Bike Zone: Zahav | M&W FOOD

Monday 11 March 2013

Zahav | M&W FOOD

Philadelphia could be the most underrated food city in the nation. ?Occupying the very approachable middle ground between New York and Washington D.C., I?ve been impressed time and again with the volume, value, and quality of this city?s food. ?A second visit to chef Michael Solomonov?s Zahav confirmed what I already knew- this is one of the most original (and enjoyable) restaurants in the country.

Zahav has an approachability and warmth which is difficult to describe. ?Rare qualities that reside only in my most coveted restaurants (e.g. Michael?s Genuine Food & Drink). ?The dining room is sophisticated yet casual, its limestone floors and walls, soaring ceilings, and stained glass echoing the vibe of Jerusalem?s old city. ?Music is loud, with Prince and Michael Jackson featured prominently during both of my visits. ? An open kitchen dominates one side of the room, and the pass, helmed by Solomonov gives way to a beautiful wood burning taboon, where laffa bread is cooked to order and finished with zatar. ?Chef Solomonov is right there in the open kitchen, leading a team that looks very happy to be there. ?The food, dubbed modern Israeli spans the Mediterranean with nods to Lebanon and North Africa, as well as Eastern Europe.

A tribute to the Jewish diaspora, brimming with respect for cultural and religious plurality, the Tayim tasting menu is a great option here. ?It starts with laffa, hummus, and a variety of cold, vegetable based salatim (salad hors d?oeuvres). The guest then chooses 2 mezze and one main course. ?Zahav?s mezze are tapas style small plates, rich with intense flavors. ?Main courses are composed dishes of meat, fish, and vegetables, not overwhelming in size. ?The tayim menu concludes with dessert. ?Three of us ordered the tayim menu, which allowed us to taste about three quarters of the entire menu, and at $38 per tasting its an amazing value. ?The mezze course really steals the show at Zahav, seamlessly blending Mediterranean/Jewish flavor profiles and techniques with seasonal produce such as sunchokes, brussels sprouts, and kumquats. ?Its a very well thought out fusion. ?But beyond these inventive pairings, the simplest details reign supreme: Bread and hummus, staples for much of the Middle East and North Africa, elevated and paid their due respect. ?Four kinds of hummus are offered, though I can? get away from Solomonov?s signature ?hummus tehina,? packed with garlic, lemon, and parsley, dusted with cumin and kissed with a generous pool of olive oil. ?This is not your heady vegan co-op hummus. ?This hummus is refined, elegant, dare I say sexy.

Solomonov?s desserts thrive on the same contrasts as his savory courses. Varying textures, coupled with noticeable acidity keep things fresh after so many small plates and big flavors. ?His kataifi dessert pairs thinly shredded strands of crispy phyllo dough with poached apple and a bracingly tart ice cream made from labneh, a strained yogurt. ?And who doesn?t love baklava? Solomonov?s combines peanut with chocolate, coffee, cardamom, and sour cherry. ?Its all good.

Located in the Society Hill towers, within convenient walking distance of the South St. and Independence Hall tourist meccas, theres little reason not to arrange a visit to Zahav. ?The crown jewel in Solomonov?s growing restaurant portfolio, Zahav is obviously his baby, a labor of love, apparent in the very meaning of its Hebrew name: gold.