Bringing The Israeli Shuk To Los Angeles
Exterior of Charcoal Grill and Bar Image by Yelp/Sin Y.K.
At Charcoal Bar and Grill in Los Angeles’ Beverly Grove, Israeli shuks (marketplaces) are the inspiration for executive chef (and partner) Lenny Nour. According to Eater LA, Nour was sent at age fourteen to Israel, where he worked on a farm and served in the military. He got his cooking credentials at East Coast kosher high-end restaurants like Doma Land + Sea, Mike’s Bistro and Alenbi, mastering the art of grilling fowl.
If you’ve never been to Israel, Israeli shuks are colorful, bustling places full of vendors hawking their wares, which vary from fresh gooey rugelach to fresh salmon. Scattered throughout the shuk are eateries offering fast food like fish-and-chips, kebabs, and elaborate cakes made of halva. It makes sense that restaurants on the domesticated West Coast would want to emulate the homier, looser, wilder environment of their Middle Eastern counterparts. A full bar and live music certainly don’t hurt either.
The restaurant is named after the hand cranked, open flamed charcoal grill where Nour uses mesquite charcoal to create his specialties, like grilled branzino. Nour’s biggest concern? As he told Eater LA, it can be tough to turn tables, since people are comfortable hanging out until midnight.
Shira Feder is a writer. She’s at [email protected] and @shirafeder
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we still need 300 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Only 300 more gifts needed by April 30
