Lassi and Tents and Rain, Oh My!

Date: Oct. 31, 2013
Name: Little India
Address: 15 Ringelblum, Beer Sheva 

While R and I work extremely hard to maintain this blog (and the others), the other half of our Quartet does not always prioritize our culinary adventures. Once in a while it works out... This time around, we were heading towards an amazing vacation. To celebrate N's 32nd (while denying D's 32nd and R's impending 32nd) we decided to head down south. For years, N has wanted to stay at a particular desert tent, while D is generally in love with the Makhtesh Ramon (and rocks).

We left Thursday afternoon, to maximize our time down south, and drove through Be'er Sheva. Of course, we couldn't pass up the opportunity to stop for some Indian nosh. The other M met us, and we dined on samosas and split a few other dishes. Everything was delicious - and we even had leftovers. Stuffed, we headed back on the road to beautiful, quiet Mitzpe Ramon. 

While the vacation started out on a delicious note, it is worth sharing some experiences from the rest of our adventure. Our Friday hike took us into a sand storm, followed by rain and lightening, which all somehow cleared up by the time we returned to the car. On Saturday we couldn't find a flood, but did end up in a second rainstorm. Soaked almost to the bone, by the time we returned there was a humongous rainbow across the sky. This is D's attempt at taking a panoramic picture, featuring the rainbow (L) and sunset (R). 

Goodbye, Ichikidana

Date: Sept. 27, 2013
Name: Ichikidana
Address:  Mahane Yehuda, Jerusalem 

Featured on this blog before, Ichikidana was a Jerusalem gem. Decently priced, varied  menus, vegan/vegetarian, and delicious. A few months back, I'd interviewed the owner, Lehava, for a pilot radio story about Jerusalem eateries who serve kosher food, yet refuse to pay the rabbinate for a certificate. 

At that time, Lehava had told me she was closing, but swore me to silence. Rent had become too much, and she preferred to continue cooking as a catering service. She hadn't given me an exact date. One warm Friday, R and I spontaneously decided to head over for lunch. Lo and behold, a sign announced it was their last day. 

We had samosas and shared some deliciousness. Our spontaneous lunch meant no camera, but believe us, the food was amazing. We wish Lehava the best of luck in all her future endeavors, culinary and otherwise!  

Food Truck Makes Aliya

Date: July 18, 2013
Name: Food Truck (Season of Culture)
Address:  Mahane Yehuda, Jerusalem 

Life in Jerusalem keeps getting better..... The summer is chock full of cultural events, some reoccurring and some one-time events. This summer featured an import of sorts - a food truck. A common sight in many American cities, but not very common in this neck of the woods. Even the more third-world version, street food, doesn't really exist here - although we have dozens of felafel stands, these are established institutions cooking in (hopefully) clean, supervised kitchens. 

The Jerusalem Season of Culture keeps the surprises coming, and this last summer a truck was revamped into a diner on wheels. It made the rounds, stopping at playgrounds, public parks, and different neighborhoods, each time offering a simple dish. The truck offered non-dairy and/or meat, both kosher and halal, served by a local celebrity - all at very low cost (25 NIS), drink included.

One of the first nights, T and I went out to taste Indian food. The dish was simple but tasteful. Masala dosa topped with potatoes. Yum. The lighting, on the other hand, left much to be desired, so the picture isn't that great.

Southern Comfort Food

Date: April 4, 2013
Name: Little India
Address:  15 Ringelblum, Beer Sheva 

After the meal at Tandoori, I needed a positive experience. I was hosting D, a friend from the United States, who has been anonymously featured on this blog before. She had spent a few years in Be'er Sheva, and was heading south to visit her old stomping grounds. We decided that I'd join her later in the day, and we'd visit Little India, which is probably as good a reason as you need to move to (or at least visit) Be'er Sheva. 

We arrived for the lunch buffet, which included amazing dishes: red lentils, green lentils, pakora, two kinds of rice, a cooked vegetable stew, and a not-too sweet desert that tasted like malt-o meal (in a good way). And of course fresh vegetables (because this is Israel...)

The price was decent: 42 NIS, and the food was simply delicious. I had to go back for seconds, it was so good. We left, full and happy, and boarded the bus for the 1.5 hour ride home. If you're going to spend 3 hours commuting, it better be for such a great meal.

Tandoori for Two

Date: April 2, 2013
Name: Tandoori
Address:  Zamenhof 2, Tel Aviv (Dizengoff)

My dinner partner suggested this place and made a reservation, so I went with the flow. I arrived earlier, and realized that this place is way fancier than I am used to. Less so in the middle of the week, but still. 

I'd gone out the previous night with N to eat meat - we split a burger and Moroccan meat-filled cigars, so tonight I was going to be veggie. Gotta keep up appearances.

As loyal readers of this blog know, I judge eateries by their samosas. I decided to order a few appetizers in lieu of an entree, while my dinner partner ordered some form of curry lamb he loved from his days abroad. The waiter came, I ordered samosas, and asked about a lentil dish. The waiter recommended pakora, so I agreed. Bad move. I also ordered the Delhi salad. 

Our food arrived. The samosas were great - crispy, flavorful, amazing. But the pakora was just more fried goodness (or badness), that couldn't compete with the samosas. The salad was largely chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, with some lettuce, oily with a lot of pepper. 

The samosas were the shining moment, the chutneys were good. But what sort of waiter recommends pakora when  I just ordered samosas?? 

Lessons learned: 1) Don't always go with the flow. 2) Always study the menu beforehand, especially if you are a picky eater. 

Bigger lesson learned: Don't judge people based on the restaurants they pick. 

India, Paris, and Jerusalem Oh My!

Date: July 4 & 5, 2012
Name: Mousseline Ice Cream
Address: HaEshkol 6, Mahane Yehuda, Jerusalem

Last winter, your truly met up for a 10-day adventure in Paris. Between the picturesque neighborhoods, staying warm, and maxing out our museum passes, we made a point of stopping and tasting things everywhere we went-especially baked goods.

Unfamiliar tastes, aromas, and textures put us in seventh heaven. We especially fell in love with macaroons. To the extent that we thought to sue Manischewitz for mis-guiding generations of innocent Jewish children into thinking that a macaroon is a little unleavened lump of coconut shreddings. You may be wondering: Paris? Macaroons? Why are you wasting my time with non-Indian food blah blah? Be patient, reader(s).



Macaroons in Paris, in the Christmas market near Sacre Coeur church (Montmartre)
This past week was crazy here in Jerusalem. Our good friend J was getting married and on Wednesday, we and M accompanied him as he looked for clothing for the wedding. We started at 3:30 and what felt like 175 years later, we'd gone through the Old City, downtown, and found ourselves in the shuk. It's unclear who was getting more impatient, us or J. Meanwhile, M had gone home. Being an ice cream fanatic, J beelined to Mousseline. After a round of scrumptious ice cream (grapefruit-basil, who would have thought?!?!), we went for round #2: macaroons.



Macaroons in Jerusalem. From left to right: vanilla, saffron, masala.
We chose three: masala, vanilla, and saffron. Thus, this becomes blog worthy. We ate the masala one first, savoring each morsel. It was spiced nicely, not too strong and the almonds were not overwhelming. We drank some water to cleanse our palettes (isn't that what sorbet is for?) and moved onto the vanilla. R was more impressed than D, the almond was a little too strong, but the real vanilla flavoring was clearly there. Lastly, the saffron macaroon. D took the first bite. At first, nothing. Then, a few seconds later, WOW. There are not words to describe this cookie. It tasted like a flower, like a day full of sunshine, like a million dollars, like an exploding comet or imploding star. WOW. D could barely contain herself and waved her hands, R's eyes lit up. J failed to fully appreciate the flavor, oh well.

The next day, D and M returned to the market and sat down in Mousseline. M ordered 3 macaroons: raspberry, passion fruit and masala. She enjoyed them all. D found the passion fruit right on, while the raspberry was a little weak. Overall: Yum. We're always happy to re-live some Paris fun, and always thrilled for bloggable food adventures.

Travel Hell and Indian Heaven

Date: May 31, 2012
Name: United Airlines
Address: Flight #90, aisle seat between Newark and Tel Aviv.

After successfully packing, donating, and recycling my belongings (thanks to everyone who helped!), and after holding a lovely going away gathering, one challenge remained: getting to the airport and surviving 3 connecting flights between Washington, DC and Tel Aviv, Israel.

The taxi driver carried my bags from my doorstep, American curb-side check-in didn't weigh my bags or charge me for the second one, and the airport helper wheeled me through security, including an x-ray of my cast. I even dozed off and had an awesome nap. But one hour before take-off, my first flight was cancelled. Back into the wheelchair to re-claim my bags and re-book my flight. I was re-routed on United, which elimiated one connection and got me in earlier than originally planned. The United agent weighed my bags (48 and 49 pounds, thank you very much), charged me ($70, ouch), and informed me there is only a middle seat and no hope for a vegetarian meal. Oh well.

Thanks to the airport helpers and other passengers, I made it on board (aisle seat, cast karma strikes again!) and fell asleep. I woke for dinner, but no veggie meal. Even the salad had fish in it! I'm already suffering, what's a little more? I went back to sleep, and woke later to find a vegetarian snack box on my tray. Two bites of quinoa, roll, and vegan cookie. Yum. Back to sleep.

I woke up with 2:45 hours to go and decided to watch "3 Idiots," which is Bollywood's highest grossing film. I'd heard about it through my internship at OEC, when we'd talked about putting these chairs into an exhibit about Indian Americans. As I watched, breakfast was served. As if my karma was feeling guilty, the vegetarian option turned out to be Indian food! Rice with curried vegetables and channa masala.

I was in Indian heaven. As I was the last passenger to de-plane, I had exactly enough time to finish watching the film. A lovely ending to a horrible travel experience. No pictures because my camera was in the overhead compartment and anyways, the steward had taken my crutches.