Ask the Board of Health - see http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/serv...

see also this previous related discussion - http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/766482

a quick google search led to this - http://aaronsgourmet.pagedepot.com/ht...

Canadian Coke

Cotts Black Cherry soda

smoked meat

great idea! I'm a little surprised that this hasn't been replicated in NYC. With so many NYC-based chefs, and a large (and charitable) Jewish community, it seems to me that an enterprising NYC non-profit could somewhat easily replicate the Philly event in NYC.

Wishful thinking?

PS - Supersol is now "Seasons"

As someone who has patronized at least one Manhattan shabbat prepared-food/takeout store each week for close to 15 years, the following would be my recommendations if qualityof food is your main criteria.

1st choice - Prime Butcher Baker - in my opinion, the highest quality in Manhattan
2nd choice - Fischer Brothers (72 btwn Broadway and West End)

3rd Choice - Park East Butcher

Although I no longer patronize the Kosher Marketplace (I have had numerous bad experiences with my takeout purchases there), some could argue that certain of their takeout items are of acceptable quality. In any event KMP food is definitely not in same league as the first three establishments listed above.

I would strongly discourage you from patronizing Supersol (or as I refer to it "Superslop")

Kosher Marketplace is open today

although Bagel Basket (on Amsterdam and 90th) was open yesterday, as of 11:30am today, they were shuttered!

the NY Daily News weighs in on Jezebel - http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style...

Heard from a reliable source that Sunday 9/16/12 will be the last day of business for Mike's Pizza Kitchen.

Can't say I'm that disappointed given its progressive decline since it opened a few years back (though food and service had improved slightly in very recent months).

Will another kosher pizza store open in its void, or will Cafe Roma be the last true pizza store on the UWS?

I work in Tribeca. I agree with the suggestions above but would add: 1) Pita Express is usually a great lunch delivery option - prices are relatively reasonable, food is consistently good and delivery is reliable and 2) depending on your proximity to the #1 train (Franklin St station, Cravings is definitely another option. Hop on at Franklin, take it two quick stops to Rector St and Cravings is across the street from the train station. I can generally do a round trip in 30 minutes and the food is still hot when I get back to my desk. If the train ride seems daunting, Cravings is also a brisk 10 minute walk from Tribeca.

Also, from what I understand, Jezebel (pricey/fine-dining kosher meat restaurant) will be opening for lunch in the fall (they are currently only open for dinner). Although technically in Soho, Jezebel straddles the northern border of Tribeca and is easily accessible from most Tribeca locations.

I'd been eagerly awaiting the opening of Jezebel for a number of months, so was happy to get a reservation for the Sunday night (7/16) of their second week for me, my g-friend and 2 other friends.

As my girlfriend and I were a few minutes early, the hostess offered us the option of having a cocktail in the downstairs lounge before seating us upstairs. We followed her through the curtains into a very lux and intimate lounge area. There were about 10 tables set up in the lounge area with a velvet-lined bench running around the perimeter (a/c seemed not to be fully functioning, but I assume that was just one of the kinks that will be worked out). There was a very sensual, hip vibe to the lounge and service was attentive. We were immediately handed drink menus, with a small but sufficient cocktail menu. I'm not a drinker, but my girlfriend ordered the "Kosha Nostra" which she thoroughly enjoyed. While we were sitting and enjoying the atmosphere, one of the restaurant's owners, Menachem, came by to introduce himself - which we thought was a classy gesture (he also came by during our meal to check on us)

The rest of our party arrived, and we then proceeded upstairs to the dining area. The room had a very hip/trendy vibe. We were seated in one of the banquettes toward the back of the room - and the large dining area looked to me to contain a mix of 70% tables/30% banquets.

When our party of 4 was seated, the waiter presented us with drink menus (but no food menu?). We asked for the food menu and he promptly brought them for the table. I ordered the "Jewish Italian Wedding Soup", which I loved. It is initially presented sans broth as 4 chicken meatballs on a bed of vegetables and once it is placed in front of you, another waiter comes along with a teapot of broth and proceeds to pour it. The meatballs (and broth) were delicious, with a delightful lemon "kick". The rest of the table ordered the Israeli Couscous Risotto to share - I had a few bites and definitely enjoyed it (as did the rest of the table).

For the main course I and another person at the table ordered the Orange Glazed Duck Breast and Duck Confit - the duck breast was served sliced and I found it to be good (though a little chewy). The confit was not what I expected in terms of presentation (bits of duck sprinkled amongst some vegetables - but it was very flavorful and delicious). As an FYI - the portion sizes are not tremendous, but are reasonably sized. My girlfriend had the lamb burger which was served on foccaccia bread. Although she "ate around the bread" - she definitely enjoyed the burger (particularly the accompanying spicy chipotle sauce). She did share a few bites of the burger with me, but it was lost on me, as I do not enjoy lamb. The other person in our party ordered the Arctic Char - when I initially advised against doing so (as I don't believe Sunday is a good day to order fish at a Kosher restaurant) he checked with our waiter who found out from the chef that the fish was fresh. I am highly allergic to fish so will have to take his word, but he definitely enjoyed his meal.

My only suggestions for the menu 1) the menu selection seemed rather limited, so would encourage offering more menu items and 2) given that restaurant is in opening stages and that management wants to differentiate themselves from other kosher restaurants, why not offer a sampling plate that allows diners to sample all menu items?

As I noted above, since portions sizes were definitely not the overstuffed/2nd Ave deli variety, we definitely had room for dessert. As I am a dessert person, I did find the dessert menu to be rather small (choice of chocolate cake/angel's food cake/olive oil cake). However, before we ordered a friend of mine (who is a bit of an "insider" at the restaurant) gave me some good advice - "although you probably want to go for the chocolate cake, go with the olive oil cake" . I'm glad I listened to him, as I found the cake to be delicious (and not something I otherwise would have ordered)

In summary, I found the food to be very good (by both kosher and non-kosher standards), though they probably need to expand the menu selection. Service was generally good (although there were a few very minor hiccups when you could tell that they were in their second week of full service). Restaurant has a cool/downtown vibe - can def take non-kosher guests w/o embarrassment - though some may prefer that the noise/music volume be turned down slightly.

I very much enjoyed my experience and look forward to future visits (hopefully with an expanded menu).

Pics of interior here - http://www.wwd.com/eye/food/keeping-k...

What about Tevere, which I believe opened in 1990?

In my opinion, best (kosher) in Manhattan are:

1) Azuri Cafe (http://www.azuricafe.com) and Murray's Falafel (http://murraysfalafel.com
)2) University Pita
3) Golan Heights (across from YU - Amsterdam Avenue btwn 186&187)
4) Olympic Pita - 38th btwn 5th and 6th

I also would give a special mention to Olympic Pita's Brooklyn branch

GilaB - I can confirm that they are "entirely non-kosher". I naively attempted to eat lunch there yesterday. As I approached the restaurant I thought that I was in luck in that there were so many empty tables at the height of the lunch rush. Then I noticed the small sign on the door that they were no longer kosher.

I was a pretty regular patron when it first opened, but stopped going when they were shut by the board of health about a year ago (they subsequently reopened and secured an "A" grade from Department of Health). Anyone have any insights as to why they closed?

Gottlieb's would probably offer the most "authentic" experience in terms of menu items and preparation, but don't think they can accomodate 24 person buffet in house (though it never hurts to ask)

Noah's Ark (on the Lower East Side) has a party room and should be able to accomodate your menu requirements - http://www.noahsark.net/menus.asp

Same for Mendy's Flatbush (http://www.mendysdeli.com/contact)

As Koshereater123 alludes to below, try www.koshergyro.com - 711 Middle Neck Road, Great Neck, NY - 516-439-5222 (they usually offer a 10% off coupon in The Jewish Week's Dining Out section (run weekly on the inside back cover)

More details here - http://gothamist.com/2011/11/01/wall_...

Kosher Marketplace is open
Talias is open
Mike's pizzeria closed (when I walked by as of 2:30pm)

As is Bagel Basket (90th and Amsterdam)

of course good old Kosher Delight is open

1. - http://mlb.mlb.com/ballparks/stadium_maps.jsp?c_id=bal (expand food link - notes that there is a "Kosher Sports" at Gate E

2. see also comments at http://www.camdenchat.com/2011/3/23/2... (apparently there is a kosher cart on 1st base side

3. also try - Kosher Sports, Inc.

Oriole Park at Camden Yards

333 West Camden Street

Baltimore, MD 21201

201-658-1812
(I called the # and they offer hotdogs, sausages, pretzels, peanuts and soda)

I believe Park East will prepare on upon request.

first impressions/reviews?

http://blogs.northjersey.com/blogs/se...

Friday, January 22, 2010
Burgers Bar open in Teaneck
Burgers Bar has opened in the West Englewood Plaza section of Teaneck. It’s a kosher specialty burger restaurant, similar to Bobby’s Burger Palace and Five Guys. The concept started in Israel, and there are two other locations in Brooklyn and Long Island. The menu (which is similar to the Cedarhurst one here, though prices vary somewhat) is made of of beef, lamb and chicken burgers, plus hot dogs, steak, salads, fries, plus chicken fingers, wings, poppers and Moroccan cigars.

All burgers are ground in-house, made to order and served with your choice of 17 sauces like sweet chili, garlic mayo and “orange-a-cue.” Sandwich sauces and salad dressings are made from scratch in house. There’s a seven-step ordering process, but it basically amounts to: you order and pick up your burger at the counter, then sit in one of the 40 seats, mostly booths. Check out owner Mitch Krevat’s cartoon glass collection in the back.

The restaurant is open 11:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. Sunday through Wednesday, 11:30 a.m. to 2 a.m. Thursday and one hour after sundown to 3 a.m. Saturday. It’s closed Friday. 1383 Queen Anne Road, Teaneck, 201-530-5022. (There’s no big sign yet - look for the old “Best Deal Liquidation” sign.)

I went to Solo on Monday night, eager to sample Chef Eli's cooking. Unfortunately, in order to sample Chef Eli's creation, you had to agree to an entire 3 or 5 course tasting menu. You could not just order a dish prepared by him - rather, you had to agree to go with the entire tasting menu. In addition, I was also informed (though I found this somewhat incredulous) that all parties at the table had to agree to go with the tasting menu, in order for anyone at the table to try it.

Although my dining companion and I saw one or two dishes on the tasting menu that we would like to have tried, the 3/5 choices we would have been forced to go with did not appeal to us, so we instead ordered off of Solo's regular menu (which, in all fairness, was quite good). I found it quite bizarre that Solo would go to the trouble of hiring Chef Eli, but not allowing diners to more readily sample his cooking.

I managed to obtain a copy of the current tasting menu being offered, so will post it here for review/consideration:

Solo

* 3 Course $45 (items on the 3 course tasting menu are indicated by a star)
5 Course $65

*Persimmon - Cocoa Nibs/Truffle/Yuzu/Marcona Almond

Beef Tartare - Egg Yolk/Thai Peppercorn/Gribeche

Amber Jack - Tobiko Gremolata/Turnips

*Duck Breast - Aromatic Emulsion/ "Chicharrones"/Sunchokes/Bitter Green

*Root Beer Tart - Cashew/Tarragon

Last night, me and two of my Zipcar co-adventurers decided to venture out of Manhattan to try ETC - a steakhouse that we had heard good things about. After a short (10 minute) drive from the GWB, we arrived at ETC and availed ourselves of the bountiful free parking around the corner. Upon arriving in the restaurant (on a bitterly cold night), I was impressed by the intimate, warm and upscale décor. The restaurant was full (but not overwhelmingly so). Unlike many high-end NYC kosher restaurants where a full house almost assuredly results in a cacophonous din, the noise was not overwhelming. A soft, almost pleasant, buzz pervaded - diners chatting contentedly amongst themselves, enjoying the food and each other's company, without diminishing the overall ambience.

Upon being at our table (reservations definitely recommended) we reviewed the menu and dug into the bread basket with gusto. First minor point of (constructive) criticism - after sampling the innovative cuisine and seeing firsthand the Chef's ability to balance and contrast various flavors, we were surprised and a bit disappointed that the bread basket was not accompanied by any sort of spread/olive oil, etc. Perhaps this was just an oversight. The bread (rolls) itself, was served hot and was deliciously chewy.

By way of background, I and my two dining companions had spent most of the day in eager anticipation of our meal. We exchanged various online reviews (including NY Times review), and e-mailed potential menu selections throughout the day. Going into the meal, we all had decided to try the short ribs we had heard so much about. However, after being seated and having a chance to peruse the menu, my friend, the lovely and sagacious J wisely suggested that we try one of the tasting menus (Etc offers a variety of multi-course tasting menu - 4, 5, 7 or 9 courses - at various price points). Our table decided to go with the 7 course steak tasting menu ($75 per person) - and we were glad we did. As an aside, before you begin your tasting menu, the server will inquire as to any particular preferences (as I'm deathly allergic to fish, we had to go with meat-based dishes. We also noted that we definitely wanted to sample the short ribs we had heard so much about and that we wanted something "chocolaty" for dessert - all our preferences were graciously accommodated)

One important note - it's important to adjust your expectations in terms of portion size. Afterall, this is a tasting menu! Diners expecting seven heaping courses will be disappointed. The portions on the tasting menu are just that - tastes! You will be satisfied (but not annoyingly "stuffed") after completing your tasting menu - but you need to adjust your expectations accordingly.

Our first "taste" was a succulent duck risotto - I'm a big risotto fan and this was done right. We then moved on to sweetbreads - I've never been such a fan, but heartily enjoyed it (was glad it was only a taste). We then moved on to a succession of steaks - hangar steak, skirt steak, rib steak and the long-awaited short ribs. Each dish was carefully and creatively presented and balanced with a variety of sauce, salad, potato (and even egg) and other accompaniments. I really enjoyed the (Pomegranate) hangar and skirt steaks - I happened to scoop up a few pomegranate seeds in attempting to lance a piece of the steak - the explosion of flavorful meat and pomegranate seed that occurred in my mouth was one of the highlights - and the Chef's creative abilities were clearly on display. Out of the 6 courses, the only one that we were slightly disappointed in was the short ribs. Although the meat was quite succulent, we felt that the chocolate sauce overwhelmed the meat/overall flavor. We were expecting a heartier, more bbq flavor and felt that the taste in general should have been bolder so, in hindsight, it was a really good choice to go with the tasting menu which allowed us to sample menu items we wouldn't have otherwise tried vs. "betting the farm" on the short ribs.

Chef Seth came out to greet us after course 5, and we enjoyed speaking with him about our experience. He was extremely friendly and patiently talked to us about what we had eaten and was genuinely receptive to our feedback (and yes, I did tell him my thoughts about the short ribs, which he took in good stride).

And then came dessert - chocolate fudge with coffee ice cream. Let's just say that the waiter returned to the kitchen with three plates licked clean! Delicious!

I'm really glad my friend suggested we try the tasting menu. It was a great way to experience the full range of ETC's offerings. I give top marks to ETC for creative presentation and the quality of its food. The chef's passion is evident and it seems like this relative newcomer to the Teaneck dining scene is really hitting its stride. I plan on being a repeat customer and my friends enjoyed the experience so much that they have already decided to treat their parents to the tasting menu as a gift.

http://www.bruchacaterer.com/DailySpe...