A Fork And A Suitcase

Located across the street from the Great Synagogue of Tel Aviv, Port Said is one of the most popular restaurants in the city.  This restaurant is a brainchild of the iconic Israeli chef Eyal Shani of Tzfon Abraxas , HaSalon, and  Miznon . Most of the dining tables at Port Said are set up outdoors, and the interior of the restaurant is comprised of vinyl records stacked on floor to ceiling shelves, a bar with a small counter and the kitchen.    This is one of those restaurants with a very cool, young people vibe that not everyone would find appealing.  The wait for a table can be very long, the staff can be somewhat brusque, and the cigarette smoke might be bothersome.  The food, however, is spectacular. The menu at Port Said is very similar to Tzfon Abraxas and, just like there; it changes daily according to the season.  I was glad to see that they had this creme fraiche, tomato pulp and olive oil dip, which came with a couple of sli...

Wanting to surprise my culinarily adventurous husband, I booked a dinner for us at Hanan Margilan, a Bukharan restaurant in the Shapira neighborhood of Tel Aviv.  The #17 bus took us from our semi Parisian Bograshov street, snaked slowly down Allenby, the lively Carmel Market, the bustling western part of the Lewinsky market and finally down a wide Meshilat Yesharim street in the heart of the very diverse Shapira neighborhood.  Shapira, once predominantly immigrant neighborhood is gaining in popularity among young people who are being chased out of other areas of Tel Aviv due to the high housing costs.  This neighborhood is the place for some really terrific Chinese, Ethiopian, and Bukharan food. Bukhara is a city in Uzbekistan, but the term Bukharan refers to all Central Asian Jews (Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakstan and Turkmenistan - all part of the former Soviet Union), whose history in the area dates back 2,500 years.  Bukharan Jews call themselves...

Located steps away from the beautiful Rothschild Boulevard, Tzfon Abraxas is a spectacular restaurant serving mind blowing modern Israeli food in a relaxed and fun atmosphere.  Eyal Shani,  the man behind Tzfon Abraxas, Port Said, HaSalon, and Miznon (where cauliflower is king), is one of Israel's best known chefs.  He is a slightly eccentric figure and a passionate culinary genius.  Tzfon Abraxas and Port Said have a similar menu, but Abraxas seems to be quieter and a touch more reserved.  The setup here is very simple: a few paper covered tables, a party room behind closed doors, and some tightly squeezed together seats at the counter with the view of the open kitchen. Instead of tablecloths, the tables are adorned with brown paper, a tomato and some kosher salt, while  some of the food is served on pieces of cardboard or paper bags. The menu changes according to the freshness of the ingredients and their seasonality. . We began our l...