Zahav
237 St James Pl
Philadelphia, PA 19106
215.625.8800
Zahav. Hebrew for Gold. Zahav is a Modern Israeli restaurant; something you don't have on every corner anywhere in the US. Hearing that Chef Michael Solmonov had won the James Beard Award for Best Chef Mid-Atlantic, I had to stop during my Philly restaurant run. In addition to the award recognition, Chef Jen from 10 Arts highly recommended Zahav as one of her favorite restaurants.
237 St James Pl
Philadelphia, PA 19106
215.625.8800
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I made a reservation for Saturday night. Upon my arrival, I was greeted and about to be shown to a table, when I noticed the bar at the back of the room. This bar had a complete view of the kitchen. I asked the hostess if I could sit there. She said sure, and off I was to a great seat.
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As my waitress, Emma, was about to describe the menu, I mentioned that I was going to have the tasting menu and which dishes I would like to try. (Thanks to fellow yelpers for their suggestions.) I also placed my order for a Tiyul which was delightfully refreshing. It contained reposado tequilla, lime, arak and ginger ale.
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Before my drink was delivered, I was provided with complimentary pickles and Israeli olives and Israeli eggplant. The eggplant was a great little bite of soft and firm deliciousness.
First up on the tasting menu was the salatim. This contained samples of their 8 daily vegetable salads.
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Starting with the pink/purple concoction in the back and going clockwise, we have:
Beets with Tehina (salt-roasted red beets (grated) tehina, mint, dill) = decent
Taboulleh (parsley, walnuts, apple, lemon juice, salt, olive oil) = nice dry bite
Twice Cooked Eggplant (sliced eggplant fried in canola oil, combined with sauteed onions, red peppers, cooked out with sherry vinegar, paprika, finished with parsley) = my favorite of the top rack
Cucumber Salad (cucumber, red onion, dill, sumac and olive oil) = nothing special
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Starting with the white slices on the left and moving clockwise, we have:
Pickled Turnips = they had a nice refreshing bite to them
Moroccan Carrots (aleppo, olive oil, cumin, Hungarian Peppers, urfa pepper and salt) = these were super delicious. It tasted like carrots mixed with curry.
Fennel Salad (Shaved fennel, olive oil, lemon, zhoug, parsley and cilantro) = eh, nothing stood out.
Cabbage (Cabbage, aleppo, salt, red wine vinegar, parsley, dill) = there was a serrano chili added that added some amazing heat and proving to be my favorite of the entire salatim
During the salatim course, I was provided with the Hummus-tehina (sesame paste, garlic, lemon, olive oil, cumin, parsley)
The laffa bread is fresh and was baked right in front of me in the kitchen. The hummus itself was very authentic and flavorful.
Some additional spices were brought to the table, the names of which I cannot remember. As all of the dishes were well seasoned, I didn't need to use any of them, but I did taste each. The green one had serrano chilies. It had a nice refreshing taste at first with some added heat on the end. The red "paste" didn't have much heat but still a good flavor. The final one on the right was very dry and not to my liking.
Kibbe naya (raw lamb, bulgur, black harissa, baby romaine)
The lamb was in a tartare form and was paired well with the baby romaine underneath. The romaine was sweet and added a nice textural contrast.
Watermelon Salad (bulgarian feta, oil-cured olives)
This for me was the Pièce de résistance of the evening. On the bottom was a yellow watermelon with feta cheese, red watermelon, a sort of olive puree on top with a few pieces of basil. Everything blended perfectly together. There were different temperatures on the plate too that sent my taste buds into a tizzy.
House Smoked Sable (Challah, Fried Egg, & Poppy)
If you are a regular reader of this blog, I know what you're thinking, "He ordered egg?!?" The answer is, No I didn't. This was brought to me by Emma as a complimentary dish. (She didn't know I didn't like egg.) I tried a piece of the sable (a fish) and the challah. They paired nicely, though the sable tasted like deli turkey to me. I had made acquaintances with the couple next to me (Dan & Melinda) by this time, and let them finish the rest of this complimentary dish.
Duck Breast (lovage pilaf, barberries, asparagus)
Though I wasn't able to cut the duck breast in its dish, once cut it was very tender albeit a bit chewy. The asparagus delivered a slight crunch to the dish.
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The laffa bread is fresh and was baked right in front of me in the kitchen. The hummus itself was very authentic and flavorful.
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| (Click for high quality) |
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Kibbe naya (raw lamb, bulgur, black harissa, baby romaine)
The lamb was in a tartare form and was paired well with the baby romaine underneath. The romaine was sweet and added a nice textural contrast.
 |
| (Click for high quality) |
This for me was the Pièce de résistance of the evening. On the bottom was a yellow watermelon with feta cheese, red watermelon, a sort of olive puree on top with a few pieces of basil. Everything blended perfectly together. There were different temperatures on the plate too that sent my taste buds into a tizzy.
 |
| (Click for high quality) |
House Smoked Sable (Challah, Fried Egg, & Poppy)
If you are a regular reader of this blog, I know what you're thinking, "He ordered egg?!?" The answer is, No I didn't. This was brought to me by Emma as a complimentary dish. (She didn't know I didn't like egg.) I tried a piece of the sable (a fish) and the challah. They paired nicely, though the sable tasted like deli turkey to me. I had made acquaintances with the couple next to me (Dan & Melinda) by this time, and let them finish the rest of this complimentary dish.
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| (Click for high quality) |
Duck Breast (lovage pilaf, barberries, asparagus)
Though I wasn't able to cut the duck breast in its dish, once cut it was very tender albeit a bit chewy. The asparagus delivered a slight crunch to the dish.
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This drink, I believe, had mint muddled in and appeared to be made fresh each time.
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Almond-apricot rugelach (apricot sorbet, honey-roasted apricot)
After Emma explained this dessert, I was sold. Apricots always take me back to my childhood as we had an apricot tree. The sorbet on top of the roasted apricot was a splendid combination. The rugelach is very much like a turnover. I should have at the sorbet with the rugelach. The rugelach needed the paring as it was a smidge dry, but nonetheless tasty.
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Halvah Mousse (chickpea praline, berries)
When Emma brought the dessert menu, she tried selling me on the Halvah Mousse. I chose the apricot dessert instead. When she brought the rugelach, she said, "I got carried away and really wanted you to try the Mousse too." How sweet, and a great example of wonderful service. This dish was described as something your old Jewish grandmother would make, but elevated to modern cuisine. The crumb topping paired well with the berries and mousse. A superb dish that I enjoyed better than my own. Thanks Emma!
Again, it's quite easy to understand why Chef Michael won the James Beard award. Unfortunately, he was away due to a family emergency so I didn't have the privilege of meeting him. If I am ever back in Philly, or if you are ever there, I highly, highly recommend Zahav!
UPDATE: A little over one week after my visit to Zahav, I received a letter in the mail from Zahav. Curious. I opened it and it was a signed menu by Chef Michael. While I was there, I asked the manager if Chef Michael was there and he mentioned that Chef was away on a family emergency. I said nothing more of it. Then to receive a signed menu from Chef Michael saying, "Sorry I missed you. Hope to see you again." Wow! That was a great example in wonderful customer service.
When Emma brought the dessert menu, she tried selling me on the Halvah Mousse. I chose the apricot dessert instead. When she brought the rugelach, she said, "I got carried away and really wanted you to try the Mousse too." How sweet, and a great example of wonderful service. This dish was described as something your old Jewish grandmother would make, but elevated to modern cuisine. The crumb topping paired well with the berries and mousse. A superb dish that I enjoyed better than my own. Thanks Emma!
Again, it's quite easy to understand why Chef Michael won the James Beard award. Unfortunately, he was away due to a family emergency so I didn't have the privilege of meeting him. If I am ever back in Philly, or if you are ever there, I highly, highly recommend Zahav!
UPDATE: A little over one week after my visit to Zahav, I received a letter in the mail from Zahav. Curious. I opened it and it was a signed menu by Chef Michael. While I was there, I asked the manager if Chef Michael was there and he mentioned that Chef was away on a family emergency. I said nothing more of it. Then to receive a signed menu from Chef Michael saying, "Sorry I missed you. Hope to see you again." Wow! That was a great example in wonderful customer service.
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