Middle Eastern Food in Arabic Region: Israel

Date:  vendredi 9 septembre 2011
Location:  Somewhere in the Arab Region of Israel

My third weekend in Israel.  I met with friends in Tel Aviv who took me on a quick 3-stop lunch eating tour in the Arab region near Tel Aviv.  I felt lucky to have a local friend lead the way, since not only do I love this kind of simple hole-in-the-wall street food (which is always hard to find the best ones in any country you go to), but this particular region is not the safest and I would not have ventured here on my own.  Won't be finding these shop addresses in any tour guide or Bourdain food show that's for sure.  The area reminded me of being in Lebanon, which I have fond memories of visiting back in 2007 and 2008.  The food today was very traditional Middle Eastern Mediterranean.  Simple, clean, made fresh daily, healthy, and nice bonus - cheap!

The first little restaurant we went to was famous for its daily fresh made hummus.  Usually there is a long line and once the hummus is all eaten up, no more for the day!  The place closes at 1pm, so we were a little worried because we were arriving just in time.  Lucky for us, there was no line today, we sat down immediately, and they were still serving hummus.  I had to use the restroom right away, and was concerned about the quality of the restroom. I was waved to go up the staircase through the restaurant back door.  When I did, I arrived at what looked like an entrance to a house!  I knocked and opened the door - and a Muslim lady welcomed me into her home speaking Hebrew (or Arabic) while smiling and opening her arms.  I was so surprised at how friendly they were, and laughed to myself while on the loo, at this experience I was having.  What were the odds?  When I exited the restroom, I washed my hands outside in the water basin in the living room - and the nice Muslim lady stood next to me with big warm smile and handed me a clean wash cloth to dry my hands.  I was so humbled!

First stop:  hummus shop!

It seemed that almost as soon as we sat down, our plates were quickly served - fresh beautiful creamy hummus with some whole garbanzo beans, and olive oil, a small side dish of Persian Cucumber, tomato, pickles, onion, and a hot chili pepper, and of course - pita bread made the traditional Middle Eastern way:  thin.  The hummus was absolutely delicious and I loved it - especially considering it is impossible to find similar hummus anywhere in the world except for the Middle East.  There was also a side dish of slightly hot (spicy) chili pepper sauce.  Again, another moment of appreciating my life - being here in the Israel Middle East in a dangerous Arab neighborhood, eating really great hummus and having been invited into the shop's home upstairs to use their personal restroom!

The second place we went to was famous for its falafel and lamb shawarma.  Another hole-in-the-wall, also very clean just like the  first one!  I typically do not eat fried things and also consider myself a vegetarian - but okay, if the restaurant is known for a particular meat dish (or if there is foie gras on the menu), then I am ordering it to taste.  :-)  There were also many side vegetable dishes to choose from, you walk up and pick what you want.  I was a lucky lady this day since I had two very hot, sexy, strong Israeli men serving me.  :-)  I loved all the vegetables (one thing I have always loved about Middle Eastern Mediterranean food!!) and clean tasting, savory sauces.  Light and fulfilling.  The lamb shawarma was really good!  Very lean and tasty!!  The falafel was delicious, however not as good as another hole in the wall I love in Beirut where they roll up each garbanzo bean ball right in front of you and drop it into the hot oil.  Even though I ate very little meat, it was easy to fill up on all this delicious and healthy food.  I had to pace myself since we had one more stop left - dessert.

Second stop:  falafel and lamb shawarma shop!

We walked next door (literally) and entered a traditional Middle Eastern pastry shop, where again everything is made fresh daily.  Ahhhhhh reminded me again of Lebanon!  All the filo dough pastries, baklava, and those little pastries that look like small bird nests!  I was so happy!  We ordered a sampling of a few different kinds to taste from lightest to sweetest.  The first one was my favorite - a kind of light cheesy dough inside a birds-nest-like outer surface.  Great texture and perfectly mildly sweet.  I have tasted a lot of Middle Eastern desserts, but this was my first time tasting this one, and I love trying new things!

Third stop:  pastry shop!!

I really enjoyed this afternoon and the quick-stop-eating-tours in this unique area - similar approach to my tasting tour method in NYC with my buddy Jesse B. (except we had a lot of wine to pair with those stops, and we were in slightly more friendly territory!).  http://soledad-bleu-etoile.blogspot.com/2011/02/1-somm-1-master-somm-1-eve-in-nyc-11.html

I will definitely come back here again.  Mmmmm... might have to make a trip to Lebanon soon...

For similar post of Lebanese Street Food (and actually of even more ethnic quality!) - see my blog on Yalla Yalla London.
http://soledad-bleu-etoile.blogspot.com/2011/02/yalla-yalla-beirut-street-food-london.html

Will get back to Beirut within next 9 months and update real time from the Paris of the Middle East.  

Jerusalem, Israel

Date:  samedi 3 septembre 2011
Location:  Jerusalem - The Old City, Israel

Getting around in Israel requires a reliable mode of transportation - a car.  And patience.  For a true city girl like me who has relinquished all driving responsibilities, I love my efficient life which has consisted of nothing more than a few minutes' taxi or subway transport for daily routine.  Or, a hired car service on those longer weekly work commutes.  San Francisco, New York, Paris, Taipei, Hong Kong.  All efficient cities.  Israel - is not. While it is an extremely formidable country quick with the bombings and hyper intelligence, on the other hand, everything else takes longer than it should... I almost wonder if I am in an Amish country.  

So, this Israel driving bit is a nuisance that I just have to suck up and accept the fact that I will lose a few hundred hours of my life these next months due to my daily work commute.  There are slow trucks everywhere blocking your way.  Dust on the roads and highways.  Unreliable GPS systems due to this Hebrew Semetic language...  Not to mention the huge, bright, sun that can get annoying after awhile.  That's okay, I will make up for that by eating and drinking grand in Israel on weekends and enjoying this Mediterranean lifestyle (probably why everything moves more slowly), to offset all that.

Naturally, I eagerly took advantage of my hotel's free guided tours that are offered every Saturday.  For me, that also meant a free 2-2.5 hour bus ride where I could sit back and relax in air conditioned, shaded comfort.  Yay!  This particular Saturday was a visit to Jerusalem, the Holy City.

It was a good time traveling the day with other business travelers staying in Israel for the weekend due to work.  Most were from US, and a few from Asia (China and Taiwan).

What I can say about Jerusalem and the Old City is that it is an interesting and mysterious place...  the sights, the smells, the sounds, the history, the many different cultures that come here all for spiritual strength and hope.   And of course, just plain tourists.  Walking these very old streets, touching the walls that have stood here since the days of Jesus... it is really hard to believe and a lot to take in all in one afternoon.  And then, walking the small streets and steps of the Old City... all the spices and colorful trinkets, little curios that all have some small story or belief behind them (never mind that they are mostly all made in China...).  Of course, I also could not escape the feeling that I was in a bazaar just waiting to be haggled...  I did not buy anything (took pictures of the Made-In-China souvenirs instead), and bought a large cup of freshly squeezed Pomegranate juice for 20 shekels ($6 USD?).  Probably expensive but whatever, I needed my dose of San Franciscan hipster freshly squeezed fruit juice.

 Walls...

More walls... reminded me of the Forbidden City in China...  but different.  :-)

The Wailing Wall, where people come to pray and insert a paper with their prayer written on it into a crack in the wall.  Men's side and women's side is separated.  Not supposed to take pictures but anyway...  

Love this play on words!  Holy Rock Cafe...  actually had very good espresso here!  Made the Arabic style.  

Beautiful mural of Jesus being buried... inside the main entrance.  

Old and new... right outside the Old City!

Inside the Old City... all the sights and smells... so many things to look at.  

Jerusalem.  

Turkiz Restaurant: Tel Aviv, Israel

Date:  24 aout 2011
Location:  Herz Roznblum Str. 6  Migdeley Ne'eman
Tel Aviv, Israel
Tel:  972 03 6996306
http://www.turkiz-rest.co.il/main-E.php

My first meal in Tel Aviv.  Turkiz (which means "turquoise" I learned yesterday) Restaurant, on the water.  What a surprise!  This is a beautiful, casual, and very relaxing restaurant with a view of the Mediterranean Sea.  The food is fresh, and light and healthy, with little interesting twists of creativity added to typically simple, traditional Mediterranean dishes - lots of grilled vegetables and seafood.  As a foreigner, I did not think this restaurant was easy to find, even with GPS (which you will not be able to locate the coordinates directly... spare you the details, just trust me on this - it is just how things work in Israel).  Luckily I had a human GPS on my mobile's other end who knew landmarks well and led me precisely. This restaurant stays open all day and doesn't close for siesta.  So for a girl like me who was running three hours late (with crappy GPS), no worrying about doors closing.

We sat inside (yippee, aircon!) in the corner with a perfect view out into the sea, sun just starting to set around 430pm.  Naturally, we started with a three flight wine tasting.  I chose Israeli wines since, when in Rome do as Romans do!  A very nice welcome into this country, as anyone who knows me well, knows that wine tasting makes me very happy!  I want to say we had a Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and Gewurztraminer.  Forgive me for not remembering just this once, since I had been traveling for the past 20+ hours.  These wines were ok, however not mind blowing by my French palate standards.  That's alright, plenty of time to explore the region's wines next few months, and I am keeping an open mind.  The Mediterranean Sea sparkled in front of us, blue sky and balmy weather (okay it was actually really hot outside).

One of the great benefits of being a newbie in a foreign country, in addition to letting someone else choose the restaurant - is letting them order the food.  No project management needed from me here, except just navigating and showing up.  :-)

I stepped outside to take in the Mediterranean Sea view, and returned to a beautiful medley of the following dishes for me to try on my first of many beautiful meals to be had in Israel.  Welcome to Israel.  Bon appetit ! Or - בון אפטי!

View of the Mediterranean Sea from outside dining patio.  Beautiful!

My first time having shrimp falafel with smoked tahini and tomato cilantro salad.  Most Israelis I have met so far are unaware of this dish... so it is a special creation from Turkiz Restaurant it seems!  So cute, they look like they are swimming.  :)))))))

Simple grilled asparagus with grilled tomato (tasted sun dried, so sweet!), yogurt, and pine nuts.

Grilled eggplant with light goat milk feta cheese on top...  I love eggplant!

Ceviche, saltwater fish, celery, lemon slices, mint leaves, red onion, olive oil and lemon.

 Waiting for dessert... and of course, ordered a sweet dessert wine.  :-)

Traditional dessert:  something kind of nougat with pistachio ice cream......  and some sliced cherries.  Yum!

Not so traditional dessert but just to try :)  ... chocolate cake with crispy crust!  Very good!

Mosel Wine Region: Germany

Date:  9-11 juillet 2011
Location:  Zeltlingen, Germany
Hotel:  Zeltinger Hof
Uferallee 23
54492 Zeltingen, Germany
http://www.zeltinger-hof.de/


One word.  Magnificent.


"White wine heaven" is what the pros call the Mosel, a region I always knew I would visit without a doubt.  In my Court of Master Sommelier class few years back, one of our instructors Master Sommelier Tim Gaiser introduced us to the Mosel, showing us a few beautiful slides of Mosel photos taken with his mobile phone.  I was aghast.  I had never seen such a sight, breathtakingly beautiful grape vineyards on a frighteningly steep incline, up to 75 degrees.  The view was magnificent - lush green mountains surrounding the beautiful Mosel River down below, reminiscent of storybook small German towns.  And exactly so, this is the place where Hansel and Gretal grew up.  It's no wonder why too, they and that witch certainly knew good real estate when they saw it.


As soon as I knew the end date of my previous work project, I immediately booked out one month of holiday in my global calendar.  Next step, booked my flights from JFK in and out of Paris.  Round trip train tickets to Strasbourg, check.  Car rental for the autobahn to Mosel, check (sort of;  those of you who know my France manual transmission story with the two  French police men can insert here).


Driving on the motorways, I knew exactly when I left French territory and entered the famous Germany autobahn territory.  Those of you who have also driven it, know what I am referring to.  Be sure to have a solid German car with you.  I had a brand new Volvo S70 sport sedan, not bad.  Can only imagine what that ride would have been like in a BMW going full throttle (or even something bigger!).


When I arrived in the small town of Zeltlinger, I was completely beside myself.  I had arrived.  Dream.  Come.  True.  Driving up into the tiny town and even tinier streets, I felt huge (Gulliver's Travels) in my giant sport sedan.  When I located my hotel, I could not help but have a huge smile on my face.  This is it.  This is why I traveled so far (even alone if I must!) to come and experience the Mosel for real.


When I checked in to the small and charming hotel, the kind boy by the name of Danny at reception helped me with my luggage up the stairs to my little room.  Inside, a bottle of Mosel wine, wine glass, bottle of still and sparkling water and some fruit awaited me.  Lovely!  I quickly dropped off my things and went back outside to take a walk along these tiny streets surrounding my hotel.  Behind me, the hotel rested snugly against the backdrop of the beautiful Sonnenguhr vineyards.  Literally a three minute's walk.  Incredible!  Surrounding me were small shops and numerous wine tasting shops of what else, Mosel wine.  Hotel Zeltinger Hof boasts sumptious seasonal, organic, locally grown ingredients and also local game (ie, venison!) and fish.  Truly, truly, savory and just absolutely very precisely done cuisine.  You know when you eat something and your body says "Thank you!" because the ingredients are so fresh and pure?  This is it.


Some of Mosel's well sought after wines are not taste-able in a vineyard tasting room.  Instead, it is here at the Hotel Zeltinger Hof where one may taste over 100 kinds of Mosel wines in one sitting (efficient!).  So for dinner, I plunked myself down and got ready for a savory and fresh seasonal local meal (some of the freshest and tastiest ingredients I have tasted, might even one up San Francisco!) paired with local Mosel very dry, dry, sweet, and very sweet wines.  Happy!  The next day, after a few hours of trekking into the vineyards on foot, I took the afternoon to spoil myself with a 20 flight wine tasting.  Danny paired different flights for me, as I exclaimed, "Isn't his fun?!"  He, taking his job seriously, said to me, "Well no, it's actually difficult - " since I suppose, not everyday someone comes in with this kind of determination and priority to taste wines.  Later that afternoon, I took a well deserved siesta, and then went back down to the dining room for yet another incredible dinner meal and some more wine.  What I love about this place is sleeping just upstairs from the award winning restaurant - certainly takes the logistics out of all day drinking.  I will definitely be back.


After my first meal at Zeltlinger Hof, I fell in love with Germans and German food (and of course I had already been in love with German whites!).  In San Francisco, the restaurant "Zuppenkuche" is a very far cry from what Zeltlinger Hof presented me with... the below dishes which I now crave so much!  Healthy, organic, fresh, light, savory, tangy, good for you.  Though it was just the beginning of summer when I arrived in the Mosel, I had already begun imagining re-visiting some time in near future during the Christmas holidays.  This kind of Hansel and Gretal small town charm truly evokes warm holiday feelings.  The Mosel wine valley, its wines, and the Hotel Zeltlinger Hof will always have a very special place in my heart.  If there is only one wine region in the world you must visit - Mosel is it.


And... reading my own blog and reminiscing on this recent visit is making me thirsty...  PROST!

Escargot, Foie Gras, and Chablis: Breakfast in Paris

Date:  vendredi 8 juillet 2011
Location:  George V Cafe, en Champs Elysee
Paris, France

Life can be fantastic.  Landed in Paris CDG this morning and was looking forward to the usual quick zip into Paris' 8th where my hotel is located.  Unfortunately, I had not realized today was also the last day of Fashion Week in addition to something called everyone else in the world's summer vacation travel to Paris.  Two hours later through traffic jams, I arrived at my hotel jet lagged and famished. On top of that, my room was not ready yet since I was still early for check in. 

Instead of being frustrated, I dropped off my bags and sauntered on down to the Champs to see what I would find to make me feel great.  In just a few moments I knew exactly what I wanted...

Escargot, foie gras, and Chablis on the sidewalk.  A perfect breakfast for champions on the Champs Elysee in Paris.  I looked around me and saw that I was really the only person at 11am local time (4am EST the timezone I just came from) eating such a lavish lunch (or just gluttonous!).  Other tourists were shy and ordered simple salads or ham and cheese sandwiches (why!?).  A table of 8 women from Arkansas (actually, 4 mothers and their daughters) sat next to my table and perused their menus (which were translated into English) for over 20 minutes.  One had to appreciate their timid approach toward this very basic French Cafe Lunch Menu... to see what it is like for American foreigners traveling to Europe for their first time.  A few of them stared at the empty escargot snails on my table and the blocs of duck liver which I continued to spread on my toasted bred with fig jam.  Then they watched as I casually sipped on my Chablis, and then my espresso to finish off my breakfast experience.  It was more a look of curiosity and hopeful wishing that they might too one day possessed the same forward approach toward appreciating exotic foreign foods (they obviously haven't been to Asia yet since French food is tame in comparison).  I was reminded once again of what a lucky girl I am indeed.  After a handful of visits to Paris alerady since this Spring (I am losing track), I never tire of my Paris basics.  Foie, Chardonnay, and the simple fromage et baguette.  :)

Tomorrow, I head off to Mosel and Alsace... otherwise known by the pros as White Wine Heaven.  Bon Voyage A Moi!

Los Angeles Still Life: California

Date:  dimanche 3 juillet 2011
Location:  West Los Angeles

On a recent journey back to my college stomping grounds, stayed with my college girlfriend and we enjoyed a slow weekend of catching up on years of friendship over food and wine.  My contributions that Sunday evening:

1 - 2002 1er Cru Chassagne Montrachet Domaine Romanet
2 - 2006 Hungarian Royal Tokaji 5 Puttanyos (classic favorite of mine)
3 - 2006 Alsace Grand Cru Domaine Weinbach (Reisling)
4 - Oh, and my staple diet of organic fresh heirloom tomatoes and buffula mozzarella with fresh peppery/licorice basil, EVOO, balsamic, and fresh cracked pepper. 

Brushstroke: NYC

Date:  mardi 5 juillet 2011
Location:  30 Hudson Street
New York, NY  10013
Telephone:  +1 212 791 3771

Every so often, a new dining experience reminds you how fortunate you are to experience what most cannot even fathom.  Last night I visited my dear friend Seju Yang, the Wine and Sake Director at Brushstroke, Chef David Bouley's newest creation.  I was anxiuos to experience the wine and sake list that Seju developed himself.  I was awaited impatiently the savory, fine, delicate and dainty Japanese Kaiseki style dinner, a well orchestrated event from start to finish - similar to the first brushstroke on a blank canvas to the very last.  Brushstroke is David Bouley's answer to Japanese style haute cuisine in New York City. 

Sommelier Seju Yang has designed a custom wine and sake list which complements the dishes just perfectly.  Nope, you won't find any Bordeaux on this wine list.  "That's correct, because we do not serve hamburger here," Seju quips.  When Seju brought out our burgundy wine glasses and set them on the table, suddenly my already energetic and passionate energy further heightened.  Being passionate about my wines and accompanying mis en place is an understatement. 

I was captivated by the 2005 Domain Caillot Merusault La Barre Dessus Clos Marguerite.  This absolutely tasted like a Grand Cru to me.  The unmistakable minerals and stones became heavier as the wine opened throughout the evening.  I love these wines passionately.  One word on the nose and palate.  Flint.  Flint.  Flint.  This beauty opened up with increasing structure, precision, complexity, and charactered weightiness which lingered on my palate through all the evening.  You just don't get this kind of minerality out of a red wine.  Love affair with classic white Chardonnay.  So few understand it and rightly so.  Perhaps few deserve it. 

We savored the Meursault slowly throughout the four hours... and almost ordered another bottle.  However, we instead chose the 2000 Domaine Raymond Ussegleo Chateneuf de Pape - another bottle of soft velvety perfection from our friends in the Rhone.  As I write this, I grin to myself just as Seju chuckled to himself when we asked his opinion between the different wines we wavered between choosing.  You know a wine or sake is amazing when you ask Seju's opinion and he starts chuckling to himself in a sarcastic way in disbelief at the impressive quality of that wine.   

Our sophisticated kaiseki style dishes paired ridiculously well with our wines - oh, and just three other different bottles of very fine sake.  Fun, fun, fun. 

Four hours later, we closed the restaurant past 1am EST on a Tuesday night.   Well done, Soledad and company.  Bon appetit.