A Gourmand's Life

Dining out often can leave even the most fervent foodie a bit jaded at times, even in the most stimulating of culinary environments. That is why finding a restaurant like Zahav is such a special pleasure – it introduces you to dishes you barely knew existed, and refines others in clever and sophisticated ways. If chef Michael Solomonov’s Middle Eastern flavors initially seem familiar at their core, it is because, as David Sax writes in his excellent book "Save the Deli", "the Isreali culinary landscape is dominated by the food of the Arabs". But there is a personal focus at work here - Solomonov puts his own unique touch on modern Israeli cuisine, and the results are delightful.

To dispense with the negative, the restaurant is in kind of a weird spot, hovering on a small hill next to an office park in Old City. The décor is modern industrial with an attempt at some homey touches, like Jerusalem stone and bare wood tables, but the total effect seems oddly kitschy, and the soaring ceilings don’t really make you feel at home. In fact, sitting in the center of the main dining room here can you make you feel downright insignificant, although that is preferable to a seat at the food bar directly in front of the open kitchen, where you can feel the eyes of the dining room boring a whole through your skull. To the left of that kitchen, though, you will get a good view of Solomonov working at the open pass, where he calmly fires orders while rolling out more laffa dough.

And that dough is one of the reasons you are here. Servers rather matter-of-factly suggest beginning your meal with hummus and some of that laffa, and you would be crazy to ignore them. The hummus at Zahav will clear your head of every other version of this dish you have enjoyed or suffered through in your lifetime. We only tried one of the four varieties offered, and it knocked our socks off. Light and fluffy, with an almost whipped consistency, it is served with a splash of olive oil, garlic, parsley and a touch of cumin and sumac, and it is spectacular. Accompanying your hummus is a great disk of laffa hot from the wood oven. Sort of a combination of pita and naan, it is addictive – expect to order more.



To accompany the hummus and laffa you will be encouraged to order the Salatim, Zafra'a selection of eight small salads that provide a perfect acidic counterpoint to the hummus. This night they included spicy carrots, tabbouleh with pomegranates, okra, beets, pickled cauliflower, cucumber and tomato, marinated fennel and eggplant. It is best to think of these items more as condiments then finished salads. Solomonov does not back down on acid and spice, and some are better by themselves than others. Together with the hummus and laffa, they are terrific.


One dish I was very eager to try was the Kibbe Naya, a tartare of raw lamb, bulgur wheat and allspice, but I found the texture a bit too soft, almost mushy, and the seasoning was a little strong here, obliterating the lamb flavor. The next dish more then made up for my disappointment. Chicken Freekah may be the defining dish of this restaurant. Moist shreds of chicken are merely an accompaniment to the freekah, or roasted green wheat, perfectly cooked and tossed with toasted almonds and a healthy does of lemon. Bright, clean and refreshing, this is a wonderful dish.



From this point on, your meal will involve around protein, but this is not your typical meat on a stick. All are well sourced and cooked over intensely hot coals. The Sabra has lovely chunks of chicken served over mujadara, a delicious lentil, rice and caramelized onion pilaf, and is accompanied by green tahina.

The care taken here is evident in The Gibraltar, not just in the moistness and flavor of the charmoula-marinated fish, but in the accompanying chickpeas, some of which have been boiled and others fried to provide a lovely contrast with each bite.


The Galil, baby eggplant with pomegranates and pistachio, is beautifully cooked, but the tehina that sauces it is a bit strong, and if there is a weakness here it is an oversuse of tehina as an accompaniment.


Like Cucharamama in New Jersey, Zahav is a destination restauramt - there isn't anything like it in New York or anywhere else that I know of. The cooking here reflects Solomov's time at Vetri and Marigold Kitchen - it is an attempt to apply the techniques of haute cuisine to food with thousands of years of history. More importantly, it is an obvious labor of love.