Steven I. Weiss reports the closing of the Village Crown, which he describes as the “best kosher restaurant, dollar-for-dollar, in New York City.” The Village Crown Group will continue to offer catering and takeout from its midtown location.
The press release is here.
Ari and Emily sent in the following report about their trip to Philadelphia. Enjoy!
We hit three restaurants - Chinese Vegetarian Kosher Restaraunt, Maccabeam, and Maxim (which I don’t believe has any relation to the magazine, as I didn’t see Tara Reid anywhere.).
Maccabeam, an Israeli-style grill which is about 8 blocks from the center of the historic downtown, came highly recommended. After locating the restaurant and entering somewhat dingy confines, we were pleasantly surprised by prompt table service. The metal tableware and ample seating stood in stark contrast to a meal at Rami’s. Despite being denied a few menu items because of the impending Fourth of July (”No Lafas or Lamb — our meat order didn’t come in”), E and I were quite happy with the food. We shared a steak and onions pita, and a shwarma pita. We were pleased that the salad in the pocket was fresh and tangy, with a notable amount of parsley and lemon juice that we both enjoyed. The meat in each of our pitas tasted pretty similar, although the schwarma dripped clear oil and the steak a tasty yellow substance. The french fries were really lousy. Don’t get those.
Chinese Kosher Vegetarian Restaurant, in Chinatown, gets respect for having a terrible name. Unfortunately, Cherry Street possesses a strong and unpleasant odor. Once inside, I was falsely seduced by the variety of wheat gluten dishes which included “pork” and a variety of “chicken” and “beef” efforts. I made the mistake of ordering the sweet and sour pork. It was well presented but disappointing, with balls of fried glutein smothered in a bottled sweet and sour sauce. E’s Tai Chin Chicken was awesome. It came with some weird jelly that we poked, and some crazy glutin blobs, but the sauce was tastier than anything “Uncle Ta’am” puts out. The soups were also interesting, with an unusually thick hot and sour broth. I enjoyed the vegetable (as opposed to meat) wontons in my soup, though they fell apart when touched. I would say that the restaurant merits a return visit, but I wish I had known to get one of the better dishes. Of course, for a total lunch cost of $13 for two people, including tip, whatever.
Maxim, a LARGE Israeli style restaurant next to our hotel, was a bit overwhelmed by our party of about 30 people. Since we all ordered at the same time, I don’t feel right really reviewing the quality of the food. The shwarma and beef kabob platters that we shared were solid, unspectacular examples of the genre, though we did find some undercooked chicken. The five people around me thought that the side of cilantro-flavored rice was spectacular. I thought the portions were small for the $14-18 price range.
The real highlight of Philly was the Kosher Experience in the ShopRite neighboring Maxim. This subsection of the store was as large as the Butcherie, and laid out in a less-threatening manner — the Butcherie should learn that high shelves intimidate shoppers, but I digress. We bought 79-cent bags of Bloomy’s candy, were shocked at $1.99 for Rubashkin Turkey Deli Slices, and drooled at the huge cheese selection. The wife and I planned to split a $7.99 rotisserie chicken for breakfast, but ultimately decided against it. Are the high real estate prices the reason that this can’t be replicated in Boston’s supermarkets?
Just over the wire today from the Young Israel of Brookline mailing list, Harvard Street’s Shalom Beijing, a local kosher landmark for over ten years, is closing its doors. The last day it will operate as a kosher establishment is Tuesday, July 25.
Most critically, that leaves Boston with no source for kosher sushi. While I would not recommend that Boston’s next kosher venture be another pan-Asian restaurant, I think a nice kosher sushi joint would be a welcome addition.
UPDATE: According to a local resident, the owner and mashgiach have confirmed that “they are going treif after close of business Tuesday night.”
Kosher Community Surveys is providing the Kosher Blog and its readers the following exclusive sneak-peek at some of the results of this year’s Massachusetts survey:
The full, final survey report is coming soon, and will be promptly posted to the Kosher Blog. If you are interested in receiving a copy of it directly as soon as it is complete, e-mail your request to Neil Rosenbaum at koshersurvey@gmail.com.
Every week for the last four months, all we’d hear about Taam China II is that would open in two weeks. Well, the wait is over — the spacious suburban satellite of Brookline’s esteemed Chinese restaurant is set to open its doors tomorrow at 11AM.
Taam China II
108 Oak Street
Newton Upper Falls, MA 02464
(map)
(If I make it over there, I’ll try to post the menu, if different from the original.)
One of our big challenges whilst in Paris was figuring out where the main clusters of kosherness existed (beyond the traditional Rue des Rosiers area). So, since returning, I’ve been working with the Google Maps API to plot all of Paris’s 200-odd restaurants. What has emerged is an interactive map with which you can click a particular restaurant and it dynamically loads all nearby Metro stations within a kilometer. (A drop-down list beneath the map provides an alphabetical listing of restaurants for easy access.)
Unfortunately, Google Maps doesn’t yet have street maps for Paris (only satellite images), so you’re on your own for directions — try MSN MapPoint or Multimap.com.
In version 2, I think I’d like to add the ability to choose a particular Metro station and see nearby restaurants. Suggestions welcome.
From the Cleveland Jewish News:
Beginning in early May, Subway@the J will be open for business. This flagship fast food restaurant, the first and only kosher Subway restaurant in North America, will be located in the spacious, sunny living room area at the Jewish Community Center’s main entrance.
Distinctive to this location will be pareve cheese (for the chicken parm and hamburger melt) and a price premium of 10-15%. Maybe its eventual success will lead to the proliferation of kosher Subways?
From Wednesday’s Herald:
The owners of the kosher Bodavi Bakers and nearly century-old Gordon & Alperin meat market are expanding their Commonwealth Avenue businesses. They’re bringing a new deli, larger meat market and pizzeria - each of them kosher - into the neighborhood.
(P.S. Had a lovely time in Paris, thanks for all the advice! Spending Shabbat in London… back Sunday.)
After many weeks of preparation, the Kosher Blog is happy to announce the Massachusetts Kosher Community Survey, presented in coordination with the inimitable Neil Rosenbaum of DC Kosher Survey fame.
Share your opinions about local kosher restaurants, grocery stores, and bakeries by visiting survey.kosherblog.net. A summary of the results will be distributed to the community — check here for updates.
Questions and comments should be directed to Neil at koshersurvey@gmail.com.
For those of you who don’t read the New York Times Dining & Wine section regularly, here is article on Central Asian restaurants in Queens that appeared last week. The reporter describes kosher Bukharian restaurants in glowing terms:
A spirit of abundance pervades Bukharian restaurants. Kebabs of pure lamb fat, crisp and smoky, perfume every dining room. Platters of plov are enormous. And warm chewy bread called lepeshka, like a huge bialy, keeps coming until you say stop. A few doors down at Fortuna restaurant, the owner, Isak Babayev, mourns the barberries, the sweet yellow carrots, the pomegranates and the fresh walnuts of his native Uzbekistan. “Everything was organic, although we didn’t know that word,” he said in Russian. “There were the most wonderful red- and yellow-fleshed melons, and green grapes as long and thin as a woman’s fingers.”
A list of the best Central Asian restuarants in New York includes three kosher establishments. There is also a recipe for shurpa lagman, an elaborate lamb and vegetable stew served over noodles.