Gotham Gal

last day in tel aviv...trying to fit it all in

Fred and I, as usual, got up earlier than everyone else.  We grabbed a cab and headed over to Orna and Ella for breakfast.  A great bistro open from breakfast through dinner.  The girls had lunch there yesterday and loved it.  As always, a bunch of dips and the classic chopped salad.  Perfect breakfast because I got to taste a little of everything.  Their granola with the yogurt and black sesame seeds was so good that it almost tasted like an incredible muffin.

We began to walk down Nahalat Binyamin where I had read that there is an outdoor market of local artists showing their wares on Thursday and Friday.  Wrong.  It is Tuesday and Friday.  Regardless I am really glad we walked down this street.  Very European as there are not sidewalks.  It is completely flat and not so sure that cars really drive down the street. 

At the top of the street there are loads of fabric stores including stores where you can buy ribbons and buttons.  The garment center. 

I walked into the one store I saw.  I really wanted to get a gift for my nieces.  I usually pick them up something each time we go somewhere new.  Will be interesting to see what they think about what I bought.  This store is owned by a young woman, Sharuia Galit, who makes all her own clothes.  Each piece is individual.  Young and funky.  She is in their sewing, running her shop, the whole thing.  A woman entrepreneur! 

We figured we would continue down the street into the Florentine area.  Olia is a store filled with products that are olive oil based from flavored and regular oils to moisturizers.  All the products are made at a kibbutz in Israel and this is their retail outlet.  I bought an olive oil and some hand cream.

How the neighborhoods work are always interesting.  We came from up the street filled with fabrics stores and then we move into food stores then hardware stores and furniture stores.  I went into a few incredible cheese shops and dried fruit stores.  This store was great.  Dried fruits, nuts galore and a small oven that could have been for bread.  The basics.  I picked up dried pomellos which are sweet and sour at the same time.  Pomello is big here not so much in the US.

Continued our way through Florentine on Vital street which is supposedly big for late night clubs and bars.  Fred and I have not experienced that part of Tel Aviv.  Maybe next time.  This small synagogue was in the neighborhood of the clubs.

I like this picture because it gives you an idea of how there is an older grittier part of the city that is changing against a big highrise.  This area was filled with wood shops.

Not sure why but there was this memorial in a gate of a closed store.  This memorial is filled with shofars.

We met up with the kids (although Jessica decided to pass) at Abrakses Tzafon.  We were going to go here for dinner but realized we were here less than we had planned so why not do lunch.  My guess is night is a bit more crazy with music blasting creating a club atmosphere so in many ways I am glad we did lunch.  Click here for the link to that meal because it is a post in itself.

At this point, we all went our separate ways.  I wanted to walk over to Gordon and Ben Yehuda where there are a handful of galleries.  I was lucky that the first gallery I walked into the owner and artist were there and I got a full on explanation on each piece.  It is Engel Gallery and the artist is Yoav Ben Dov, a sculptor.   I really liked this piece called a Flower with No Purpose. 

I then walked down Gordon to a few different galleries but really liked Givon Gallery that was recommended to me from Rona Moser, a read of this blog who has given me great recommendations in Tel Aviv.  They carried artists who have won many awards in Israel and well respected and seasoned as well as up and coming artists.  The show up was of the artist Moshe Gershini and his paintings from the 1990s-2000s.  He has a show up at the Tel Aviv Art Museum at the same time.

Next was over to Ben Yehuda where I walked into Mika.  The show was a mixture of the artists they represent.  This particular piece is so powerful by the artist David Amuyal called Childrens Game.  The boys are supposedly fighting over the girl but there is something about the kids, the room, the gun and how this region is so filled with strife and the cycle continues.  Not so sure I'd want it hanging in my house but it really sticks with me.

I had to get one more food thing in.  I went over to the Tel Aviv ports which is almost like their South Street Seaport. It is clean with lots of large hangers filled with stores.  Hanger 11 is like a mini Chelsea Market.  Small restaurants and food stores.  I have to say that I do prefer the grit of the open air markets but it is interesting to see what is happening in the area. 

It was getting late and I walked back to the hotel.  These guys were fishing on the boardwalk, the sun was setting...I will be back to Tel Aviv. 

Abraxas Tzafon, Tel Aviv

So many people told me we have to go to Abraxas Tzafon.  We were scheduled to go there the last night in Tel Aviv but we realized we were leaving in the morning not the evening and we had to get it in.  We opted for lunch.  For us, it was the right call.  Much more mellow than dinner from what I am told.  The music was spectacular from Leonard Cohen to Billy Holiday to Nina Simone to Serge Gainsbourg.  We sat at the bar which surrounds the kitchen.  Everything we ate was absolutely given thought to in terms of the flavors and prepation.  You knew that there was a smart cutting edge chef behind every plate coming out of the kitchen and that alone is a reason to go to Abraxes Tzafon.

Nice start of having a brown paper placemat with a little whole salt and pepper placed on the top for flavoring. 

We split a few things to start.  A killer tomato salad.  Simple yet sublime.  A variety of tomatoes from cherry to Italian sliced and then doused with olive oil and dry herbs and salt. If you peak inside the kitchen there is an entire area just devoted to tomatoes.  You have to love that.  I particularly like the presentation of the top half of the tomato that is usually set aside.

The whole cauiflower was amazing.  My guess is that at a very high heat the entire cauliflower is roasted and then served to you wrapped up in parchment paper.  Everything is served on paper or wrapped in paper.  We were each given a plate for the share but I think we were lucky to score the plate.

Fred and I ordered the pizza with sardines.  Fred loved the flavor of cheese with a salty sardine.  Didn't really do it for me but loved the bold idea of mixing the two.

Emily had a bowl of pasta, not too spicy.  A well made simple marinara sauce with a few herbs I couldn't exactly point out over pasta with a little grated cheese. 

Josh went with the burger.  I didn't taste it.  He said it was good and interesting.  Lots of different sauces that were different with sliced tomatoes and onions on a really good bun.

Our waiter told me that out of all the pita sandwiches that the meat one was the one to get.  Think of a Philly cheesesteak in a pita bread with Middle Eastern spices.  Quite good.  It was if I had it before but had never had it before.

We ordered a round of ribs which we thought were going to be spareribs instead it turned out to be lamb chops on the bone.  Wrapped up in parchment paper stuffed with the lamb and some sauce.  Quite good.

Espressos for everyone.

Dessert was a must.  He gave us each a small dessert to start on the house.  An incredible rich cream with a lemon bite and espresso poured over the top.  Truly delicious.

Carmelized bananas served with a chocolate sauce and a huge portion of whipped cream.  How could that be bad?

The finale was the chocolate mousse.  They bring it out wrapped in parchment paper.  They must pipe it in.  Deep dark decadent chocolate mousse with more whipped cream.  Woah.

So glad we did a lunch there. Even watching what the other customers ordered.  There was an open faced swordfish sandwich with sliced celery and a type of cream of the top and a pizza with creme fraiche and pepper.   Truly a unique and innovative spot.  

Herbert Samuel, Tel Aviv

At Herbert Samuel last night they were serving the Autumn 2010 Daily Menu.  I gather that the menu changes with each season.  I like that.  A very chic restaurant with just the right vibe.  You know the minute that you walk in that this is a top restaurant and they take the food, the service and the entire vibe seriously.  Although the menu is completely different to one of Danny Meyer's restaurants such as The Modern there is something that reminds me of it.  High end chic. 

When you walk up to the second floor the kitchen is completely enclosed in glass so you can watch everything that is happening.  On the other side of the kitchen there were chefs preparing open apple tarts. 

Our waitress spoke such perfect English that I couldn't help but ask if she was American.  She wasn't but had spent 11 years in the states in and around Stanford University where I believe she said her father taught. 

We split the appetizers.  Some good, some not great.  The fresh artichoke salad served with a mixture of greens and feta cheese.  Not what I was expecting but quite good.  They do love artichokes here. 

This appetizer is called Tokyo salmon and seaweed.  An interesting mixture of seaweed, salmon, mushrooms and cucumber.  Some warm, some cold. 

"Silk Road" salmon tartar.  Chopped pieces of raw salmon paired with very thin noodles served over a light broth with chopped peanuts and cilantro.  This was interesting although the noodles were totally tasteless.

Rock shrimp tempura is always a crowd pleaser.  This was a different twist on what we expected.  Six separate rock shrimp tempuras sitting on top of sliced hearts of palm in a creamy sauce that had a kick.  Different.

"Sing sing" yellowtail sashimi.  Sliced pieces of yellowtail folded order with a mixture of thinly sliced radishes (another thing they love here and I love too) with cilantro and red onions.  Jessica called it...it was kind of tasteless.

 

The one thing I ordered for the table with our main courses were the Hakka-San spicy Chinese BBQ ribs.  These were really good.  A bit fatty but literally slid off the bone and were full of flavor.

For our main courses we were all over the place and obviously so is the menu.  Josh went with the beef fillet.   A large fillet with some bone marrow on the side is something hard to go wrong with.  The other item on the plate is a scoop of mashed potatoes.

Jess had the seafood "Bangkok hit" style.  Thai style stew of scallops, calamari and shrimp cooked in coconut milk, cilantro, chilis, lemon grass and other Asian spices.  Rich but good.

Fred had the whole fish.  Lots of herbs and a nice spicy sauce.  The picture was so blurry that I am not going to post it.  Em and I had a hankering for hanger steak.  Cut into a few pieces, pan fried and served with some roasted small potatoes with an artichoke sauce over the top.  Strange flavor but I really have been hankering for meat.

We did dessert finally.  Had to have the apple tart we saw them preparing when we walked in.  I really liked how it came out.  Layered tart apples on top of a pastry sitting in a caramel sauce with loads of butter and a dollop of vanilla gelato on top.  Yum.

This was a mixture of cinnamon churros stuffed with oozing chocolate and whipped cream on the side to dip into.  The other thing that came with this dish was a glass of cold chocolate almost like a pudding but harder and a thick cream on top.  I didn't love that as much.

Bumped into some people that Jessica knew on the way out and met the parents.  Small world, truly.

 

 

day 2 in tel aviv and i am walked out

Fred and I left the hotel around 930, kids fast asleep.  We strolled over to Benedict for breakfast.  A 24/7 breakfast place.  The menu was pretty amazing.  Everything looked good.  I was tempted to go with the health bowl which consisted of two poached eggs over yellow and red lentils, coriander and of course yogurt but I wasn't so sure I wanted to kick off the day like that knowing what I wanted to check out, food-wise, over the course of the day.  I actually went healthy...gasp...granola, fruit and yogurt and a little honey on the side.  Pretty damn good. 

Since there was no doubt the kids would be sleeping for hours we walked to Jaffa.  Took us about an hour but what other way to really get to know a city.  We passed a variety of parks.  This one was filled with young girls who I assume go to the same school taking a morning break.

Here is a picture of Jaffa jutting out into the ocean. 

Some of the areas we passed were not in such great shape.  I thought this was hilarious.  The painted wall of top Jews.

We called the kids and woke them telling them we were doing the flea markets and if they wanted to come along now would be the time...and so they did.  When we met them the first thing we did was walk over to an Arabic bakery called Abouelafia which is open 24/7. 

We tried a few things but this is a classic dessert called Kanafa. 

Then off to the flea markets.  It is relatively quiet on a Wednesday.  I have one word for the markets...  SHLOCK.  The girls opted to go back to an area from yesterday and get lunch and Josh stuck with us.  I believe the girls came back to the flea markets for more exploration than I was willing to give it later in the day.

You can see what Josh and Fred thought about the flea markets. 

It was a beeline to Dr. Shaksuka.  We sat in the backyard.  Quite the place.

We were given pickled vegetables..so good and couscous with beans...also good. 

Ordered some mint tea. 

Here is our shaksuka.  Roasted tomatoes and peppers heavy handed olive oil and two eggs on top with a loaf of bread to mop up the meal on the side.  Excellent.  I loved it. 

Here is their kitchen.

 

At the top of Jaffa is the Ilana Goor museum.  A woman who is an artist that has been collecting for years and has opened her house to show her collection.  It is pretty cool.  This one room is devoted to small sculptures.

There are a bunch of galleries as you walk up the hill.  One very cool shop called Elemento that carried anything from furniture, lights, vases, plates and art.  This piece is from the artist they have around the walls now. 

I kind of thought that Safed, the artists community up near the Golan Heights, would be more like this area in Jaffa.  Large squares with galleries and places to eat, not really touristy at all but a nice area.  It is well worth the walk to the top of Jaffa vs the flea markets below.

Fred left Josh and me at this point.  He went back to the hotel and Josh and I ventured over to the Carmel Market.  Cabbed it over but again were dropped off about a 15 minute walk from the area we were supposed to go.  The Carmel market is filled with stalls of clothes and then as you move onward it is filled with food. 

Candies.

Spices.

Pomegranates.  Some of the biggest pomegranates I have ever seen in my life. 

This guy kept yelling "delicious" so Josh went for one of his sandwiches.

Grilled chicken, hummus, fried onions with a sauce all stuffed in a pita.  Delicious.

Olives

Fish

This woman was making huge rounds of bread on top of a hot domed pan.  I had to try it.  I really just wanted the bread. 

Behind her was another woman making something else in a old fashioned oven.  We got one of the spinach stuffed breads.  Not that interesting but I just had to take one bite and so we did.

Josh and I decided to walk all the way back to the hotel.  The planes fly super lower here.

We passed these guys playing a serious game of ball.  Two against one.  They hit the balls super hard. Made it back to the hotel and collapsed.  I walked for hours today.  All good. 

 

 

 

Mul Yam

We took two cabs over to Mul Yam last night even though we could have walked.  Opted for walking home only since we had basically walked all day.  The kids cab took them to the door.  Our cab decided we were idiots (and so we were) and took us to a location where we had to walk another 10 minutes.  Humph!

Mul Yam is supposedly the best restaurant in Israel that is based on awards, write-ups etc.  A small restaurant located in the port area enclosed with glass all the way around. Simple in feel but the food is sublime.  Everything we ate was delicious and carefully prepared.  The menu is not large but a few specials every evening. Impressive. 

Here is the run down.  Emily began with an artichoke fondue.  Artichoke hearts roasted and piled up high sitting in gruyere cheese.  What can you say about this?  It was rich but not too rich, decadent and delicious.

Josh went with the King salmon.  Medium rare sliced pieces of salmon sitting over a mixture of tiny pieces of chopped green onions and enyoki mushrooms topped with thin slices of fresh vegetables with an Asian sauce.  Light, perfectly cooked and just the right hand for the sauce.

The rest of us went with the tuna.  Chopped raw yellowfin tuna served with a dollop of wasabi, bean shoots and cubes of avocado.  What was interesting was the dollop of lemon curd.  Tart lemon mixed together with the tuna, wasabi and a hint of soy created an incredible flavor and kick at the same time. 

In between courses we were treated to a crab cappuccino soup.  That is what they called is.  Light and rich at the same time.  I love crab soup.  This was creamy but not too thick with a few small pieces of shrimp on the bottom with a small spoonful of whipped creme fraiche on top.  The foam on the top of the soup took the flavor just up one more notch.  Loved this.  We called it crabuccino.

Josh and Em ordered one of the pastas. Whole shrimp and scallops mixed together with agnlotti pasta.  Agnlotti pasta is an egg pasta that has been flattened out and then folded together like a small box.  The sauce was out of this world.  After Josh hit the wall I couldn't help but continue eating more of his after I had already finished mine.

Jess had a shrimp dish.  Simply prepared, just like she likes it, with vegetables and a dot of sauce. 

Fred and I went with the langoustines special.  Peeled langoustines mixed together with small soft gnocchi mixed together with a truffle sauce and an added bonus of more truffles shaved over the top.  The foam had a base of fish stock.  All and all, it sounds heavy, but it was light and divine.

We all hit the wall as we seem to do every night and bagged dessert.  They brought us out a beautiful tray of chocolates and macaroons.  All delicious.  I particularly liked the basil chocolate.  No doubt all made their by hand.  Impressive.

Highly recommend Mul Yam.  I mean this in a good way...Mul Yam is a NYC quality top restaurant and that in my book means a lot. 

 

 

A first full day in Tel Aviv

Fred and I left the hotel before the kids got up.  We left around 1030 and came back around 530.  It has been a seriously long day.  Meeting up with the kids at one point for a diet coke. 

Our first stop was breakfast at the Dalal Bakery.  I love how instead of fruit on the side they serve chopped cucumbers and tomatoes.  Scrambled eggs, fresh squeezed orange juice, a mighty fine cup of coffee, feta and a whipped goat cheese ( both outrageously delicious ) and a basket of yummy breads.  A little butter and strawberry jam too.  Perfect.  Dalal is located on Shebazi Street which is the main thoroughfare of the Neve Tzedek area in Tel Aviv. 

We began walking down Shebazi and stopping in any store that caught our eye.  Anita Gelato looks key although a bit too early in the morning already for this.  We found another location later on in the day. 

This store, Rubi Israel, is a must.  A concept store...even a car!  The mixture of home furnishings are fantastic including some lotions and oils and a small shop of womens clothing.  They don't ship and I didn't see myself going through customs with candlesticks and a cake plate with a glass cover in tow.  Too bad.  Such a great shop.

Angling around and over to Lilienblum which is basically behind Shebazi Street.  I found a really great store that carries both men and women's clothing calling L'Etranger.  Did a little damage there.

Stopped at the Tavi Dresdner Gallery on Achva Street as we made our way back to Shebazi.  The kids were over there and thought we might connect.  They were doing breakfast at Tazza D'Oro which they gave us high praises on later in the day.  Tavi had a video installation.  I have tried but video art just isn't my thing.

Onward.  We circled back to Shebazi and down to the beach.  Stopping in this deli to see if they had a phone card.  I love how in the local deli there are these huge cans of open olives.

Down a street to cut into the Gan Hashmal and Florentine area.  There is a lot of construction on Rothschild Street and around the area.  The stores are spread out.  It is a total hit and miss.  This small restaurant with outdoor seating only is a sushi bar. 

Ended up walking into Sommer Contemporary Art Gallery.  Nothing rocked our boat but I did like this particular neon piece that says Feelings.  It goes off and on.

I was interested in the Montefiore Hotel and it is in this neighborhood so we walked through it.  Totally packed.  Great location.  I was determined to find the Sabich restaurant that Emily Lutzker recommended we try.  I followed her directions and found it.  A total hole in the wall but honestly a culinary treat. 

Packed in a pita ( you can also get this on a plate and make your own but I let them make it for us ) is hard boiled egg, grilled eggplant, boiled potatoes, tahini, tomatoes, onions and a special yellow sauce called amba.  Emily called it a taste sensation and it is.  I have never had anything quite like it.  Yum, yum, yum.

We finally hooked up with the kids and sat down for a diet coke together before figuring out the next plan.  At this point we had done the area and were ready to head to another spot.  Josh joined our party.  The girls went out on their own.  Josh had a hankering for gelato and we didn't want to walk back to Anitas so he had a gelato at Iceberg Inside.  Good flavor but wierd consistency.

We grabbed a cab over to Dizengoff Street where there are a bunch of stores.  The guy who waited on me at L'Entranger pointed me to Fab Lab.  Fab Lab is totally fab.  Did some damage there too.  What I loved about both stores today where I made some purchases is that I have never seen any of the designers they carry in NYC or anywhere else for that matter.  As the world gets flatter, anything you buy in NYC you can buy in Paris or London or Stockholm.  This is the first time in years where I have seen totally new stuff.  Very refreshing!

We walked back to the hotel through the park on the water.  Many cool sculptures in the area.  Here is one of them.

Took this photo of all the sailboats in port before walking into the hotel.  I really love this city.  Years ago someone said to me that when you come to Tel Aviv (or just Israel) you will feel comfortable and that everyone will look like you.  I get it.  I feel at home here.  Great day...I am exhausted! 

Coffee Bar, Tel Aviv

Since we literally flew into Tel Aviv from the Golan Heights, got rooms, took showers, and ran out for dinner, we were thrilled to get a reservation anywhere.  We had dinner at the Coffee Bar which is a bistro.  Perfect change of pace from what we have been eating.

The food was just fine.  My guess is you probably can't go wrong.  Nothing over the top but nothing bad.

I started with a yellowtail carpacchio with a spicy yogurt sauce and microgreens over the top.  They love yogurt on everything in Israel.

The boys did the classic tomato and mozzarella salad.

Em went with a warm goat cheese salad.  Love how they served the goat cheese.  Warmed on top of a round bread box and then over greens.  Great presentation.

For dinner, I went with the easy grilled chicken.  Perfectly cooked, simple and light.

Josh had the pasta with a red meat sauce which he thoroughly enjoyed.

Fred and Jess went with the sea bream.  I missed the pic.

Bottom line, we are thrilled to be in Tel Aviv. 

between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv

Today will go down in Wilson family lore. 

When I booked this trip, I used an excellent travel agent from Israel.  Her company is called Tova Wald (her name ).  I wasn’t so sure about landing in Egypt and figuring it out and I also wasn’t so excited about the time and effort it was going to take me to make sure we did everything we wanted and deal with visas and feel safe.  So in the end, I opted for an agent.  I was pretty honest about how we usually travel and what we like.  We went back and forth a few times on what I wanted the trips itinerary to look like.  I know that coming to this area of the country which is chocked with history, friction and very religious people should be taken in so you can understand what you are seeing and experiencing.  You have to understand how Israel came to be and what happened in the Golan Heights and how close all these countries are and why territories are so important.  I get it but I should have stuck to my gut which is just do Egypt, Petra, Jerusalem (3 days is fine) and then the rest in Tel Aviv where we will have the best time.  Instead, I was swayed to go with a few extra things here and there which just created frustration among the five of us.

Today we got up and drove to the Golan Heights driving along the scenic Jordan River.  It took us three hours.  Once we got there we had a quick lunch and then took a jeep ride up to the Golan Heights where you can see Lebanon and Syria and understand what happened in the six day war.  Afterward, we were going to go to a winery but decided to stop by Safed, an ancient artists colony.  We were all hating life.  Jessica said, why don’t we just go to Tel Aviv now?  And so…we did.

We went back to the hotel, got our stuff (luckily they only had our bags and we had not checked in yet) and drove to Tel Aviv.  We were able to get an extra night of rooms.  Now we are here and so happy.  We will spend three whole days here exploring, eating, shopping, seeing art, maybe buying art and really getting to know the city we all want to know. 

Lessons learned for me.  No need to do it all.  Do what works for us not for the rest of the world.  We are urban rats and love getting to know a city.  That is what we love to do when we travel.  Stick with your gut. 

Mahneyuda Restaurant, Jerusalem

Every single person I spoke to about going to Jerusalem recommended going to Mahneyuda for dinner.  It is supposedly the hottest place in town recently opened in 2009 by three local chefs; Uri, Papi and Buffalo.  Located near the Mahane Yehuda markets on a sloped street in a random building. 

They designed the restaurant around the kitchen.  Basically at any table except for one or two upstairs in the back, you can watch what goes on in the kitchen. 

The restaurant itself is a mixture of furniture, kitchen towels for napkins, a mishmash of dinner plates and this pop-up vibe.  Hands down the best meal we had in Jerusalem.  Some of the dishes were outrageously delicious.  There is the one drawback, even for my kids, the music situation.  The music is so unbelievably loud and bad that is it a total bummer.  Just seriously bad pop music.  At the beginning it is entertaining to watch the staff clap and dance around but after a while you just hit the wall and having a conversation is impossible.  

We started with some small ones, Sashimi Uri Style.  Keep in mind the menu changes nightly.  Thinly sliced white fish mixed with radishes, kiwi, a green peppers, pomegranate seeds and a light vinaigrette over the top.  Excellent combo of flavors and really fresh.

The other small was a yellowtail tataki.  Seared pieces of yellowtail paired with small cubes of avocado, a green sauce and slices of strawberry.  The sweet fruit of the strawberry with the soft nuggets of avacado worked really well together. 

The chef brought out Hamshuka with is their own version of hummus and meat.  Pan fried ground beef mixed together with hummus and a sour cream.  Their version of nachos without the chips.  Delicious.

I ordered the polenta for the table.  I love how it came in a glass jar.  This was beyond delicious.  Rich creamy polenta mixed together with buttery mushrooms, thin slices of asparagus and pieces of Parmesan layered over the top.  We could have each had our own jar.   Outrageous.

Jessica had the Indulge Burks for her starter.  Pickled fish with greens that looks like Italian parsley and the yolk of an egg and this interesting sauce.  I just tasted it at the end.  It was really strange but somehow it so worked.  It was excellent.

Fred went with the Autumn Salad.  A mixture of greens with pears, cheese of the day and a light vinaigrette.  This didn’t do it for either of us.  Strange flavors in the sauce.  Left a strange taste in your mouth.

A few of us ordered the salmon carpaccio for the first course.  This was served in large silver bowls that I use for prep at home.  I got a kick out of the presentation.  Then a small sauce comes on the side which is a warm vinegar.  This was delicious.  The warmth of the sauce poured over the cold raw salmon just before eating worked really well in my mouth.

Josh had shrimp ravioli.  3 large raviolis stuffed chopped shrimp and a mixture of vegetables.  This was the point where we were all getting a little drained from the music situation.

Em went with the Beef Fillet.  Tasty buttery beef served with roasted potatoes with a nice light lemon butter drizzled over the top.  Only problem, garlic central.  What’s up with all those cloves?

Fred had the sea bream.  Filleted pieces of sea bream served with a Buffalo yogurt burned onion and tahini sauce over the top.   Very middle eastern in taste.

I had risotto.  A large piece of pan fried yellowtail served over an al dente black ink risotto that was mixed with whole shrimp, pieces of crab and chopped mussels.  The risotto was delicious.  The fish on top was not necessary.  After a few bites, I hit the wall.  The risotto I couldn't stop eating even though I hit the wall because it was just so damn good.

We passed on dessert much to their chagrin so they brought us out a Malabi, the ultimate beach dessert.  A flan with a strawberry gel on top topped with crushed pistachios.  It was awesome.  With 5 spoons we devoured it and walked outside into the cool noiseless air. 

Fantastic food.  We all breathed a huge sigh of relief when we left. I only wish they’d turn down the music and perhaps change the station.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Emily Lutzker, Artist and Entrepreneur

There are many things I liked about Emily Lutzker besides her interesting career path that led her to do a start-up but what I truly love is that she is and will always be an artist. 

Emily began her artistic journey, as most do, through education.  She got her BFA at the School of Visual Arts in NYC and her next stop was at the New School where she got a degree in Media Arts.  Continuing on to graduate school in Saas-Fee Switzerland where she got a PhD in Media and Communication at the European Graduate School.

As Emily explained to me, trying to fund your life (not necessarily lifestyle but just life) as an artist is not easy.  There are odd jobs along the way just to make rent while practicing your passion. She worked in the film business, helped produce videos for the web even sometimes took a job as a stylist just so she could support her artwork life.  Eventually she ended up taking a job as a teacher at the New School in the New Media Studies Program.

Her work was being shown at galleries all over the world from NYC to Minneapolis to Miami to Tel Aviv, which was definitely satisfying but it will still hard to make ends meet.  After the New School, she was offered a job teaching at Beit Berl College in Israel in the New Media and Games Development department.  Seemed like a great opportunity to spend a few years in Israel and off she went. 

It was in Israel where she met Eyal Fried, the co-founder of OpenInvo.  Both Emily and Eyal had so many interesting ideas but that certainly wasn’t paying the rent and one day Eyal said to Emily, “let’s make a business selling ideas”.  That was two years ago and OpenInvo launched this past September. 

OpenInvo is a site where you can enter your ideas.  Everyone has a good idea but at the end of the day it is all about execution.  Artists in particular have lots of interesting ideas.  Once you enter your idea, OpenInvo decides if your idea is worthwhile and accepts it based on what they deem to be a saleable.  It is free to enter your ideas into the system and you can enter as many as you like.  What you hope will happen is that somebody will buy or even license your idea.  That is why it took two years to launch.  A company, such as Proctor and Gamble, would pay OpenInvo an annual fee for the ability for ten people in P&G to spend time on the site over a course of a year to look for ideas.  If they come upon an idea that they thought was viable for their company then that is when things become interesting.  Contracts have to be drawn up; lawyers have to be involved, etc..  It took time to build the site, flush out the idea, raise money from friends and family and make sure that all the legal ducks were in a row. OpenInvo takes a small piece of this transaction. 

The smartest idea was OpenInvo.  An aggregation of ideas from people all over the world for companies or people (no reason that a person couldn’t pay the annual fee) to find and bring to market.  Some people have great ideas but they don’t have the ability to execute on them by themselves or have any interest in it.  Entrepreneurs are a rare breed and it isn’t just about the idea.  

In reality, Emily has always been an entrepreneur through her art.  Her life has definitely not been a straight line.  Finding a way to support her art through a variety of interesting jobs made her think differently about how she could possibly sell her ideas in order to continue to support her art.  Instead, she took that big idea and created a place for anyone to post their ideas and sell them to the rest of the world.  She may be an artist at heart but currently she is in love with her business and being an entrepreneur.