Kosher ‘Shrimp’ — and More Hot Dish
These shrimp are, in fact, real… unlike the ones being created in a lab in San Francisco. Image by Flickr/Debbie R
Coming soon to a kosher restaurant near you: shrimp.
The U.K. Daily Mail reports that a San Francisco outfit called New Wave Foods has grown fake shrimp in a lab using red algae — which the crustaceans feed on — and baking it with a plant-based protein powder.
Its very realness may become a problem. “Is it right to get around the Jewish tradition in this way?” asks one rabbi. And, he worries, confusion might lead innocent diners to think the real thing is legal.
Hail Mary Matzo Balls
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This nouveau diner in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, has foie gras matzo balls on the menu. Image by Courtesy of Hail Mary
Hail Mary, full of matzo balls: A nouveau diner in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, is getting raves for its matzo-ball soup. Hail Mary’s version is made with fluffy foie gras matzo balls, duck confit and duck broth, according to Bedford + Bowery.
And how’s this for an only-in-New-York twist: Owners Sohla and Ham El-Waylly worked at NYC culinary temples Atera and WD-50, respectively; Sohla was raised in L.A. by Bengali parents, while Ham’s Egyptian father and Bolivian mother reared him in Doha, Qatar.
GQ Honors San Fran Spot
Image by Alanna Hale
Mazel tov to Karen Leibowitz, whose “progressive agrarian” San Francisco eatery The Perennial has been honored by GQ as one of the 12 best new restaurants in the land.
And what does “progressive agrarian” mean? A glimpse at the menu reveals farm-fantasy plates like strawberries with pickled Douglas Fir tips, butter-poached asparagus with popcorn, celeriac gnocchi with cheese and grilled apples and pastured lamb with cardoons — otherwise known as thorny artichoke thistles.
Israel-Inspired Small Plates in Chicago
The accent on the “e” in Ēma is important: It tells you the Chicago restaurant’s name means “mother” in Hebrew. And it’s a tip to the Israeli backstory to this small-plates spot, set to open this summer inside a downtown Hyatt Place hotel.
Chef C.J. Jacobson tells Eater he lived in Israel during his time as a pro volleyball player; that experience will inspire Ēma’s food. “I remember being blown away about how fresh everything was,” he says. More on the menu soon.
Good Week/Bad Week
Good week for: Auckland, New Zealand’s Federal Delicatessen, which is again earning raves for its pastrami, matzo-ball soup and roast chicken after a disastrous fire shuttered it for months.
Bad week for: Miami Beach’s New York Bagel Deli, forced to closed after local health inspectors found seventeen violations — including a live rodent.
NY vs. Montreal Bagel Throwdown
We love that USA Today held a throwdown between New York and Montreal bagels, but they kind of copped out at the end, refusing to take sides.
Which city’s the winner? “Both should be on the bucket list of any bagel lover, with Old-World methods that produce that magic combination of crunchy crust and light interior. With their heft and great variety of toppings, New York bagels have earned their acclaim. The Montreal versions offer the same artisanal quality with a different taste sensation, especially when they’re unadorned.”
Montreal is Dish’s hometown, so our loyalty is to classic shops like Fairmount and St. Viateur.
And Jewish-Indian Bagels
Today’s the last day you can score a Jewish-Indian bagel mashup at NYC’s Babu Ji — a collaboration with Noah Bernamoff’s Black Seed Bagels that was too short-lived, if you ask us.
According to Food Republic, it’s a burned garlic- and fennel-studded bagel with spiced vegetable scrambled eggs and a raita-themed cream cheese “that melts like its yogurt-based namesake inside a toasty cocoon.”
Noshfest in Toronto
Toronto, which boasts one of North America’s most happening Jewish food scenes, is getting its own Jewish food festival.
The inaugural Noshfest is slated for November; organizers just put out a call for vendors. It’ll take place at the Artscape Wychwood Barns complex, which hosts a phenomenal weekend farmer’s market. Stay tuned.
Parisian Kosher Gets Props
Tiny but mighty Marais kosher spot L’As du Falafel gets a shout-out from Bloomberg this week as one of the best restaurants in Paris — and “the best falafel in Paris.”
Michael Kaminer is a contributing editor at the Forward.
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