The Hochstein Mishloach Manot

The Hochstein Mishloach Manot are world renowned,  People wait all year in anticipation to see what this most innovative and creative family has done.

Known also as the most creative Mishloach Manot in Jerusalem and maybe the entire Israel.

Headed by Shprintzy Hochstein, the Mishloach Manot usually follow an important theme that has to do with the year in which it is being distributed.  

Last year for Purim 5769 the Mishloach Manot worked with the fact that it was both a Purim Meshulash and a Shmita year.

But this year Purim 5769 the Hochstein's seem to have totally outdone themselves.  Taking the entire Financial Market turmoil into account creating the most amazing play on the markets.

The kit this year was delivered in a UBS paper Bag,  The contents were a Lehman Brothers Employee tag necklace, A WaMu deposit envelope filled with USD Gold Chocolate coins, A 5cl Bottle of Vodka, A CreditCrunch Bar created by master baker Shprintzy Hochstein, a few UBS branded chocolates and all were covered in shredded USD money from the Bureau of Printing and Engraving.

40 Such packages were distributed in the morning throughout Jerusalem to a select group of community and business leaders.

This was the line up before distribution

Here are Photo's of the contents.

The poem which is the most important aspect of the Mishloach Manot is here

The Cover Page of the Poem is here

The Good, The Bad and the Costly

There is a known story of a famous American Jewelry chain whose method of identifying a good location for their stores, was to set up next to an already existing successful jeweler.

This probably what the Prime Grill owners' brother Eddie, thought when he opened.

La Carne Grill on 340 Lexington Ave.
http://www.lacarnegrill.com/
1-212-490-7172

We decided to eat there the five of us a few weeks ago, we guess it was the third week it was open. We went on Tuesday Nov 8.

Firstly we must thank G he told us about this place. Actually it goes like this E was standing at I's doorway standing while talking to G on the phone. G said why don't you go to La Carne Grill, I overheard that and said, who is that, G? Are you crazy to listen to him? He loves Esti Hanna!!! Any one who thinks that's a gourmet place we can not follow their recommendation!

We we did and it was fine!

M reserved for 8 but our wives rejected the invite, this however gave us a wonderful spot on the second floor in an empty room.
The location of this restaurant is superb as the adjacent side streets permit free parking starting at 7pm.
We parked on 39th and arrived ready to eat at 7.

G first scanned the restaurant, there is a ground floor, which seems to be noisy, stuffy and full, somewhere between Le Marais's downstairs and The Prime Grill.
Then there are two sets of staircases. The one at the back leads to a second floor which is setup as a sports bar. The one on the front leads to a nice quiet room with several tables.
From both second floors there are steps to a third level of dining which is right above the first floor (the second levels are at half floor height).

As soon as we got to the restaurant we were greeted at the door, our reservation was identified and we were escorted to the second floor. Two waiters were on hand the entire meal they were both superb. One of them I asked to ensure our cups all had Diet Coke in them at all times, he did! We never had to ask again. We went through the menu and opted for a chefs tasting menu. The chef Alex came to introduce himself and we told him to chat with I our resident butcher and carnivore expert. The chefs tasting menu is a fixed meal that cost $150 per head.

We chose which starters we all wanted, we all wanted to taste the Duck Ravioli, we all wanted the sausages, we all also got the Asparagus Risotto. The starters were all amazing! I complained one of them was too small and right away got another. I of course had to order sushi he seemed to like it. We ordered one bottle of overpriced chalk hill wine and ended up drinking two bottles they were kinde pushed on us but, we won't hold it against them though a price tag of $120 a bottle for a chalk hill which retails for $54 is rather high!

For the main course, Alex the chef decided to give us all a bit of everything. Though it was all good, given the time it took we all ended up with one of the samples on our plate cold. E who actually goes to steak houses and grills to eat chicken wanted chicken. The chef listened to our comments and threw in a portion of Chicken, it was superb. I (hashemyerachem usually eats on his own the Le Marais Rib Eye for Two) and G's appetite was still not quenched and they ordered another DelMonico. It was delicious they were licking their fingers with enjoyment.
The desserts were simply amazing. E got two the chocolate mouse and the chocolate cake the rest got everything else and loved them all.
Service was amazing, the food was superb and the overall prices was only 50% more than we expected it. Pricewise with our experience it was only a bit cheaper than The Prime Grill (who incidentally just changed their menu) and more expensive than Le Marais.

G and I however seemed to have met again on Thursday. G was part of a party of six sitting on the second floor and I was part of a party of five sitting on the entrance floor. The place was packed and service was well below the service we experienced earlier that week. The main floor was also extremely noisy. One more thing I discovered was the importance of location. He was sitting in the main floor however the third level was right above him, with a small space between the floor and the staircase. In the middle of the meal someone from the third floor was putting a salt shaker on their table and missed the table, this came flying three floors down right onto I. So if you are stuck sitting on the main floor don't sit under the crack.

All in all we love the place we will go back again, probably on a Tuesday or a Wednesday when it is emptier and with better service.

Have you eaten there? What do you think?

Eating with Zvika

Last night ( Aug 30, 2005) we decided to go check out the new deli in the center of London. It opened three weeks ago and is called Zvika New York Deli.

Centrally located on 8 Great Chapel St. a block south of Oxford Street and a few blocks west of Tottenham Court Rd., it resides in a small house on a corner. Zvika Eckstein the owner from Israel via many years in the USA bought and built this lovely small house and turned it into a three floor Deli.

The ground floor is where one can order take out or have a quick bite on a stool. There is a floor below and a floor above with seating. All floors are airconditioned which was a must especially yesterday. An obvious welcome rarity in London.

As we sat down we were given a plate of coleslaw. I ordered a vegetable soup for starters it was a thick soup with no pieces, the vegetable were mashed into the soup. It was very good and tasty. We then ordered a combination platter, a combination platter consists of any 8 salads you choose. They were out of a couple but for the most part we got what we ordered the salads were great. The pita was good as well.

For the main course we ordered Chicken Schnitzel and a Grilled Chicken, both were good. The Schnitzel's color was a bit nuclear and the Grilled chicken though very good, was a half chick - grilled, whilst we thought it would be a grilled chicken breast. We also ordered a hotdog plate which was not good at all.

For dessert the chocolate mouse is actually a chocolate mouse cake, the chocolate mouse part is good the cake isn't.

All in all the service was good, the food was good and the place is nice as well as the people and the owner whom we met and sat with. It was a good filling meal for two and well priced

Go taste it, tell me what you think?

In the MUDA

Given the nine days and the Ashkenazi restriction to eat only dairy we set out to find a dairy place to eat at, last night (Aug 9, 2005). We tried all the known popular places in Manhattan with no success, table availability was basically none. I guess we are not the only ones scouting dairy :-)

We decided to therefore eat in Brooklyn. The Manhattan crowd could not make it (no car, no babysitter, too far, where is Brooklyn etc.). I decided we should reserve at Renaissance Cafe on Kings Highway in Brooklyn, a quick call to the place revealed they do not take reservations. ( They probably like the line that wraps around the block, makes them feel good about their business ). I do not wait online, let alone for food so Renaissance was out!

G, told me the other day that a new restaurant opened on the same spot where there used to be a gas station (very appetizing) on Coney Island Avenue. He said he ate there and it was great. Though G's taste palette has a lot to be desired (he favors Esti Hana) this sounded like a good idea.

We did not know the name of the new place and as they are new they don't seem to be listed, we tried different combination names we saw or remembered from the signs on the place with no success. I decided to go in at 7PM and reserve a table for 8.15PM. I was greeted by the maitre d' he was wonderful and friendly, an Israeli guy from Natanya who specialized in computers. He referred me to the hostess to arrange for a table, she was beautiful and helpful as well, after a short conversation revolving around people and location, I left it with her to find me a table for 8 people (or 6 if its too hard, we will squeeze) in a good spot for 8.15. Need less the say the place was already packed and there was a line forming outside.

The name of the place is

MUDA
Located at 1635 Coney Island Avenue
on an Island between Coney, E12, Chestnut & Ave M.
Tel. 1-718-336-1170 ( from the receipt )

It also seems to have been called BAR MUDA but the word BAR is now covered, sounds like Ultra Orthodox pressures against the appearance of a bar in the holy neighborhood. The entity owning this place seems to be called Alternativa Cafe Restaurante.

The signs outside reveal the place is Certified Kosher Dairy from the OU
Has a Mashgiach Temidi
and only serves
Cholov Yisroel
Pas Yisroel
Kemach Yashan
and all tap water is filtered.

I arrived first, the table was waiting for us and in a good location on the second floor. By the time E&S showed up every body was there. They were drinking an Iced Mint Lemonade it was green and look vile, but! looks are deceiving, it was very good, we consumed several of these. The Skim strawberry banana fruit shake was good too.

Our waiter was Freddy he was friendly and nice though often forgetful, the Cream of Garlic soup was a great starter and well worth ordering it several times till we got it. The recommended Tuna Tataki (miss spelled on the menu) was over cooked (Tataki is to be seared) and was too small, I think out portion was approximately half an ounce!!! The Greek Salad, however, was amazing, it was tasty, the cheese good and fresh and the portion was the right size. We got a few of them.

It seems they quickly run out of their popular fish course, when asked we were told they rather run out than stay stuck with un fresh fish, they are new at this and in their first month or so, but , I would expect them to be able to properly gauge what to stock. The margins are big enough in the food industry to allow them to take the risk and never tell a costumer SORRY WE ARE OUT OF IT.

We decided to order a small portion of Sushi just to check it out. We ordered a Spicy Tuna Roll and a regular Tuna Roll. They came swiftly on two separate glass plates. The presentation was very nice. The spicy tuna was good, unfortunately the regular tuna was served on a plate fresh out of the dishwasher and it was hot, thus affecting the sushi.

G had the Chilean Sea Bass last time and thus got it again S did too, it was very good. E had the Spaghetti Arabiatta which was great. The Seared Tuna Filet, which is really a Tuna steak, was superb as were the Penna A La Fungi and the Grilled Filet Denise. The main courses came on time, were tasty, large and priced well.

For dessert E order (several times) the Hot Chocolate Souffle, it was very good. I had the Crumb Cheese Cake which was super. The Triple Mouse Cake didn't go over too well though its plate was licked clean. The peer pressure portion we forced someone to order was the Chilled Avocado Soup. It was very good, they loved it, though did report it wasn't anything more than a good portion of guacamole, as such it was too much, too thick and not a dessert, maybe it should be cut down and served with crackers? Maybe move it up to be a starter instead of the Tataki (I says, it gotte go!!)

Service was good, the waiter was friendly despite his forgetfulness, other waiters were helpful and friendly too. We got an extra dessert a gift from the place for the confusions we suffered, it was a very nice gesture.

We met the owners wife, a wonderful professional woman who seems to run the place, while her husband seems to have build it himself. The place is very nice. The third floor is not open yet, the second floor is nice and quiet. There is a couples/shidduch terrace which people enjoy, though personally I don't know why any one would like to sit outside in 90 degrees 80% humidity and overlooking Coney Island Avenue.

The entrance floor has nice tall ceilings and a wonderful fish tank in the making, though a bit noisier than the second floor.

Go there! Eat there! It is good, tasty, priced well! We loved it and will return!

What was your experience?

Mike's Mistake

Last night the eight of us decided to go to Mike's Bistro. We heard a lot about it and wanted to try a place none of us had been to.

Is was so dark you could hardly see your food, my repeated requests for some light took three hours to be answered, I was able to get more light just in time to see my bill. We sat indoors on the ground floor for the first hour there was only one couple after that, we were the only ones there.

The Food was amazing!
The portions were tiny, the appetizers are like finger food and the main is smaller than a common appetizer.
The service was diabolical!
The food overpriced!
The company was obviously super! (J&V came we haven't seen them in a while)


All in all, I would never go back there ever again and I would never recommend it to anyone.

I guess what compounded my negative feelings is that two of us had to leave before the end of the meal without dessert as took 30 minutes.

When I commented to the manager that I thought this would justify taking their portions off of the bill he disagreed, after more pushing he took the bill to 'think about it' only to return it unchanged with a smile! If not for this being a Jewish joint and boarders in gmilut chassadim, I would run to my credit card company and ask for a full refund!!!


Have you been to Mike's? What do you think? What was your experience?

A BBQ in Bergenfield

We had an amazing Bar-B-Q yesterday in Bergenfield. Y put it all together (actually S did it all, she's amazing) with a bunch of friends. I was there to do the skirt steaks, amazingly proud of him coming from the mountains just for this. E Came from Boston and it was well worth the ride.

M quizzed us on the famous list, and who we knew or was missing on it, which brings me to these two which my cousin sent me, you gotte read them (M&R obviously knew most of them)

http://godolhador.blogspot.com/2005/07/dont-give-up-booshas.html
http://orthomom.blogspot.com/

pity G didn't show, then again he is probably busy driving himself crazy with the up and coming Keren Aniyimi Le Marais dinner on Tuesday night Aug 2. I thinks they will probably net $10 per person. Pity Le Marais don't understand the crowd and the potential business this dinner could bring.

Then again, last month we experimented by eating the 5 of us the same dinner at Prime Grill and at Le Marais and found Le Marais to be 50% cheaper for same or better quality food.

I was missed ( he had to put together a presentation, what a lame excuse ) as was his standard steak for two order. I always enjoy watching one person finish that

Speaking of The Prime Grill, at the sister Solo you will probably meet a lot of the list or ones who should be on it.....

So what do you like, what is worth the cost, PG or LM?