Quick Bites: Caravan of Dreams

The Basics: You won’t find portabello mousse at Caravan of Dreams. This is a real, hippydippy vegetarian restaurant. The kind that might scare away a carnivorous skeptic. Half the menu is raw or “live”, while everything is organic, vegan and kosher. Anyone with an open mind willl appreciate the worldly possibilities on the menu. I for one, had my head spinning between spelt pancakes, seitan taquitos, peanut noodles and carrot polenta. Seasonal and local, it is not. There’s plenty of coconut where it doesn’t need to be. You can’t be everything to everyone I guess. Our waitress seemed to have her head in some yonder hemp clouds, but when she finally brought our food it was flavorful and satisfying. Not everything is a success, but you’ll leave Caravan with plenty of new information about some rather wild ingredients.
Cuisine: Vegan, Kosher
Best Dish: Classic nachos with black bean chili, guacamole and salsa.
Food: Good
Service: Poor
Value: Good
Average App/Entree Price: $8/$15
Location: 405 E 6th Street
You Gonna Finish That? Meh, you can taste the side.
Word to the Wise: They serve a $15 prixe-fixe brunch

Quick Bites: U Cafe

The Basics: U Cafe is a little kosher spot on the Upper East Side with sandwiches, salads and such crafted with great attention to detail. A haloumi salad came in an artful display with shish kabobs of grilled cheese rubbed in za’atar spice with grilled peppers, onions and tomatoes. A sandwich on crisp Jerusalem toast (think a flat, toasted sesame bagel) was creamy and sharp, filled with feta, cheddar and tomato.  For your sweet tooth, go for the challah French toast with berries and whipped cream. Beware, some prices seem inflated for a casual cafe. Unfortunately it’s often par for the course at kosher restaurants.
Cuisine: Kosher (Dairy)
Food: Very Good
Service: Very Good
Value: Good
Average App/Entree Price: Around $15 for a salad or sandwich, $26 for an entree.
Location: 1436 Lexington Ave, (between 93rd and 94th)
You Gonna Finish That? Every last bite.

Hangawi (Spice and Serenity)

Though on the edge of K-town, you won’t find communal BBQs at Hangawi, a Zen temple of vegetarian Korean fare. When E suggested we try a Korean vegetarian place he had been to for lunch, I did not expect this level of elegance. After some jerky driver behind me honked incessantly at my cab, I stepped out, walked into Hangawi and felt immediately calm.

Not only is Hangawi beautiful with its soaring ceilings and ornate table settings, but the staff glides around the room with such ease, that your stress lifts away. And boy, does it smell awesome!

A lot of that peace comes from the fact that everybody removes their shoes at the door. You won’t hear any clicking at Hangawi. It was a real joy to take off my heels and tuck my feet into the space below our table. I was amazed at how far the menu could go without any meat. From dumplings to leek pancakes, seaweed salad, vermicelli, and an entire maitake mushroom prixe fixe, the menu piqued my taste buds again and again. Narrowing down our selections was no small feat.

We started with the seamed kimchi buns, two pillows of dough with sweetly-flavored slices of kimchi inside.  The texture was just dense enough with the right amount of elasticity. I’m no bun expert but I know what a David Chang bun tastes like and what an over-processed Zen Palate bun tastes like. These were somewhere in the middle. Even better than the buns were our vegetable dumplings with a pool of spicy/sour sauce (chilli sauce? not listed) Don’t let the vague descriptions  fool you, the kitchen pays great care to detail and the flavors are there.

I appreciated the serene vibe until a LONG pause between our appetizer and entree. People began to leave the restaurant as we crept closer to closing time, with no entree. Our waiter was missing. Eventually we caught the attention of our hostess and magically, our waiter emerged with our Zen noodles and spicy chili mushrooms, served with generous side plates of spicy and mild kimchi.

The hostess felt terrible about the wait and apologized profusely. She asked if there was anything else they could bring. E mentioned a particular type of kimchi he had on another occasion. While they didn’t have it, they brought another side of some marinated, thinly sliced cucumber. The cucumber wasn’t life-changing, but a good effort at salvaging our meal.

Timing mishaps and mistakes occur all the time in restaurants, but it’s possible to recover with grace, as the staff at Hangawi did. This was a truly memorable meal and I would be happy to return anytime!

Location: 12 East 32nd Street
Food: Very Good
Drinks: No expansive wine list here but you will find some sake and sochu cocktails and a couple of beers.
Service: Good
Average App/Entree Price: $11/$21
Value: Very Good
You Gonna Finish That? Every last bite.

Kosherfest New Product Award Winners

Kosherfest, the largest International Kosher food trade show is taking place next week, with over 300 exhibitors convening at the Meadowlands. The most exciting aspect of the show are the awards for the new products competition, which have just been announced. The judges included a panel of restaurateurs, grocers, and cookbook authors.

Demand for kosher food in the U.S. has shown continued growth in the past few years as people, regardless of religion, scrutinize what goes into their body. It’s evident in the plethora of creative new products on the market. Without further ado, here are some highlights amongst the winners:

Best in Show/Best New Pasta: Luck Chen NY, NY (a line of microwaveable Asian noodles in flavors like sesame teriyaki, spicy szechuan, soy ginger, spicy kung pao, and sweet and sour)

Best Cheese or Dairy: Get Healthy America Lasagne Florentine ( a new product in a line of natural, organic and gluten-free kosher foods)

Best Fine Food from Israel: Blue & White Foods LLC Falafel w/Tehina Filling

Best Meat, Poultry or Seafood: Kosher Valley Chicken Breast Cutlets (I can vouge for these!)

Best Wine, Beer or Spirit: The Natural Group/Kedem Elvi Sintonia Sangria (won’t be the best sangria on the planet, but yay for diversity!)

Best Savory Condiment: Streit’s Matzos Asian Mel’s Gourmet Sauce (teriyaki and Thai peanut sauces)

Be on the lookout for these at a grocery store near you!

Quick Bites: Azuri Cafe

The Basics: Taking a little abuse from owner, Ezra Cohen, is worth it for the best falafel in the city. What Azuri Cafe lacks in ambiance and friendly service it makes up for in crisp, homemade falafel patties, more rich in spice and flavor than anything I’ve had in Israel.  Super-fresh salads of white bean, baba ghanush,  hummus, taboule, pickles and more make perfect partners.
Best Dish: Falafel! Though their freshly baked marzapan-rich pecan cookies were great, baked by Ezra’s wife.  They also serve shawarma and various kababs, all Glatt kosher.
Food: Excellent
Service: Good (despite the gruffness, the food is ready quickly)
Value: Very Good
Average App/Entree Price: $11-$14
Location: 465 W 51st Street
You Gonna Finish That? Every last bite.

NoiDue Cafe

Following on the heels of Mike’s Italian Kitchen, NoiDue (two of us) is the latest Italian Kosher cafe to open, offering antipasti, salads, thin crust pizza, paninis, pasta, and more. NoiDue is owned by a young, engaged couple who were beaming with pride at their packed restaurant on a Sunday afternoon at 3PM. NoiDue has been open less than a week (March 17th was the opening), which shows the tremendous potential for more restaurants of its kind. It’s a casual cafe that is comfortable for families but with thoughtful, artisanal ingredients. As we waited to be seated we eyed the plates of Sicilian style pizza, mushroom panini and apple pastry that were laid out for takeout orders and noticed the brick-oven for pizza in the back. I got excited.

Service was solid from the sweet waitresses who alternated with each other, though I couldn’t figure out why two waitresses needed to serve a table for two. While there seems to be a lot of heart in the venture, the food lacked tremendous seasoning that I hope will come in time. My pizza with “shiitake” mushrooms (actually cremini), ricotta, sundried tomatoes and onions had a nice thin crust but lacked substance beyond its crunch. Because it was a white pizza, the lack of sauce meant that the ricotta was just an underseasoned glob. There was so much potential in these toppings but without that special kiss of seasoning, they fell flat.

There was more hope in E’s ricotta-stuffed eggplant in a marinara sauce, but the eggplant was slightly undercooked and the sauce was bland. We both had salads as well, mine had a sprinkling of quinoa, mushrooms, and pistachio and E’s had avocado, mozzarella and crisp artichokes. Both were so delicate on their toppings that I was digging for them. I’m still searching for the “pesto dressing”. The most flavorful thing we ate were the garlicky bread morsels slathered in olive oil with parsley specks. The food was almost chaste, like it came from a chef who was still learning and needed to be corrupted by the idea of garlic, spice and salt. The savior of the meal however, was a luscious cannoli, oozing with a perfect savory-sweet cream.

When our waitress checked in, I couldn’t bare to tell the truth. If somebody in the kitchen becomes more daring, NoiDue can be a great kosher option.

NoiDue: 143 W 69th Street
Cuisine: Kosher (Dairy), Italian
Average App/Entree Price: $8/$12
Food: Good
Service: Very Good
Value: Very Good
You Gonna Finish That? Meh, you can taste the side.
Word to the Wise: They offer an affordable brunch deal which includes a $10-$14 entree that comes with bread, salad, antipasti and a variety of cheeses. NoiDue is also very kid-friendly. NoiDue is located next to Levana, an historic, upscale kosher restaurant that is temporarily closed for renovations.

Roasted Honey Chicken Stuffed with Garlic

Slowly roasting a chicken is so satisfying. From prepping it to watching it change colors, to seeing its juices fill the pan. Filling the room with the smell of garlic and herbs and giving it love throughout the process is so rewarding in the end. The honey in this recipe yields a crispy, sweet skin on the chicken that gives a traditional dish, something extra.

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken (about 3 pounds) washed and patted dry
2 stems of rosemary (leaves removed, discard stem)
4 stems of fresh thyme (leaves removed, discard stem)
8 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup chopped hazelnuts or roasted, peeled, chopped chestnuts, or any nut (I used marcona almonds)
3-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup honey
1 lemon, cut into thick slices

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F
2. Finely chop the rosemary, thyme, garlic and nuts with a sharp knife or a food processor
3. Slide your finger under the breast and thighs and loosen the skin. Place the garlic mixture under the loosened skin, trying to spread it evenly so the whole chicken skin is stuffed.
4. Drizzle the honey over the top of the chicken, letting it run down the sides.
5. Drizzle the chicken with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

If you have the time, let the chicken sit overnight in the refrigerator uncovered which will give the chicken a crisper skin when roasted and allow the flavors to be absorbed well

6. Place the chicken in the oven for 1.5-2 hours or until a meat thermometer reaches 175°F. Baste the chicken with the juices throughout the process. About halfway through, remove the chicken from the oven. Squeeze the lemon slices over the chicken and then place each slice in the pan and/or on top of the chicken.

When the chicken is done, let it rest for at least five minutes before serving or the juices will escape when you cut it. Serve with your favorite vegetable or side dish! Enjoy.

This recipe happens to be kosher, as it’s adapted from the cookbook: “Kosher by Design: Entertains“, with some modifications on my part.

Turquoise (Glatt Kosher Seafood)

Turquoise Seafood Restaurant, once praised for its sesame shrimp and tilapia stuffed with crabmeat, has now been given a concept makeover, becoming Glatt Kosher, under the supervision of the Orthodox Union as of November 2008. I had never been to Turquoise prior to the change, but it seems to be a wise one as the restaurant was packed on Valentine’s Day evening, even at the late hour of 10PM.

The scene is modern and airy with colorful lighting and a pale wood floor. The menu is mediterranean and seafood focused though steak dishes are offered as well, like Chianti braised short ribs and roasted organic chicken breast with root vegetable puree. Warm bread with pesto olive oil starts the meal. Service is amiable though quite rushed, perhaps due to the holiday. E and I were hustled into ordering quickly after being asked if we were ready on multiple occasions (despite our open menus).

I started with an excellent jalapeno-dotted tuna tartare with avocado, mayonnaise and wonton chips. They were out of the pot of artichokes, so E had crispy, spicy beef spring rolls with a chile reduction. After the appetizer we waited, and waited… and waited some more, seeing entrees that suspiciously seemed to be ours passed to a table that had arrived after us. I wondered about some confusion in the kitchen. Finally, entrees were brought to us, though I was mistakenly given mahi mahi when I had ordered arctic char. They apologized and brought my char while E had pepper-seared ahi tuna with spinach and pickled ginger. My char was fine though uninspired and served with undercooked, rubbery eggplant and a little glob of rosemary apple preserves and some underseasoned haricot vert that looked like regular string beans to me. E’s “pepper-seared” tuna lacked pepper and we both thought the pickled ginger, a pile similar to a sushi accompaniment was odd. We washed it all down with a Russian River Pinot that was smooth and fruity, though lacked depth.

Generally, I’m glad to see an innovative seafood restaurant choose to become kosher and I think there is potential for Turquoise to be great. They need to reevaluate some of their preparation and improve service.

Turquoise: 240 East 81st (betw 2nd and 3rd ave)
Cuisine: Seafood, Kosher
Food: Good
Service: Poor
Value: Poor
You Gonna Finish That? Meh, you can taste the side.
Average Appetizer/Entree Price: $12/$33

Ahem! Kosher Wines Demand Your Attention

Note: this is a re-post of a piece that I wrote for unReserved last week

There are many major wine events that take place at this time of year, but Monday night, I attended one in New York that while possibly more under-the-radar than most, was extremely eye-opening: the Royal Wine Corp. Kosher Food and Wine Experience. Over 700 people attended and tasted wines poured from France, Italy, Spain, New Zealand and beyond, including the sought-after To Kalon vineyard in Napa Valley. Among those present were Israel’s premier wine critic, Daniel Rogov and Gary Vaynerchuk of Wine Library TV. Of course, every bottle was kosher.

As an attendee of the event, I felt the excitement of the kosher wine revolution taking place. Serious noting of kosher wines really started when Israeli wines began receiving 90-point ratings. Our 2008 Top 100 Best Buys list this year even includes a kosher wine (Golan Heights 2007 Moscato, Galilee). Sure there are some kosher clunkers, but there are some really impressive examples as well. Whether kosher wine is personally relevant to you or not, as a savvy wine drinker, you owe it to yourself to be aware of this emerging trend.

Recent circumstances in my life have forced me to pay attention to these wines and with Monday’s event, it’s clear that I’m not the only one. Here are 10 favorite kosher wines that hail from all over the world, that I promise will wow you.

Covenant Cabernet Sauvignon 2004, Napa Valley ($100) Lush, fruit-forward Cabernet from single vineyards of Napa Valley, produced by contributing editor of the magazine, Jeff Morgan and Leslie Rudd of Rudd Winery.

Chateau Giscours, Margaux 2001, Kosher ($65) From a classified 3rd growth estate that makes non-kosher wine as well that are typically rated in the 90’s. It’s elegant with berry notes and soft tannins. The kosher version is produced every other year.

Flechas de Los Andes Gran Reserva Malbec 2007, Uco Valley, Argentina ($35) A joint venture between Baron Benjamin de Rothschild and Laurent Dassault, located on the foothills of the Andes. It’s a rich, smooch Malbec with a lingering finish.

Hai, The Patriots 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, Judean Hills, Israel ($15) Juicy Cabernet Sauvignon with dark berry aromas.

Domaine Du Castel Grand Vin 2005, Judean Hills ($65) A left-bank Bordeaux blend of predominately Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot and Petit Verdot. Produced near Jerusalem by a family estate. It has a profound nose of plum and cherry with a round, full body and a lingering finish. This is truly an elite kosher wine and my personal favorite.

Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2005 “Laureline” Dom. St. Benoit ($35) A CDP of Grenache, Mourvedre and Syrah with beautiful balance and ripe, blackberry fruit.

Yarden NV Champagne Blend, Galilee, Israel ($20)- A nice sparkler with toasty yeast aromas and some hints of vanilla. Rated 86-88 points.

Baron Herzog Special Reserve 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley ($35) From one of the largest producers of kosher wine in California, this is a complex and rare Cabernet Sauvignon.

Goose Bay Pinot Gris 2007, New Zealand ($19) A clean, mouthfilling Pinot Gris with hints of citrus and peach and a smooth finish. Though Goose Bay (and new Zealand itself) is more well-known for Sauvignon Blanc, the Pinot Gris is its unsung hero.

Flor de Primavera Peraj Ha’abib, Capcanes 2005, Montsant Spain($40) A blend of Carinena, Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon and Garnacha, this is a complex Spanish wine with rich plum and floral notes on the nose with a hint of oak. It’s dense and rich on the palate with dark fruits and a lingering finish.

*prices are estimates

The problem with great kosher wine these days, as you notice above, is that the best examples have prime price points. Finding a well-crafted kosher wine at an affordable price can be a treasure hunt. I have faith though, that with new global producers emerging, and the revolution of interest in diverse kosher wines, prices can creep down as demand climbs up. Maybe it starts with you?

Deceptively Healthy Pasta with “Zucchini Pesto”

This recipe comes courtesy of my sister, Jacqueline, who made this dish for Super Bowl Sunday as a healthy option (kosher and vegan). Once pureed, the garlic and zucchini looks deceptively like speckles of parmesan cheese. It’s so good you might be fooled into thinking it’s real pesto with cheese. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 zucchinis coarsely chopped
1/2 cup of walnuts, reserve some for garnish
1/2 cup of basil
2 large cloves of garlic crushed
Juice of one lemon
1/2 cup of flat leaf parsley coarsely chopped
1 cup of olive oil
1 box of whole wheat fusilli pasta
3 plum tomatoes, finely chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Cook pasta until it is al dente or firm to the bite (about 8 minutes).

Combine zucchini, walnuts, basil, garlic and lemon juice in a food processor. Pulse slightly to roughly chop. Then turn on the food processor full blast and pour olive oil through the top to blend to a smooth liquid consistency. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste.

Toss the sauce with the pasta in a large bowl. Top pasta with tomatoes, parsley and extra walnuts for garnish. Chill in fridge until ready to serve.

Serves 8-10