At the end of every calendar year, we publish a roundup of the most notable restaurant and bar openings in Israel. Last year’s article came out a bit late, so we are getting an earlier start this year, leading off with this installment featuring two places to watch – one of them kosher.
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Artel Formal
Concept: The Russian term “artel” refers to a pre-Communist informal organization of artisans and people from all walks of life who created a community. The idea of the restaurant – which is under the same ownership as the popular Beit Kandinof in Jaffa (recently reviewed on these pages here) – was to be a casual eatery during the day, which transforms into an elegant fine dining establishment in the evening.
Meanwhile, the dinner half of this formula has been retained, while the daily weekday lunches have been replaced by weekend brunches boasting a menu of classic French dishes.
Ambiance: The restaurant, located on the ground floor of an office building on a main street in south Tel Aviv, has a very unassuming exterior. The decor inside is sleek and modern, with handsome furnishings of light wood. Seating is indoors, either at a long marble bar with leather-padded stools, or at tables with less comfortable hardwood chairs. A pleasant contemporary soundtrack plays at reasonable volume, but the acoustics are such that conversations from neighboring tables are amplified. The lighting is so dim that you may needed to use the candles on the table in order to read the menu.
Drinks: Interestingly, the wine and alcohol menu is longer than the food menu, starting with aperitifs and continuing to cocktails from the fully stocked bar. A short list of specialty cocktails are for the most part twists on the classics. The international wine list has been carefully curated by the house sommelier, and comprises numerous sections: Sparkling, Rosé, Orange, White, and Red, with a select few available by the glass. Only one beer is served: San Miguel on tap.
Dinner menu: The bilingual seasonal food menu fits entirely on one page, with all dishes listed in order of size, from small to intermediate to large, without being classified under subheadings. Meals begin with a “gilda” -- a small skewer of olive, anchovy and hot pepper – an appetite stimulant from the Spanish tapas tradition.
The dishes – created by Chefs Dor Vanger and Mika Elkayam – are inspired by a variety of global cuisines and offer something for everyone: meat, fish, seafood, vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free. Not only are there daily specials, but even the printed menu is known to vary from day to day. Prices are quite reasonable for an upscale restaurant in Tel Aviv.
Recommended: The house sourdough bread and [gluten-free] seeded crackers, with whipped butter; octopus head croquettes; asparagus with ajo blanco; calamari cooked in fish stock; chicken livers with onion in Calvados sauce; sticky date pudding; coffee flan.
Hours: Sunday-Thursday, 18.30 - 23.00; Friday, 11.00-15.00; Saturday (from mid-October), 11.00-15.00.
Artel Formal. Not kosher. 23 Shocken St., Tel Aviv. Tel. (077) 980-0314.
Flame
Concept: The parilla (Spanish for barbecue) is a sacred institution in Argentina, and the centerpiece of the new restaurant Flame is an authentic parilla (the eponymous grill itself) imported from that country.
According to the restaurant’s owners – who also own the kosher steakhouse chain Pitmaster and Kamakura, the highly acclaimed kosher Japanese restaurant previously reviewed on these pages here – Flame is the only restaurant in Israel that prepares all of its food on an open fire and/or charcoal. And this includes first courses. (Note: The restaurant also employs a Josper, the unique oven-cum-grill.)
Ambiance: In the space in The Carlton Hotel that was once Meir Adoni’s Lumina, Flame has installed its imposing parilla in an open kitchen. Opposite the kitchen is a display of the steaks that are being carefully aged in-house. Comfortable indoor seating is complemented by two al fresco patio areas – one for smokers – overlooking the beach and sea. The soundtrack of rhythmic music/techno is overloud. The restaurant also has large and small private rooms, which are shared with the wine cellar. Yet another room houses the cozy bar and lounge.
Drinks: The fully stocked bar serves no cocktails, but if you order a classic, they will bring you the ingredients (viz., gin and a small bottle of tonic water) and you may mix it yourself. There is an extensive kosher wine list – separate pages for Israeli and imported vintages – typed in small print on plain paper. A sommelier is occasionally on duty. There is a very limited selection available by the glass, and only one such red, which is surprising for a restaurant specializing in steaks. Israeli beer is served on tap and in bottles.
Dinner menu: Talented chef Ilya Goldman, who splits his time between Flame and Kamakura, oversees the two-page bilingual menu comprising first courses, main courses (poultry, fish and meat), steaks and desserts. There are very few options for vegetarians or vegans that would constitute a full meal. The prime steaks include flat iron, sirloin, entrecote and beef filet, plus prime rib priced by weight. There are two (pareve) desserts.
Recommended: You really cannot go wrong with any of the cuts of steak. In addition, the house focaccia; Macha Caveman (sliced rump steak with pepper sauce); char-grilled eggplant with smoked chicken; Firebird (spring chicken on pine leaves with caramelized grapes); cashew parfait with smoked plums.
Hours: Sunday-Thursday, 18.00-23.00
Flame. Kosher. @The Carlton Hotel, 10 Eliezer Peri St., Tel Aviv. Tel. (073) 338-3833.