Shakshuka for breakfast at Shuk Shuka in Tel Aviv’s Carmel Market. Image by Liza Schoenfein

By Liza Schoenfein June 12, 2017

Yesterday I arrived in Tel Aviv for a long-anticipated vacation that’s centered around a dear friend’s wedding. This morning, I couldn’t think of a better way to kick off the day than to belly up to the bar of an open-air eatery in the Carmel Market called Shuk Shuka.

Fruity arak shots for breakfast — the perfect way to kick off a vacation. Image by Liza Schoenfein

At the restaurant, a few minutes walk from the apartment I’m staying in with my son Teddy and a big group of friends, we ordered shakshuka, the quintessential Israeli breakfast dish of eggs cooked in a thick tomato-and-pepper sauce, along with classic chopped Israeli salad. Before the main event there was fluffy seeded bread with tahini and spicy pickles.

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“Where are you from?” asked the gregarious owner, possibly amused by this bright-eyed, excited gaggle of hungry Americans. We told him that we came from New York and that we’d just arrived yesterday. Next thing we knew he was pouring bright pink liqueur — fruit-juice-spiked arak — into shot glasses, which he presented to us, saying “Welcome to Israel!”

Now that’s how to kick off a vacation.

Stay updated on my culinary adventures — I’ll be posting regularly from the field.

Liza Schoenfein is food editor of the Forward. Contact her at [email protected] or on Twitter, @LifeDeathDinner

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