Hot L.A. Chef Inspired by Rosh Foods From Childhood in Israel
Image by Courtesy of Bestia
Bestia, the Los Angeles hotspot that books up months in advance, doesn’t offer High Holidays menus. But chef Ori Menashe is all about the New Year.
His Italian-inspired cuisine is heavily influenced by childhood erev Rosh Hashanah meals prepared by his Georgian-Jewish father in Israel, he tells the Jewish Journal.
On the table during these all-night feasts: Terrines of foie gras or beef kibbeh patties; at least a dozen plates of mezze-style salads; saffron-infused chicken soup; and a main course of grilled or roasted fowl.
“My father would have like 30 quails on a bed of rice with dill, pine nuts and dried fruit, depending upon what he had in the pantry,” Menashe recalls.
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Michael Kaminer is a contributing editor at the Forward.
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