Despite its location in the very oldest part of Philadelphia, or perhaps because of it, Zahav isn't easy to locate on many maps. Persevere. It's worth it. Atop Society Hill, on the first floor of an apartment building, the Israeli restaurant is like nothing we've seen before.
Elegant and cool-feeling, one large room and a smaller one with a fountain, it's a hike up a couple of flights of stairs from the street, although we're told there's an entrance at the top of the hill at the back. But the welcome is warm, despite this being one of those places that the national food magazines coo over. No attitude at all, not even the traditional Israeli one. And we think we know why. Toward the end of the evening, a chap in a suit but no tie ambled over and began to chat. When he found out we were from St. Louis, he beamed. “Isn't that where Danny Meyer is from? I've read his book. He's absolutely got the right idea about how to run a restaurant. I've really tried to follow what he says.”
He certainly has. Zahav is in many ways very Israeli/Middle Eastern, providing dinners that offer many small dishes for long, leisurely evenings. Tapas may be the Spanish name for this, but meze, the Eastern Mediterranean name for the same sort of thing, has been around for centuries as well. Zahav (the name is Hebrew for “gold”) has modernized things to varying degrees, and offers not only today's takes, but some ethnic ideas that are seemingly authentic and quite uncommon in this country.
The best way to sample many things, it seemed to us, was to try the ta'yim, a prix fixe for $36, including dessert. Individual dishes are priced from $5 to $10; the ta'yim offers a choice of any three, preceded by–well, just let us tell you some of what we ate.
The feast began with hummus and salatim,or Israeli salads, accompanied by laffa, a flatbread rather like a softer, more irregular pita. The bread, served hot, with some za'atar sprinkled on top, is delicious, the hummus (the menu offers four kinds) sensationally silky, and the salatim, eight of them, are fascinating. Carried to table on a rack that holds the eight small dishes, they're irresistible to the gastronomically curious. All are vegetarian; we tried a tabooli that was more parsley than grain, a Moroccan-style carrot salad fragrant with cumin, some pickled turnips that charmed, a fennel relish, an Israeli-style chickpea salad, a smoky eggplant spread, a wonderful beet puree with tahini and mint, and okra in a cool, tart vinaigrette. There was also some harissa and a serrano pepper relish on the side.
Halloumi is a sheep's milk cheese we've never seen in St. Louis. We'd read about its characteristic of remaining firm when cooked, meaning it can be used in some interesting ways. Zahav fries cubes of it and serves it with dates and pine nuts, sweet and crunchy to contrast with the savory and crisp. Sable fish, smoked in-house, is served on a slice of challah, accompanied by a gently fried egg and a green garlic sauce. Sable is a fish in controversy; some say it's black cod, others say its a species of its own. No matter; it was delicious, a hint of smokiness in the rich, oily flavor.
From the meat section of the menu, our choices were equally off the beaten path, although there were things available like moussaka and kibbee. We went for veal tongue, one of Joe's favorites, tender slices over a buckwheat pilaf that was particularly flavorful with the rich, tangy grain, and tart, dried barberries. And then there were the sweetbreads, shown in the photo. Arriving in a cone, small, crisply fried pieces had been dipped in lemon before the breading and sprinkled with a fine dust of green chile afterwards. Popcorn sweetbreads? Sort of, and wonderful.
In the category called al ha'esh, or grilled over coals, there were a couple of vegetarian choices, plus chicken, branzino, beefsteak and mixed ground meat options. We went for the Farsi, slices of delicate duck breast, plus a confit-style dish, all served with chelo, the Persian rice, and some pistachios. Excellent duck, in every respect. The night's only serious miss was a surprise. Merguez, the North African sausage, is one of our favorites. Coarse and spicy, it's the sort of big-flavor thing we jump on. This one was coarse and spicy, to be sure. But it was tough and dry from overcooking, relying on some red pepper relish called matbucha to moisten it and the couscous it rode in on.
From the dessert menu, a mousse made with halvah was a charmer, with its delicate sesame flavor a real hit. It was layered with chickpeas in a praline mixture and helped by a few berries. Pistachio cake was like a slightly dry pound cake, with a little poached rhubarb alongside, though the pistachio flavor was interesting. It was also sided with ice cream flavored with salep, made from orchid roots; its exotic flavor was a little startling at first but as we nibbled, we got used to it, it became acceptable and then good.
Some interesting cocktails, a fair wine-by-the-glass list, and a very tasty sour cherry iced tea. Our server was eager to explain what we didn't understand, and the kitchen, obviously used to rolling out meals like this all the time, paced it very well, rather than the sort of “it's ready when it's ready” we've seen elsewhere, including Israel.
A good experience and a good value. Next time we'll think about getting the group meal, which includes a roasted lamb shoulder.
Zahav
237 St. James Pl. at Dock St., Philadelphia
215-625-8800
Dinner nightly
Credit cards: Yes
Wheelchair access: Yes, but call for directions
Smoking: No
Meze: $5-$10
