Mind Over Stomach

Kashkaval

mindoverstomach — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 14:10:17 +0000

My friends randomly picked this place and I had never heard of it. You walk in and it looks like a cheese shop and then you look further back and it’s a restaurant with about 10 tables. The host told us it would be a 30 minute wait on a Wednesday night, so we waited and had a glass of wine at the bar. Cute bartender. After over half an hour, we were still waiting and other tables were being seated, so we asked what the deal was and he said that they seat people based on party size because it’s so small. So they sat a foursome before us (3) because it was a four person table but they got there 20 minutes after us. Not cool. Finally we were seated at a mini table where they gave us a foot stool as one of the seats. Not cool. Finally got another chair. We ordered the large sample platter and small cheese platter. it was delicious. Everything tasted great. The food was really very good. The spinach dip, tabouli salad, hummus, tzatziki etc… It’s just unfortunate that the service was pretty crappy and they didn’t care to take care of us at all.

Kashkaval
856 9th Avenue

Brasserie

mindoverstomach — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 17:42:49 +0000

I was hearing about this place left and right. Go here for brunch, it’s amazing. Okay, fine. I must check it out. We were able to get a reservation for three at 1pm on a Saturday–we’ll take it. It’s a pretty big space as there is a lot of outside seating as well as an inside space that completely reminds me of Balthazar in NYC. Same french bistro-type feel that was going to be overpriced. And indeed it was. The menu was in Hebrew/French with no English. Alright, I can read some French and my friends can read Hebrew–we can do this. There were some specials for the day which sounded yummy. Then salads, seafood, pastas and sandwiches. I ordered the appetizer portion of the artichoke ravioli and a salad. The service was quick and the waitress was very nice. The ravioli came out first, 3 small overcooked raviolis that had potential to be delicious. Ravioli and gnocchi are the two hardest things to perfect because leaving them in the boiling water for one minute longer can really mess them up. The artichoke and the light cream sauce was great but really, just needed a minute less of cooking time. I ordered a salad that was lettuce, cheese (than ended up being blue cheese, so I didn’t eat it), walnuts and candied pears. It was good not great. My friends enjoyed their BLTs and fries. I of course picked on the fries that I thought were excellent. Overall, we had a nice time but felt it was a bit too overpriced for me to go back for a meal that was just so so.

Brasserie
Ibn Gvirol, 70

Miranda

mindoverstomach — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 11:11:40 +0000

After a show in Williamsburg, we were starving….we stumbled upon this place and decided it was going to be our dinner spot. The service was fantastic. They were right there when we needed them, constantly refilling water with ice (always bothers me when there is no ice) and just really very pleasant. I asked many questions about altering dishes because they had meat/fish in them and the waiter was more than helpful and willing to change things for me. I had a great glass of wine, and as usual, can’t remember which one it was cause I don’t read the label. I had the Grilled Baby Octopus salad with baby arugula, avocado, cucumbers, shallot-jalapeño vinaigrette except that I got it without the octopus and avocado. So yes, it was a very simple salad but I was starving and the dressing was great. For my main course, I had the Noqui (aka Gnocchi) with summer vegetables, crisp pancetta, cotija cheese (without the pancetta) and it was EXCELLENT. Gnocchi is one of my favorite things ever and usually it’s super heavy. This wasn’t at all. So many delicious tastes. My friends got the prix fixed meal and loved what they had as well. The risotto (Gorgonzola piccante, braeburn apples, roasted poblano chiles) which was excellent. Considering we stumbled upon this place, it was really impressive.

Miranda
80 Berry Street, WIlliamsburg

Kurve

mindoverstomach — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 05:24:34 +0000

I’ve been trying to figure this place out since the day it opened. It’s beyond out of place. It’s so Euro and so posh looking for the east village. It stands out so much with it’s lighting and big glass windows, yet not enough, because nobody is ever there. I’ve passed by during the day, night, late night, and I’ve never seen more than TWO tables filled and it’s not a small space. So what’s happening?

Finally, I decided I needed to find out what the deal was, myself. It was a Sunday night after a show in Brooklyn, we were the only table there, and we just made it for happy hour. Half price drinks and main course comes with a free appetizer. Well this sounds great to me so far! (especially since drinks were originally $13/each which would definitely make me NOT order one) I’m not a fan of girly, fruity drinks but decided to try a drink that had ginger and mint in it and it was AMAZING. So so so good, not too sweet. There was even a piece of ginger on a stick as a garnish–love that touch! I then ordered a veggie spring roll that came in two different sauces that were so delicious. I ordered pad thai as my main course and it was a little small but it was quite tasty. So overall….food was good, service was good, ambiance was a little out of place but nice, excellent music and reasonably priced for happy hour. (The bathroom looks like it belongs in some high end club in Italy). I wouldn’t order $13 drinks from a place like that…but it’s the same drink list made by Sasha Petrake of Milk & Honey so it’s not surprising that it’s pricey but the drinks were totally worth checking out!

Kurve
87 Second Avenue

Vento Trattoria

mindoverstomach — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 13:17:17 +0000

Attempted to check out The Highline when it first opened and the line was so long that we decided we would sit outside, grab a bite and people watch. Vento was the first thing we noticed, and the food looked good so we decided to go there. I went over the hostess stand where the woman shooed me away and said she was helping someone before me. Um, okay. So then when she was ready for me, I told her it was 3 people and she told me it was a 10minute wait (in a very snappy tone) so I asked “Why? There are 10 empty tables outside.” She explained that she needed someone to walk us and show us to our table. Okay. So we waited a few minutes to have our hands held to the table. Two of us shared a mozzarella & tomato salad and ravioli and the other ordered a seafood cobb salad. We waited and waited and waited until the waitress came over to our table and seemed stunned that our salads hadn’t arrived yet. Finally the salad came out….two small pieces of cheese and 6 tiny tomatoes. Whatever, we were hungry. it was fine but pretty pathetic of a salad. Then our ravioli came out which was 7 raviolis. It was tasty but definitely not filling. My friend who ordered the seafood salad asked for the dressing on the side, and the waitress assured her that the dressing is always on the side. Of course when they brought the salad out, there was no dressing on the side, she had to ask for it and it came 15 minutes later. The waitress apologized for the food taking so long and asked if we wanted complimentary wine or dessert so right as our check came out she brought us champagne i don’t even like champagne. Luckily Meatpacking is quite the scene of people watching so I was entertained.

Vento Trattoria
675 Hudson Street

LoveAt

mindoverstomach — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 21:41:24 +0000

I’m not usually a fan of chain cafes and often like the small, lesser-known places but that’s not the case when it comes to LoveAt. With two locations that are very prominently located in Tel Aviv–they both have very different atmospheres. I prefer the one on Nachalat Binyamin. I have spent hours sitting in the back garden area catching up with friends or in my own little world on the computer. They have an extensive menu of salads, sandwiches, paninis and such. I get the chicken with tahini salad with tofu instead of chicken. So many different flavors of deliciousness. If you go during lunchtime, they have a “business lunch” that includes a drink and starter. I once had the veggie soup as a starter which was good but a bit too filling for me. I prefer the veggie sticks although I find it very strange that it’s cucumbers, carrots and beets with a peanuty sauce. Beets? WHY? Random. Anyway, everyone is very nice and friendly there, and nobody gives you a hard time for sitting there for many hours. I heard the upstairs is great as well. Nachalat Binyamin is quite the people watching street, so it’s fun to sit out front and get distracted by the cast of characters walking by. The location on Dizengoff and Jabotinsky is much smaller and less room to sit and spread out and I don’t think the food is quite as good.

LoveAt
Nachalat Binyamin 3/Dizengoff & Jobotinsky

Okinawa

mindoverstomach — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 16:23:59 +0000

First time walking around Neve Tzedek and my friend and I decided to grab a small lunch together. Sitting outside on a gorgeous day with amazing people watching. Our waiter was so friendly and nice. We both had miso soup. I thought it was very disappointing. Not salty enough and too many bean sprouts which I really didn’t enjoy. Then I ordered the “orange roll” which was sweet potato tempura with cucumber, carrots and asparagus (and of course I asked for without avocado). It was so flavorful and delicious. I could have had more than one but know I will definitely be going back for more soon!

Okinawa
46 Shabazi Street

The Smith

mindoverstomach — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 16:53:25 +0000

The first time I went to The Smith was for my best friends birthday over a year ago. I was very excited when they placed two bottles on the table right when we sat down–one filled with sparkling water and one filled with tap water. As a big fan of sparkling water, yet someone that doesn’t usually order it at restaurants–I was thrilled to have that option. Everyone ordered a different meal, and we all shared the Hot Potato Chips (which are blue cheese, and I’m not a fan). I had the Ricotta Gnocchi and it was excellent.

Since then I have returned to The Smith many, many times. It’s definitely a place that you want to make a reservation and most of the time when I’ve wanted to make a reservation, I was able to get the time that I wanted. The service is great, with friendly waiters/waitresses. They always have the best playlist (Radiohead, LCD Soundsystem, Deathcab for Cutie, The Shins). The food is consistently delicious and everyone I’ve ever taken there or referred them there, agrees. It is SO reasonably priced.

I’m crazy about their mozzarella & tomato sandwich, string bean salad and their home fries are THE best. I can’t think of any other place that tops their homefries! Not only do I go to the restaurant but I also order from there. The presentation is great (in recyclable boxes), Ketchup in a container instead of in packets. A small loaf of bread comes with the meal, just like in the restaurant (and the same kind of bread that is used for the sandwich which is quality bread).

Overall, I’ve had such great experiences with The Smith. Once, I ordered two diet cokes, and they only brought me one. When I called to inform them, they apologized profusely and said they would re-send a diet coke and also sent two cookies on the house. I will continue referring people to The Smith, and continue ordering several times a week and going to brunch/dinner there.

The Smith
55 Third Avenue

Pua

mindoverstomach — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 16:40:34 +0000

When I first arrived in Tel Aviv, I met up with a friend I hadn’t seen in 10 years at Pua in Jaffa. Really cute place with old fashion tables and chairs and dishes and lots of tchotchkes all over the place. It really looks like it could have been your grandmothers house at one point, just added some tables and a chef and some waiters/waitresses. I was happy because there was an English menu and lots of veggie options. We both decided to have the veggie burger. I was really looking forward to my first veggie burger in Israel but was very disappointed. It was massive. Too massive, and too mushy. It was potato based which of course for me is better than mushroom because atleast I enjoy potatoes but not this. I couldn’t even pick it up to eat it, it needed to be cut into pieces and you know how I feel about having to cut my food. Potatoes came on the side, and I enjoyed those but obviously this was not a very fulfilling meal. Luckily it was great catching up with a friend I hadn’t seen in so long that made up for the eh, food.

Several weeks later I returned with other friends, and had a beyond fun and friendly waitress. When she blanked on English words, she referred to herself having “blackouts.” We shared two amazingly flavorful salads and I ordered the dumplings in a curry sauce. Sounded a bit adventurous for me but hey, I like dumplings and recently grew an interest for curry. It was basically a curry soup with mixed veggies, rice on the side and honestly, no dumplings to be found. I was quite confused, and curious as to where the dumplings were, but by the time the waitress came back to our table. I had basically finished the curry soup. It was very delicious, whatever it may have been called when there’s no dumplings in a dish listed as “dumplings.” A dish lost in Hebrew/English translation? I think so.

Pua
Rabi Yochanan 3

Cafe Arlozorov

mindoverstomach — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 12:26:23 +0000

Conveniently located near my apartment and open on Shabbat. I’ve spent many hours here because it’s a very comfortable environment with many young people sitting, eating, chatting and/or keeping to themselves on their computers with headphones on. The unfortunate thing is the number of chain smokers that sit outside. The first thing I tried here was the chai latte, which I can honestly say was the best one in Tel Aviv that I’ve had so far but of course it’s overpriced at 19nis ($5) = more expensive than Starbucks! The waitresses are all very pleasant and nobody gives you a hard time if you’ve been sitting there for hours and only have a drink. The food is fair–it looks better than it tastes. The quinoa salad comes with almonds, full almonds, not sliced almonds. I find full almonds very difficult to eat, especially when they’re amongst other ingredients in a salad and then all of a sudden, okay, focus, chew chew chew. Not for me. I’ve also had their mozzarella and tomato sandwich which should be hot and either fresh or melted, instead it was a bit too mushy for me. I do enjoy the bread selection they give with their salads. I would say, stick with the beverages here, and eat elsewhere.

Cafe Arlozorov
Arlozorov, 53