For Your Eyes and Palate Only!

On December 3rd, last Thursday, the Israel-America Chamber of Commerce held a full day conference in the Wall Street area of Manhattan at 55 Broad Street. Many distinguished American and Israeli business leaders and professionals (in a variety of disciplines) were in attendance. Israel’s Minister for Infrastructure (Uzi Landau) was keynote speaker. The Governor of the Bank of Israel, Dr. Stanley Fischer, was among the many notable speakers and workshop moderators. Subjects ranged from Education to Health, to discussions of the many challenges the US and Israel face in the current global climate.

At 12:30pm there was a networking dairy lunch. Who would the Israel-America Chamber of Commerce use for a caterer, a caterer that could provide a delicious, nutritious feast  for the palate and the eyes? u café, of course!!

The photo doesn't give you a true idea of size... these cheese sandwiches were mouthwatering big!!!

Certainly there was plenty more to eat, look at the colors and textures…

Healthy, nourishing and beautiful to look at. Who can ask for more?

Salads were plentiful, all colors, for every taste…

Pasta!

And the fruit platters? Sheer artistry and super fresh!!!

I get hungry just looking at these kiwis

Two long tables filled with sandwiches, salads, soups, hot dishes and fruit platters… Ahhh, the presentation! Deeeelicious!! Catering in style!!!

CS

The Joys of Emotional Eating

Oh, I know we live in a society where body image is paramount and you’re either thin or you’re irrelevant.  And yes, given that we are amongst the top ten fattest nations in the world, we should be weight conscious and not indulge in abnormal eating habits, but exercise regularly and all that. Certainly, we should sublimate our gashmius (physicality) to the higher functions of our being …

Yet, every once in a while – I propose – coddling the inner child is a laudable, valuable, action. Granted, nothing bests the sweet taam (taste) of Shabbos nor the sound of zmiros lifting you ever higher, but the occasional escape into corporeal weekday bliss, leaving the emotional and physical overload of life’s daily grind behind, is a good thing.

The hustle and harried hurry of our fast, frequently faceless, hi-tech daily drudgery makes it difficult to be in the moment of any one thing.  So, we often have to steal or create a moment for ourselves. One of my favorite ways to seize that special particle of time is by dining out in style. Dress up or down, whichever makes you feel better, and figure out the type of cuisine you’re in the mood for. Personally, I prefer an eatery that exudes calm and soft lighting; where chef and staff wait on you indulgently, presenting the finest service and cuisine they have to offer. Hopefully, you’re in the company of someone you really want to be with during this stolen moment.

If you can, leave the kids at home, shut the intruder cell phone, sit back, relax, breathe in, and give yourself over to the sensory delights to come. Start off with a good wine that has some personality, one that complements your disposition. Perhaps a deeply aromatic contemplative wine like one of the following:
Makhpelah Cabernet/Merlot 2002 from Israel, only a few hundred cases were produced! This wine combines spicy aromas with a touch of vanilla and smoky oak. The well-balanced palate is soft and rich with plum and dark cherry flavors highlighted by fine tannins. For that extra,extra, special occasion, it’s a bit pricey! For the more price conscious, but still very discriminate wine palate, I recommend any of these, Italy’s Borgo Reale – Primitivo di Manduria 2001; France’s Flegman – Merlot 2006, or a South African Rothberg Cellar – Shiraz 2008. Frankly, there are far too many superb kosher wines to fit every mood, every palate, every occasion. You can find the above and hundreds more, at Liquors Galore (1212 Avenue J; Brooklyn, NY 11230; Telephone: 718.333.4168).

Take in the calming scent of the wine’s perfume; delight in each sip, savoring the rich flavor, allowing your palate to pick up its complex symmetry. Let your body relax, as the liquid soporific hits your bloodstream.

For starters, I recommend choosing an appetizer or salad that you’ve never tried before like Orchideä’s Spring Fling Salad; perhaps something like T Fusion‘s Pan Seared Sweetbreads or Solo‘s Barbeque Short Rib Spring Roll. Discern the distinctive flavors within. Redefine your stomach’s state of satiety by trading quantity with quality and variety of taste. Allow the sensual mixing of fresh textures and subtle tones and spices on your tongue and taste buds. Observe the placement of food, the artistry and color and let it become a true binge of the senses.

For the main dish, if you’re watching those calories, pick a fish or chicken dish prepared in a way you’ve never tasted or wouldn’t make at home. when it comes to fish few can beat the imagination or IMITATE the meat-like look and taste at Plaza Dining (downstairs at Boro Park’s Plaza Hotel). If you’re a meat lover like I am, go for the steak if it’s really what you’ve got the yen for.

We particularly enjoyed Prime Grill’s Black Angus Steak, and the Delmonico Steak at Bistro Grill. Order a notch higher on the temperature time as fine restaurants tend to grill a bit on the rarer side. If you’re out with friends be a good sharer, and sample each other’s dishes. It can get ugly with the really delectable, so be prepared to fight them off with fork or skewer if they become voracious.

I’m usually too full by dessert time to get territorial.  Here a morsel of some heavenly delight is sufficient. Nothing alters vexation like a great dessert. We loved Les Marais‘ Crème Brûlée, Gusto Va Mare‘s Double Truffle and u cafe‘s Tricolor Cake.

Finally, if you’re still not convinced, contemplate this with your latte: “There are people who strictly deprive themselves of each and every eatable, drinkable, and smokable which has in any way acquired a shady reputation. They pay this price for health. And health is all they get for it. How strange it is. It is like paying out your whole fortune for a cow that has gone dry. – Mark Twain (1835 – 1910)”

So eat and enjoy!

SYR

Singing the High Notes

This past Saturday night, u café hosted a Cantorial Kumzits. Charlie Bernhaut and Cantor Benny Rogosnitzky presented their second monthly evening on the cantor’s art and great food.

There were some well known cantors and singers in the audience; Mr. Bernhaut, after a few words about his hopes to revive the love and appreciation for chazzanut, asked Asher Scharf to start out the evening of liturgical song.

Mr. Scharf, a seasoned professional, both a cantor and popular singer in the Jewish scene, clearly showed his art and the lessons gleaned from years of singing.

Next up was Ari Heinemam, who is the chazzan at a Brooklyn shull, although during the week he deals with Customer’s Relations at Pomegranate, NYC’s best stacked, cleanest and newest kosher supermarket. His selection was on the Birchas Kohanim – The Priestly Blessing. His melodious, sweet voice was magnificent! His phrasing flawless, his emotion powerfully obvious, as he intoned Yivorechecho Hashem veyishmerecho… veyosem lecho sholoim. May Hashem bless you and safeguard you… and establish for you peace.

Next up was Pinchas Ben Ari, u café‘s owner. His energy, his movements to the cadence of the melody, his gestures as he intoned the different words, made it obvious he had suddenly transcended to another sphere, singing to a far higher audience than that of us – mere humans – sitting in his cafe.

Pinny, as he’s affectionately called, used to be a chazzan in New Jersey; he retired a few years back, from that position, but he showed  he still has most of what it takes.

The star of the evening, however, was none other than Yitzchok Meir Helfgott. Cantor Helfgott has a busy schedule of concerts around town as well as overseas. His December 2006 concert at the Metropolitan was phenomenal, he performed before a packed house of Jews and non-Jews.  On this particular Saturday evening, he did not strain himself but his voice showed a power and mastery far above anything we’d heard.

So, what great food did we partake of? I had a superbly seasoned Grilled Tuna with Sesame Ginger (tuna, coconut rice, grapevine tomatoes, white asparagus and fennel) while my oldest grandson had the Portobello Salad (portobello mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted peppers, mesclun salad, mozzarella with a Balsamic Vinaigrette), Penne alla Vodka with Smoked Salmon and a slice of “the best Cheese Cake” he “ever tasted.”

CS

Art You Have to Eat!

One must wonder if the Chef at u café (1436 Lexington Avenue, Bet E. 93rd E. 94th St, New York, NY 10128 – In Manattan’s Upper East Side – Telephone: 212.427.8223) was a painter of delightful still life canvasses in a former gilgul (incarnation). The attention to shape, the attention to color, the attention to detail, make the particular presentation unforgettable. Udi Ben Ari’s eye for color will remind you of some Caravaggio paintings, his shapes will bring to mind Breugel the Elder.

While the owner and his parents are Israelis, this dairy and fish restaurant features far more than mere Israeli fare. Udi graduated from Johnson and Wales in Rhode Island and that training shows through. Not only is the look of the food guaranteed to make your mouth water, the unique combination of flavors in each dish bespeaks of an all too rare understanding of the subtle nuances of the taste each ingredient brings to the total culinary experience.

On my fist visit to u café I ordered a Fritatta which, as you see below, was full of color and invitingly appetizing…

The next time I went I ordered a Salmon Burger…

Notice how the shape of the pepper, on top of the bread, fits in perfectly with the sauce at the bottom of the photo. Notice how well the cherry tomato’s color goes with the color of the pepper while it directs your attention to the fresh salad? Which 16th century painter’s eye was responsible for this dish’ perfect composition?

Now look at the shapes and unbelievable colors in their Halomi Salad…

I can hear those of you who know me saying, “But CS, you never eat fish!” It’s true I haven’t – even as a child – touched fish.  Having seen another diner at the cafe at a table next to mine order the Salmon Burger, having smelled the non-fish aroma I thought I’d take a bold step and – with trepidation in my heart – I too ordered it. I shouldn’t have worried; it’s taste, it’s texture did not say fish! The perfect proportion of condiments made the burger taste very meat-like.

I finished by having a coffee and a slice of Tricolor Cake. A true feast for the eye of any chocolate lover and his palate.

Once you taste their food you soon understand why they won this year’s Kosherfest’s competition for the best sandwich!

The winning sandwich above is made with tarragon egg salad over smoked salmon with black caviar over brioche. Having eaten the  very same one I photographed I must fully agree with the Kosherfest judges that it is the best sandwich in New  York!

All in all, both my visits there were delightful experiences that proved you can eat art!

CS

EVENT

This Saturday night, November the 14th, there will be a cantorial kumzits at u café, I plan to be there. Come over and say hello!