NG 4 lyfe (by, Hana Nagel)

Recently crowned “best meat restaurant” by the latest foodie edition
of  Time Out, NG offers innovative and masterfully prepared steakhouse
fare.  NG’s impish icon, reminiscent of Amy Winehouse, belies the
seriousness with which the talented chefs treat their food.  Expertly
cooked with the freshest ingredients, all of the dishes we had during
the (reasonably priced) business lunch special were spectacular.
The Business lunch works as follows: for the price of your main
course, you may additionally take an appetizer and a non-alcoholic
drink.  I opted for the “Crunch salad”, a mouthwatering salad
comprised of mixed greens, baked sweet potato curls and parmesan
shreds, accompanied by a creamy dressing.


Another delicious first course included the baked eggplant spears served with a trio of
toppings- finely chopped mint and parsley, a roasted tomato salsa and
incredibly fresh goat cheese.
The succulent steaks are prepared by a staff of self-professed
perfectionists, and you will receive nothing less.  The meat was
accompanied by a delectably creamy mashed potatoes, garnished with
more baked sweet potato curls atop a pocket of creamed sweet potato
and caramelized onions.

The restaurant offers a decadent yet relaxed atmosphere, just the
place to settle in for your upscale steak meal.  For dessert and
coffee, one may also enjoy the Taza D'Oro Cafe, a Neve Tzedek
institution located right next door.


NG
6 Ahad Ha'am St.
(03)516-7888




-Hana Nagel

Breakfast: Saquella and Benedicts

Saquella (46 King George St.)
Fungi Breakfast. Mushroom omelette with Israeli salad and loaf of warm bread. Spreads: Feta with red peppers, laboneh, cream cheese, tuna, guacamole, tzaziki, olives, butter, and raspberry jam.

A typical Israeli breakfast usually consists of: Israeli salad http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israeli_salad, eggs (usually an omelette), bread, and various spreads (cheeses, butter etc.). Israelis enjoy breakfasts sooo much that most cafes around Tel Aviv will serve breakfast all day. Saquella is a cafe across the street from my apartment where I can safely say I have had breakfast at least 10 times since moving here. All of their omelettes come with a loaf of warm bread, spreads, israeli salad, a juice and a coffee and are more than enough for two people to share.


Benedicts (29 Rothschild (& Allenby) & 171 Ben Yehuda)
Warm Bread. Spreads: Chocolate, raspberry jam, and butter. (Complimentary)

Eggs Benedict

Israeli Breakfast. Cheese Omelette with israeli salad. Spreads: Tuna, cream cheese with chives, cheese with scallions, and olives.


Banana Pancakes with coconut milk, coconut flakes, chocolate, and maple syrup

Pancakes were the highlight of the meal. Thick but with a light/airy texture. Everything else was pretty good. I personally think Benedicts is a little overrated but I am willing to go back.






-Sabrina Idels

Hamburgers: Wolfnights, Agadir, King George, and Moses

In only two months of living in Tel Aviv I have tried several memorable hamburgers. While the burger and fries is a classic American dish, Tel Aviv offers a wide assortment of multicultural cuisine, including some burger joints that will not make you feel guilty for eating American food in Israel.

1. Wolfnights (Leilenblum & Nachlat Benyamin)

I have already dined here twice and both times I ordered the “Wolfnights Special” (which means it must be good because I always try something new when I go to a restaurant for the second time). This very special all beef burger is served with the standard tomato, lettuce, onion, white cheddar cheese, bacon, and one key ingredient: “שום” or “shoom” (delicious house garlic mayonnaise). French fries are thin and perfectly crispy, somewhat McDonalds-esque but better. Make sure to get a side of garlic mayo.


2. Agadir(1 Nachlat Benyamin St.) http://www.agadir.co.il/

I recommend the “Diana” this is a 50% beef and 50% lamb patty, aioli, tomatoes, sauteed onions, and pickled lemon. I added lettuce, goat cheese, and bacon. If this is your first visit to Agadir get the Diana, the extra fat in the lamb adds a lot of flavor and a nice juicy element to the meat. I have also tried the 330g “Agadir” burger, which was also very good.
Onion loaf: my mouth is still watering thinking about this. Best fried onion ring concoction in Israel.

Home fries: fried to perfection! Diced potatoes topped with a sweet chili sauce with a hint of spicy…AMAZING!

French fries are excellent if you like thin fries. Similar to Wolfnights.

3. King George (20 Hamelech George St.)
*Best burger for your Shek*

For those of you dining on a budget, King George is the place to go for an affordable, large, juicy burger with all the right fixings. I got the standard burger with mushrooms and fried onions. The dish was essentially a large sauté of small onion rings mixed with mushrooms with a side of burger and fries…mmm. French fries were mediocre. Thick steak fries. If you’re into steak fries they’re ok, but I’ve had better.


4. Moses (35 Rothschild Blvd.) http://www.mosesrest.co.il/english/Moses%2BRestaurant
Overrated. Moses and Agadir are arguably the two most well known hamburger places in Tel Aviv. Since moving here I have heard from several sources that Moses burger was even better than Agadir. So when I sat down to this flawless decadent burger I had pretty high expectations for what I was about to stuff my face with. I had the classic Moses burger with cheese, egg, mushrooms, onion, lettuce, and tomato. While the burger looked great, the meat tasted like a grill and was wayyy too peppery. The bun was also much too large for the patty, making it very difficult to eat. Unfortunately the fries were not good enough to make up for the burger. I do not recommend Moses burger.



-Sabrina Idels

Roladin Doughnuts

From left to right: chocolate filled doughnut with chocolate frosting topped with sprinkles; dulce de leche filling with chocolate glaze; vanilla creme filling with white chocolate glaze.



The winner: Chocolate sprinkles with chocolate filling. The others didn't have enough chocolate.



-Sabrina Idels

Roladin Rugelach

After two months of living in Israel Andrea and I feel that we can safely call ourselves rugelach connoisseurs http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rugelach (primarily in chocolate form). Rugelach and rugelach cakes (a giant rugelach in the form of a cake) are as common here as Oreos are in North America. For people like us this is a very dangerous thing. Since we both love these mouth-watering pastries, and live in a city where bakeries and delicious prepackaged cakes are as plentiful as the cats, we felt that it was our duty to find the best rugelach in Tel Aviv. I am sure that those of you who think you “know” Israel are scoffing at our attempts to seek out the perfect chocolate rugelach in Tel Aviv. Why? Because everyone knows Marzipan in Jerusalem is the best. It is true, Marzipan is pretty incredible…HOWEVER, we have finally found an alternative for those Tel Avivians who don’t want to schlep 45 minutes to Jerusalem every time those munchies kick in…Roladin.



Roladin’s chocolate rugelach cake, and individual pastries are flawless: moist, buttery, flakey dough, chocolately but not too overwhelming. I have already had this cake twice and I still cannot use the word “moderation” and “Roladin” in the same sentence. While Marzipan makes the most ridiculously moist rugelach I have ever tasted, Roladin’s offers that same moistness but with a delicious flakey buttery dough. The butter (aka the “crack component”) adds a croissant-like aftertaste which will keep you going back for more until the plate is clean enough to see your chubby face in the reflection (or until the sugar rush starts to kick in). My roommate who doesn’t even like chocolate or rugelach could not restrain herself!

Since Roladin is also known for their wide selection of sufganiot (donughts with filling), we felt obligated to try something. The chocolate filled doughnut topped with chocolate frosting and rainbow sprinkles that we decided on beats any sufganiot I have ever tried. The dough was perfectly moist and sweet, light but not too airy. The filling was made from Israeli chocolate spread (like nutella minus the hazelnut). I don’t usually go for the sufganiot because the filling is either too overwhelming or way too sparse—this doughnut had just the right amount of chocolate.



Go to Roladin for your next rugelach or doughnut craving...I promise you will not be disappointed.


-Sabrina Idels

Introduction

What do you get when you combine two unemployed foodies living in Tel Aviv with a passion for all things culinary (primarily baked goods, chocolate, and MEAT)? I
An excellent resource for the best food spots in Tel Aviv! I

We hope that you enjoy our food blog. ☺ I
!בתיאבון

Andrea Finkelstein & Sabrina Idels