Aria's gazpacho. Barely enough for one person, let alone two
Photo: Yaron Brener
Posh Tel Aviv restaurant offers a delicious variety within reach
Chef Guy Gamzo’s tasting menu at Aria presents Mediterranean variations on classical European cuisine at an eminently reasonable price.
When we arrived at the two-storey building on 66 Nahalat Binyamin Street in Tel Aviv, we started to wonder why we had even needed reservations. It was 8 pm on a Wednesday evening, there was plenty of parking in the reasonably priced parking lot next door, and we were the only people in the tony restaurant.
We also quickly scanned the restaurant’s list of five specialty cocktails. In spite of its puzzling name, we chose the Sesame Street on the basis of its ingredients: Citrus-flavored vodka, homemade limoncello, vanilla, lime and a twist of halva. The bartender kindly split it for us into two tulip glasses. It turned out to be a frothy concoction – like a milkshake for adults. It made for some sweet sipping, equally suitable as a dessert drink.
The jazz-rock music seemed a bit loud in the nearly empty space; at our request, they promptly turned it down a notch. The lighting was dim enough that we needed to ask the waitress for extra light in order to read the menu; she obliged with the flashlight app on her cellphone. We did not need it for long: We had decided very quickly to opt for the tasting menu – which listed nine dishes, from which we were supposed to pick seven – plus two desserts to follow.
Bon Appetit!
Buzzy Gordon
Indira has been serving up Indian cuisine for nearly two decades; critic Buzzy Gordon sets out to discover why it has beaten Tel Aviv longevity odds.
We were served crusty fresh bread with a small selection of spreads: An eggplant mousse, a tomato salsa, and butter. There was also a large carafe of olive oil, plus imported balsamic vinegar, still in it fancy bottle. Regardless of accompaniment, the star was the soft, full-flavored, whole grain bread.
Coquilles St. Jacques. The best, melt-in-your-mouth scallops I have tasted in Israel (Photo: Daniel Laila)
The first dish we were brought was gazpacho, in a large, broad-rimmed bowl with a small well in the center. It was the most unusual gazpacho I have ever had: The soup, made from "Tamar" cherry tomatoes with white peach and red bell peppers, surrounded an actual mini-salad, comprising cucumber, chives, mint and radish. Equally unusual was the plating: The two of us were meant to share the small portion from the same bowl. Since there was barely enough for one, let alone two, it was difficult to appreciate the many layers of flavor, and everything that was going on in this one starter. I admire the ambition, and just wish we'd had one tasting serving each, and a chance to enjoy the complex soup without the complication of an extra elaborate "salad."
The second course was salmon tataki – lightly seared salmon in a tamarind-lemongrass vinaigrette, with overtones that tasted of soy sauce. The kicker, however, was caramelized cashew nuts; if the sauce was on the salty side and unexpectedly spicy, the inspired addition of the nuts was an excellent foil that added a touch of sweetness, as well as welcome crunch.
The salad course features different market fresh vegetables daily. In our instance, these included libby lettuce, arugula, cucumber, radishes, broccoli, carrots, and shallots, accented with pink lady apple, white peach, figs and Gouda goat cheese. The dressing was a subtle Provençal vinaigrette, a blend of white wine vinegar, olive oil and hyssop flower honey. Each forkful yielded up a different combination of vegetable, fruit and hard white cheese.
The next three tapas-sized courses were served at the same time: Coquilles St. Jacques, foie gras ravioli and oxtail tortellini.
The Coquilles St. Jacques was a variation of the classic recipe: In the Aria version, the scallops sat on a white almond cream seasoned with crab bisque. It was a bit strange to be served three scallops meant to be evenly divided between two diners – rendered more complicated in this particular instance because we had to cut the middle one in half: No one was about to yield to the other, because quite simply, these were the best, melt-in-your-mouth scallops I have tasted in Israel.
The ravioli stuffed with foie gras was easy to share: With only two pieces on the plate, there was one morsel of pasta for each. The freshly made pasta filled with the rich foie gras was perfectly complemented by a creamy white sauce sweetened with Persian raisins.
The four oxtail tortellini were accompanied by a sweet polenta flavored with port and Parmesan cheese. Any fan of the pungent delicacy will be delighted by this dish.
The most substantial of the "main" courses was the onglet steak, prepared in a red wine demi-glace with shimoji mushrooms. The meat, while chewy and stringy, was nonetheless flavorful and satisfying, and enhanced nicely by separate purees of white potato and Jerusalem artichoke.
The two dessert courses include one "anchor" dish – the Nemesis – and another that changes occasionally; fortunately, the tasters get both. The Nemesis is a sinfully rich chocolate creation, embellished with caramelized sea salt, burnt marshmallow, cocoa bean crumble and vanilla ice cream. Decadent is the superlative that this superb finale calls to mind.
The Taste of Mind menu of Chef Guy Gamzo, who specializes in devising Mediterranean variations on classical European cuisine, has succeeded in catapulting Aria to the heights of his former restaurant, Rafael. And apparently, quite a few others agree – perhaps also because the price of NIS 148 (about $48) per person is eminently reasonable for this level of quality: Both the upper floor restaurant and the ground floor bar were jammed full when we took our leave.
Aria
Not kosher
66 Nahalat Binyamin St., Tel Aviv
Tel. 972-3-529-6054
