Kosher cocktails and tapas on the beach
Review: The Tel Aviv Hilton and the Carlton Tel Aviv serve specialty cocktails and delicious tapas in al fresco areas overlooking the Mediterranean.
The Tel Aviv Hilton recently completed an extensive renovation that includes an expansive terrace fronting the beach. To mark the occasion, which coincided with Israel’s celebration of its 70th Independence Day, the hotel introduced a special Israeli tasting menu, which will be served on the spacious terrace through mid-June.
The seven-course tasting menu was created by the Hilton’s executive chef, Rafik Jabarin, who drew much of his inspiration from his native Galilee. The menu was designed for two people to share, at a cost of NIS 253.
To accompany the food menu, Hilton bartenders crafted two special cocktails (NIS 63, NIS 42 with the tasting menu): the Independence Mule (vodka, lime, ginger beer, apricot syrup and almond syrup) and the Margarita 70 (lime, lychee liqueur, pomegranate juice and watermelon syrup). The latter was uniquely garnished with fresh watermelon and Bulgarian cheese—that distinctively Israeli summer snack.
The tasting menu commences with a multi-seeded mini-loaf, accompanied by three dips: yogurt with tomato salsa, olive oil with garlic confit, and a delectable zucchini spread with labaneh. The warm, fresh bread is baked on-site.
The second course is Jerusalem-style fish tartare with tehina, goat milk yogurt, sumac and mint, a very original dish made with exceedingly fresh raw fish. Equally creative is the third course: eggplant caviar, Hame’iri cheese and fried eggplant crisps.
Next comes fish shawarma on toasted pita, with creamy tehina masabha and slightly spicy tomato salsa, followed by tabouli salad on a crunchy falafel square with labaneh and za’atar—a truly delightful combination.
The penultimate course is fish and eggplant siniya in tomato sauce, which was remarkably succulent for a dish that contains no meat.
Finally, dessert is kanafeh, the Arabic sweet that has become a popular in many Israeli restaurants. This version is distinguished by a citrus syrup that lends the cheesy treat a special flavor.
The Tel Aviv Hilton. Kosher. HaYarkon St. 205, Tel Aviv. Tel. (03) 520-2222
Esperanto – drinks and summer bites
Just a little bit south of the Hilton, on the edge of Tel Aviv’s beachfront boardwalk behind the Carlton Tel Aviv Hotel, sits a bar which practically juts out over the water. Totally al fresco, it is cooled by sea breezes throughout, with a predominantly wooden décor that is reminiscent of the type of casual bar one might find on a tropical island.
The name Esperanto does not appear anywhere that is readily visible: the sign at the entrance announces Carlton on the Water. The bar, which opened for the summer season at the beginning of May, starts serving drinks and food each evening at 8:30pm (since it is kosher, it is closed Fridays, and opens at 9pm on Saturdays).
The evening we were there, there was a DJ playing lively music with a dance beat. There is not always a DJ, but there is background music.
Esperanto offers six specialty cocktails (NIS 53-56), each featuring a different liquor. The Javier Pina—a rum concoction with a chili and salt rim—was fruity and refreshing, finishing off with a pleasant bite. The vodka, raspberry, lime and mint Petel-one, meanwhile, had a most unusual presentation: it was served in a small, perfectly round jar, perched inside a cocktail glass.
The Summer Bites food menu comprises two sections: Mezze, and slightly larger dishes listed under Sunset Bites. There is a special price for ordering all eight mezze (NIS 84, including with the focaccia-like house bread, instead of NIS 15 each), while the other tapas range in price from NIS 34 to NIS 96.
Noteworthy among the mezze, which are served cold, were the creamy Eggplant Original, a burnt eggplant salad; Feta-pistachio, a feta cheese spread with pistachio and basil; Beet Tabouli, in which the bulghur salad is enhanced with beetroot; and Taratur, sautéed julienned carrots and zucchini with yogurt, walnuts and dill.
We also tried three of the Sunset Bites, two of which were served warm: the labaneh arancini—crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside—are an intriguing take on the classic Italian fried rice balls, while the fish shawarma were tasty morsels in pita, accompanied by nicely seasoned fried potato wedges.
Another interesting variation on an original was a dish called local ceviche—raw fish tossed in Mediterranean herbs, rather than the traditional Latin American lime and chili. What this iteration lacked in zip and zing, it made up for in freshness and originality.
Finally, there were only two desserts available: lime panna cotta (NIS 37), and a platter of fresh fruit (NIS 72). The former, rather surprisingly, appeared to be non-dairy, even though it did not have to be pareve, while the latter did not quite live up to its appetizing, colorful presentation.
Esperanto @The Carlton TLV. Kosher. Eliezer Peri 1, Tel Aviv. Tel. (03) 520-1830
