Boston Kosher Survey results available
Neil Rosenbaum, Kosher Blog reader and president of Kosher Community Surveys LLC, has published the results of the 2007 Boston Kosher Survey (PDF). No big surprises among the top scorers — Milk Street Cafe, Cheryl Ann’s, Stop & Shop bakeries, Gordon & Alperin — but the detailed written summaries should be very helpful for store owners looking to improve, and are an enjoyable read for the rest of us.
Here’s a big thank you to Neil for keeping up with these surveys — always a professional job!
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Kosher Subway coming to Boston?
The Jewish-Boston mailing list was abuzz last week after someone spotted this listing currently on the OU Job Board:
Job Title: MANAGER
Location: Boston Area
Job Summary: Responsible for all aspects of running a successful SUBWAY® franchise Glatt Kosher
Job Requirements: Impeccable Mashgiach certification and respect of major Kashus organizations; Successful food service experience including managing of staff; Strong business acumen; Willing to do whatever it takes to drive a strong food service brand business to success including working long hours at the start while training other team members; Pleasant and out-going personality.
(We asked for more information from the Subway folks, and were told by e-mail that things are being negotiated and more information would be available “when the time is right.”)
I’m excited by the possibility of a new restaurant, especially one that could be a reasonable value, but my coworkers are pretty pareve on the (treyf) Subway near our office. I’ll adopt a wait-and-see approach.
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Update: Beacon Kosher closing for good
An employee confirmed over the phone today that Beacon Kosher would in fact be closing for good as of this Sunday, June 3. The deal we had reported last week has apparently fallen through.
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Beacon Kosher purchased by Butcherie owner
Max Gellerman, owner of The Butcherie, has purchased Beacon Kosher, Brookline’s cramped, gritty, and only fully-glatt market. Beacon Kosher, which has been on shaky footing since the untimely passing of its owner, will remain under the glatt supervision of Rabbi Moskowitz when it reopens after a brief repurposing over the next few weeks.
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Smokey Joe’s BBQ, Teaneck, NJ
Kosher Blog aficionado Seth writes in with his review of Teaneck’s latest kosher joint, Smokey Joe’s BBQ (494 Cedar Lane, 201-836-RIBS, RCBC supervision).
When I first discovered that a kosher restaurant with honest-to-goodness barbecue was opening in the area, I was pretty excited. After watching way too many barbecue competitions on the Food Network for my own good — imagining all the while what a real smoked brisket might taste like — I finally had the chance to try some for myself. Let me preface by saying that I have never had “real” barbecue beyond my meager attempts at smoking ribs, brisket and chicken with my backyard grill.
The restaurant used to be a kosher pizza joint and the decor hasn’t really been updated, but the smell when we walked in was amazing. The air was filled with the sweet and smoky scent of hardwood wafting from the open kitchen (a nice touch), where the gleaming stainless steel smoker stood as centerpiece.
We were seated rather quickly for a party of eight on opening night. Instead of the normal chips-and-salsa or slaw-and-pickles you might get at other kosher restaurants, here we were served exceptional cornbread with an amazing and distinctive onion jam.
The kids at the table started with the Aztec Corn Soup — a little spicy for them, but the adults loved it — and then enjoyed foot-long hot dogs and fantastic chicken nuggets.
I ordered the barbecue sampler plate with ribs, brisket, chicken, very good cole slaw, and pesto-rubbed corn-on-the-cob. The ribs were pretty good, the brisket was better, and the chicken was amazing. Probably the best piece of chicken I’ve ever had — in fact, I’m eating the leftovers as I write and even a day later it tastes great. To top it off, at each table, they have a bottle of some of the best barbecue sauce I’ve tasted.
One pleasant surprise was the impressive number of vegetarian options on the menu. We mentioned this to the owner, who told us he used to be a vegetarian so he understands the plight. My wife — a vegetarian — got the barbecue tofu taco salad. Aside from the tofu being cold it was another hit.
The other dishes ordered at the table were the carnitas. They looked like pieces of meat and beans on Ritz Crackers; the presentation left a lot to be desired but they were pretty tasty. Otherwise, the brisket chili was very good and spicy, and their hamburger was descent.
Overall, the food was very good and I will definitely be returning. I enjoy spicy food but some of the dishes created by the Mexican chefs might be a bit too fiery for the unaccustomed palate. The owner noted that they were trying to play around with their spice mixture so they can adjust the heat without “dumbing down” the food.
As was expected on their opening night, the service at Smokey Joe’s wasn’t the greatest. Nevertheless, the owner was very accommodating, giving free guacamole to every table and even offering our neighboring table a free meal because their waiter forgot about them. He also encouraged everyone to give their honest input on the food and the service. If the owner can learn from these opening night hiccups, the restaurant is sure to be a success. I hope so because I’m going to need a constant supply of his smoked chicken.
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Beacon Kosher owner passes tragically
Some tragic news for Boston-area glatt-kosher community: Moshe Cohen, the young owner of Brookline’s Beacon Kosher, passed away suddenly early this morning. He is survived by his wife and several children.
More details at TheYeshivaWorld.com
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Jerusalem Pizza, Southfield, MI
Roving reviewer Ari is back with his take on a suburban Detroit curiosity.
I normally think reviewing pizza places is a waste — but Jerusalem Pizza of Southfield, MI is worth a mention.
After eating at Jerusalem Pizza a number of times, I’ve had the opportunity to try BBQ Chicken Pizza, Falafel Pizza, Mexican Pizza, Alaskan Pizza, Hawaiian Pizza, and a variety of others. If you check out the menu, you’ll notice that there are a number of other strange pizza offerings, including chulent and kishke, both of which I’ve heard are very good. In fact, first hand, I can say that most of the items served at Jerusalem Pizza are very good.
But is it “pizza?”
I’ve had bad pizza (Pizza Cave of Teaneck, NJ), mediocre pizza with good crust (Cafe Eilat of Brookline) and altogether excellent pizza (Jerusalem Pizza of Elizabeth, NJ). I’ve had overpriced pizza (Nut House of Silver Spring) and cheap pizza (Blue Cheese Pizza at Jabbett’s — free!). None of those places served a pizza that even vaguely resembles the item served by Jerusalem Pizza.
Jerusalem Pizza provides only three tables, so you will almost certainly be eating take out. The “pizzas” come in a familiar cardboard box, and look vaguely like traditional pizza. The crust is thick, crunchy, and a bit oily. The plain cheese pizza is mediocre.
But the specialty pizzas make Jerusalem Pizza stand out. In one notable example, BBQ sauce is layered with tofu chicken and cheese, while another layers corn, beans, and nachos. Tehina, falafel and olive oil? These pizzas offer a surprising variety to my jaded eyes. The thick crust is used as a vehicle to heap on toppings (frequently up to a half-inch mound).
The pizzas are too small, the crust is too thick, and everything costs too much. But I keep going back to Jerusalem Pizza because there are plenty of other pizza places if I just want a cheese pizza.
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Dunkin’ Donuts Corporation forcing stores to go treyf
According to the Washington Jewish Week, at least three Washington area Dunkin’ Donuts stores will be forced into selling non-kosher products by spring, due to the parent corporation’s continually expanding menu options.
Technically, the edict from corporate brass stated that franchiser Jim Willard could “no longer make menu modifications.” As such, he must serve the sausage, bacon, and other treyfa delights currently absent from his stores.
Naturally, this should raise the wider community’s collective hackles — will the kosher Dunkin’ eateries in other Jewish locales be next? It’s time to act — contact Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. with your dismay:
Dunkin’ Brands, Inc.
E-mail: customerservice@dunkinbrands.com
Phone: 800-859-5339
Fax: 781-737-4000
Mail: 130 Royall Street, Canton, MA 02021
Of course, this might be the perfect opportunity for enterprising entreprenuers to open kosher Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf franchises across the east coast. Boy, do I miss that place.
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Avenue Deli — Exclusive Preview
It’s here — the Gordon & Alperin “kosher strip mall” is finally entering its delicious phase two. The Kosher Blog had an insider’s preview tonight of Avenue Deli, 549 Commonwealth Avenue, Newton, MA (under the supervision of Rabbi Aaron Hamaoui).
First, “deli” is such a limited term. While the restaurant has all our favorite deli standards — pastrami, corned beef, et al — the menu is dotted with so many other delicious choices like steak tips, hamburgers, kebabs, grilled panini, and hearty soups. But even such a menu is limiting, confides owner (and attentive chef) Ricardo Bosich.
He likes to wake up in the morning and think of new and fresh dishes to serve — so expect to see interesting, homemade specials listed.
Our dinner was just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. The hot corned beef and pastrami sandwiches (served on fresh bread from Bodavi Bakery next door) were both delicious, especially coming in from the bitter New England cold.
Reasonably priced, too — three dollars cheaper than Rubin’s. (Granted, Avenue Deli has counter service, but with Ricardo behind the counter, it’s a pleasure.)
And as a special treat, we were served a plate of grilled chimichurri-marinated steak. It looked so good, we forgot to take a photo before digging in…
The finishing touches are still being applied, so do call first and ask for the hours - 617-332-4170.
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