imagine what it's like when I'm invited to a place specializing in sausages.

pork and roquefort sausage in a soft bun, with fries, pickles, aioli and beet ketchup

I'm not a hater of charcuterie, but I do prefer my sausages dry, my hot dogs industrial, and I keep away from hamburgers due to the texture.
Vitrina offer over a dozen types of sausages and one sort of burger.
I ordered the pork and roquefort sausage, it was one of many interesting variations on the menu; with a side of 50/50 fries, an interesting take on your dull french fries in the form of potato and sweet potato fries, with parsley and lemon zest.
I ordered my sausage neat, it was my mortal fear of onions speaking - everyone around us were chewing tons of onions and that made me paranoid.
My order was accompanied by a ladle with an aioli of some sort and a delicious home-made beet based ketchup.
After exploring what others ate - I asked for their take on relish; just big slices of pickled cucumbers. They had the distinctive taste of a vinegar brine, and the yellowish shade suggested turmeric. They were divine.

sweet and regular potato 50/50 fries, with parsley and lemon zest

The sausage was delicious, although it was a bit hard for me to enjoy it's grainy inner texture.
The fries and pickles helped me drown my sorrow, that and the fact that the friends and I were having a great Friday afternoon, laughs in the sun included.
The missus called to say that she just finished her shift and that she's on the way to join us.
I ordered a basket of fries in the meanwhile.
Seriously, their fries are amazing.

I've been told that this hamburger is amazing

Several people at our table claimed this to be one of the best hamburgers they ever had.
I read that they use a smoked cut of beef neck as one of the ingredients; one blogger mentioned cheese being added to the mix (the hamburger in the photo above had some cheese under it).
My girlfriend didn't argue, in fact she wanted to go back for it several times since this visit, and she wasn't the only one.
Vitrina's unique and original twists on food and condiments are a winning ticket.
Another advantage was the background music - rock and metal; not everyone's cup of tea but we really enjoyed it.

Bottom line: great food, affordable pricing; even the fries, pickles and beet ketchup are well worth a visit on their own.

Donkey: Taco Quality Assurance

Lunching at trustworthy places is always fun.

Luckily - you have me to suffer so you won't have to.

This time I returned to Donkey, just to see how things are (and to munch on some tacos).

Shall we? I wanna finish this post already cos the picture is making me really hungry.

 Three pulled beef tacos, black beans, cheddar, lettuce, cilantro, hot salsa and a frosty Dr Pepper

The post is called "quality assurance" because Donkey disappointing me several times (they stopped making their coriander sauce and their amazing pineapple BBQ sauce, and the food was too soggy and bland on my last visits). This was their chance to claim back the throne.

The watery delivery persisted - the beans and pulled beef were too wet for the tacos to withstand.
The flavors were partially back. Not complete blandness, but some improvement was needed still.

A new issue arose: apparently Donkey now have lunch deals, but we weren't offered any, although later as we sat down we notices people coming in after us were.
I realized it was due to the guy taking our orders being new; but still.
Not pleasant, but I didn't make a fuss.

Bottom line: more room for improvement; be visiting again soon.

10 Sheqel Falafel | HaMasger 73, Tel Aviv

Before I start, allow me to do the math for you:

10nis (New Israeli Sheqel) are the equivalent of 2.77 US Dollars.

Mind you, $2.77 is a great price for any kind of food, especially for a falafel sandwich.

The price range in Israel shifts between 15 and 20nis, with the exception of a handful of places that are trying to brake the market with 6-10nis falafels.

That said, it doesn't matter what you pay if the falafel sucks.

This falafel didn't suck.

We came in at about 15:00; at such a point of the day a good falafel has either ran out of most things fresh, or currently having everything prepared for the second or even third time that day.

And indeed, some of the food ran out already, some of the salads too; and they were prepearing new salads and falafel as we came in, upon order.

The pita was fresh and warm, quite an achievement for three in the afternoon.

I was told that they buy from nearby bakery, so they have fresh inventory at all times.

My falafel was great, crispy and flavorful.

With fresh and pickled cabbage, tomato \ cucumber \ pepper salad, tahini and amba - it was wonderful.

The amba was a reall bouns, when it's good - it's great; Amba is a mango based condiment  it's sweet, sour, tangy, a bit spicy, not unlike chutney, but introduced to Israel by Iraqi Jews.

It's mostly found in falafel \ shawarma places.

Bottom line: I will gladly eat there again (also - very friendly service).

Donkey: Tex-Mex Heaven in Tel-Aviv

At a rather young age I realized I'm missing several things that judging by my TV watching habits seemed common and reasonable. Taco Bell was one. It was hard to grasp how things some considered mundane were in fact a rare delicacy. Along with the now locally defunct KFC and Dunkin' Donuts - some brands just don't do well overseas.

But now, for this taco hungry writer the earth begins to shake.

Don't get me wrong, Israel has a handful of Mexican or rather Tex-Mex (i.e. Texas-Mexican) dining venues. In the last fifteen years there has been a notable change in how we perceive food. More cooking shows, finer materials and ingredients, fancier restaurants and a variety of new cuisines that are becoming more mainstream. The Israeli palate has evolved greatly.

If until now the "Mexican" options were places offering an American menu with a token tortilla wrap dish, or a specializing Mexican restaurant that serves only minced beef dishes along pizzas, now there's a new sheriff in town.

And now for the reason we have all gathered: Donkey.

91 Hahashmonaim St, Tel-Aviv, remember this address. That is where you'll need to go for a good burrito, taco, casadia and quesadilla, altough the latter is not officially on the menu.

Don't get me wrong, I know there are dishes that are missing from the list. This is by far not the whole dream menu I had in mind, but the fact the have pulled beef, pulled pork and even pulled chicken speaks highly i their praise; allow me to explain. mincing meat is easy, mostly machine work. Cooking minced meat is faster, thus you save both time, work (the chopping and mincing part) and one might even use cheaper cuts of meat since it can go unnoticeable.

On the other hand, slow-cooking large quality cuts and then breaking them down into individual pieces in the right size and proportion - that's an indication of effort put into food. Add great taste, interesting sauces (the cilantro is amazing even if you're not a fan), quality cheese, fresh ingredients and amazing black beans, you get the picture. 

There's even a vegetarian option in the form of sauteed peppers and onions as a meat substitute. Also to be found are salads and burrito bowls. The owners assure that crispy tacos will be added soon.

Please step towards the cash register. Right below it there's the beverage refrigerator, stacked with drinks that will make you feel as if you are really in the United States of America, there's the variety of Arizona iced teas, Dr Pepper, common sodas, exotic juices and several types of beer.

Three tacos and a can of Dr Pepper will set you back nis50 (approx. $12.5), not the cheapest of meals, but it will definitively satisfy your hunger along with thirst for innovation and Tex-Mex desires.

The only negative thing I can add to this review is that their menu lacks tortas, which is a shame since their delicious meats deserve to be placed in a heavenly sandwich.

Donkey is well worth a visit, even if you're not a fan of this sort of cuisine. It's a breath of fresh air and as for personal taste goes you might just discover they're your new favorite.

Jaffa : Shipudey Zika

The following post revolves around the last two visits I've made to Shipudey Zika (shipud = skewer), located  on Jaffa's Yefet street. A small place with a welcoming staff and really great food.
The first one happened on my birthday, the second one was on a holiday, with all the streets overwhelmed with local and foreign tourists, mixed in with the occasional foodies and locals.
We were heading to some other place, but on the way we decided to change our route, Zoe said she was craving and all the everyone else were easily convinced.

Guess which is lamb and which are beef

On my birthday we arrived at 3am. There was only one last group of diners and they were just finishing up. Our order was taken quickly, and we were served just as fast, with the speed reserved for people closing up and dying to get home.
Nevertheless, the service was gracious, kind and very professional. At 3am that's quite an achievement. 

A great opener

Zika offer great VFM (value for money) ratio. As soon as you sit down your table is loaded with freebies. Wonderful hummus, hand sliced fries, a variety of salads, fresh soft pitas, falafel and deep-fried cauliflower if it's in the season.

The deal goes like this: all of the above is free, as long as you order something from the meat menu. One-three people usually get one round for free. If you're four you'll get two plates of fries and two bowls of hummus, and so on and so forth. Refills are pretty cheap.

If you're not planning to buy a main course - fear not, the prices are still pretty low. Wait, that's not all! The meat is not that expensive either! We usually go for beef, lamb and chicken skewers, but if you wanna go mad there are also internal organs: hearts, kidneys, tonsils and there's even udder.

Hummus, pitas, salads, salsa, the good life

Thinking of Zika makes me hungry, so does looking at all these pics.
And it's not like I haven't eaten in a while, there's a half eaten burrito near my laptop, I'm not gonna finish it anytime soon, I'm not really hungry, but thinking back of Zika makes me drool.

The only thing better than great food is great food you don't have to pay for

Anyhow, that visit after my birthday ended real quick. We ate fast and took two cabs home. I was drunk after heavily celebrating and for a moment I woke myself up snoring.

The food just drop-kicked me, well, the food and all the booze, I mixed all sorts of crazy; arak, Feigling (fig vodka), lots of hard cider, beers and a few glasses of Baileys. 

That was sure a fun night out.

 

Golden fries

 
The other visit was something else altogether.

I wanted a Zilber roast beef sandwich so we were heading to the Jaffa Port market.

On the way we ran in to obstacles in the form of aforementioned tourists, slow-walking families, people taking bike rides on the sidewalk, all over the pavement and the boardwalk. 

There was also an international photography festival going on, so lots of hipsters with pro \ vintage cams, fashionable folks, pseudo artists with modern haircuts and just your average curious crowds, sitting all over the place, making it impossible to get around.

A taste of the good life

We swiftly changed course, Shipudey Zika wasn't far away; we were sure that Zika Hamdan's place will have a table just for us. That wasn't the case, but we got a table after about four minutes, which was pretty good for such a packed day.

The party started.

Om nom nom

The friends we came told us that it was quite a while since they last visited a place of this sort.

Perhaps it was the fact they aren't much fun and they treat food as something functional, just an action you do and then go on with your day. They said they rather save up or spend their money on trees instead of what they called "wasting".

We on the other hand tried to explain how pampering yourself with new tastes improves your mood, how the way is just as important and  filled with experiences as the eating, and that memories of fun times are surely more important than bong hits.

 

Beef on the skewer and lamb on the plate

At that point we got our food, so the conversation died and the eating began.

I recall mocking my friends in my thoughts while chewing,  and later losing my train of thought when the grilled eggplant arrived to the table.

It was amazing, look at it, it's here, below. Served with tahini, soft chickpeas, paprika, olive oil and fresh parsley.

Grilled eggplant, tahini, soft chickpeas, parsley, paprika and olive oil

It was a good day in Jaffa. We passed by a church and the bells tolled, later we heard the muezzin singing form a nearby mosque and at some point we saw people dancing with torah books (it was the Simhat Torah holiday, when people take the holy scriptures out of the synagogues and walk around the building to celebrate the end of the torah and the beginning of reading it anew).  

The wind was chilly even though it was still mid-summer, there were happy dogs, cute kids, horses, and people seemed happy.

Too bad it was the last holiday for quite a long time.

All things that are good

Zika is a place  you can always go back to. The food is great, great and  affordable, the location is comfortable, there's parking and nearby bus stops, and it's a close walk from the port which is near the beach which is kinda near everything else. You don't even notice how you get back to Tel-Aviv by food.
People are nice there, in Jaffa in general and especially at Zika, going there you can easily start thinking of peace and coexistence, after all it's easier to like people when they make awesome food. 

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.

Trancio: a whole lotta pizza

I'm gonna make a list to create some order in my thoughts. It's really hard to think after this meal.

• Thick soft crust, tons mozzarella, that's the exclusive cheese at Trancio.
• The sauce is crushed tomatoes, some basil, and according to the staff there's some garlic too but apparently not enough to my taste.
• The slices are huge and there's an option to get a slice and a half which is way better value for money.
• There are absolutely no toppings or variations. No other dishes, just this.
• The place is absolutely new.
• They claim that the recipe is an original from south Italy.
• I gotta admit that this is an unusual pizza, not the best one I've had but it has really specific texture and flavors that make you wanna come back (I've been there twice already). 

As I've said, it's a huge slice, it's about 300 grams when an average slice is about 80.
The cheese and dough quickly settle in your stomach like a huge tasty rock and you just want to sleep.
Luckily they're placed not that far from where I live so I can get to bad fast enough.

Porcini and cheese tortellini with caponata sauce

I had lunch at this place not far from my work, it's called "Laboratorio di Pasta".
There were many interesting types and shapes of pasta but the sauces offered weren't that amazing.
The place itself is designed in an interesting manner bordering between rustic and modern.

The pasta is cooked upon ordering (if I'm not mistaken it's precooked and frozen), dropped into boiling water as soon as your order is typed.
There are several large pots, constantly heated, containing the sauces. As I've mentioned, I tried three sauces and they were just okay.

My personal scale for measuring pasta sauces is based on the flavor and my ability to recreate a similar product at my home, with basic ingredients and not much effort.
Sadly the sauces were not fancy enough nor were they extremely special in flavor.
That said, the cheese and porcini tortellini was amazing.

The service was on the slow side, one of our orders wasn't processed, I personally saw my food sitting there  while the person behind the counter just did nothing. The value for money wasn't that great either, but damn, that tortellini was so good!

One last complaint: the vegetables in the caponata sauce were too thinly diced and hardly felt.

Grilled Cheese Sandwich w. Mushrooms and Sriracha

Yesterday I fancied some mushrooms.

I'm not sure how does one get that specific craving, but on my way home back from work I stopped for that purpose only. 

I bought a basket of champignon mushrooms and continued my way home - thinking about what to prepare.

Making grilled cheese sandwiches was a sudden decision, influenced by a smell in the building as I made my way up the stairs. I suddenly wanted cheese, grilled cheese, stringy and crispy and fun.

Since I was already set on cooking with musrhooms - I chose to use sriracha alone. The cheese and the smoky spicy sauce combined with mushrooms are enough flavors for one simple sandwich.

Cooks often ignore the stipes and use only the caps. I like to use the whole mushroom, but this time I had to save space due to the toasters limitations so I just ate the stipes and some whole mushrooms too while I was at it. I'm not sure what it is about the taste of fresh mushrooms, but I really love it, the earthiness, the nutty flavors, the meat like texture.

Now all I had to do was squeezing the bread together gently with my hand into a sandwich form, just applying some pressure to make a sandwich form.

The moistness of the mushrooms and sauce started to show on the bread.

On to the toaster.

The above mentioned moistness and the actual fluids from within the mushrooms caramelized inside the toaster, creating a lovely golden \ rusty color and a crunchy bite.

I allowed my creation to cool down for a bit - inside the shut down toaster, thus it was still how but not as humid as it would be on a cold plate. 

While everything was cooling down I prepared a cold glass of club soda.

I also ate all the mushrooms that were left. 

The grilled cheese was awesome. A great thing about sriracha is that becomes sweet after it's been heated, thus making it spicy, sweet, smoky, this made the whole meal taste like wonderfulness in my mouth.

Several hour later I got a bit hungry again.

Being fresh out of mushrooms I went trough the fridge looking for something that I could turn into a quick snack. I found a jar of homemade chimichurri that my girlfriend's mom gave me on the weekend.

Turned out great :)

This monkey's gone to heaven

Imagine there's a mediocre place near your house, it serves mediocre food but the price is right and they even have good days on which the food is great. This imaginary place serves humus, shawarma, skewered meat and other staples of the Arab cuisine.

Now imagine that this made up place is closed for renovation. They splash some paint around, move the furniture, cover the floor with old newspaper. A sign on the see through glass door says it'll be open in no time.

They never come back tough. The place is closed, the work just ceased one day. Nothing moves inside, no one, no sign of live. The place is abandoned.

This happened to me. This place is real to me.

The place was always packed, there was no sign of anything going wrong.

Was this my fault? Did I not deserve a place near my home that serves a variety of food that I like?

This is in loving memory of Sayid's Original Hummus of Akko (the Tel-Aviv branch).

Superb falafel balls with fries and some ketchup

Fresh salad: cucumber, tomato, parsley, all finely chopped and served with lemon juice

A lovely plate of humus, with soft chickpeas in the middle, covered with olive oil and tahini

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.

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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.

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

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

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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: cow and chiken

This time it's mostly about the meats and one special hummus.

A place near my work mistakenly made me this sandwich - I wanted roast beef and was handed a chicken breast instead. I only noticed the error once I was back at the office but it was actually in my favor as the chicken breast was exquisite. It was incredibly moist and really flavorful. 

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This is from one of my favorite places in the entire world. A tiny Indian place called Salam Bombay. It's run by a couple that also does the cooking and the serving and their hands just work magic. There's no menu and you can just choose from whatever dishes they prepared for the day. The place is open for 4-5 a day and is closed on weekends.

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This is a great sandwich with a sad story. My greenfield and I went to a hummus place in our area just to discover that it was closed for good. On our way back we bought fresh baked French country bread and wonderful slices of beef shoulder pastrami. 

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This is from a place called Abu Adham. Their hummus is made in the northern Galilee tradition which means its light and has lots of tahini in it, it's sweeter and it is served with tons of olive oil. According to the northern hospitality tradition they also offer unlimited free refills and a cup of hot spiced coffee after you can't have anymore hummus.

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Domino's with mushrooms and hot pastrami. It was divine.