Gotham Gal

Chakra, Jerusalem

Last night we had dinner at Chakra that serves up European influenced food.  There is a comfortable homey feeling at Chakra.  The kitchen is open behind the bar and could easily be a large kitchen in someones home.  You can order an appetizer and a main course or even opt for the tapas tasting menu for the table any evening.

Sharing was not high on the list last night so we all ordered our own.  Fred began with a grilled eggplant topped with olive oil, feta, tomatoes and black olives.  Really good with a nice smoky flavor. The serving was 1/4 of an eggplant that was roasted down to a fine pulp.

I had the Syrian salad.  Basically a Greek salad with an addition of avocados.  This is one interpretation of the same salad that you see all over Jerusalem and I imagine Tel Aviv too. 

Emily went with their version of a caprese salad.  Sliced tomatoes and mozzarella doused with olive oil and dollops of finely chopped olives.

Josh and Jess had the special of the evening.  Chopped tuna tartare served on crostinis with a handful of microgreens on top and a heavy hand of a spicy oil.  Quite good.

For dinner, Josh opted for simple and classic calamari. 

Emily went with the pounded grilled chicken breasts served over spaghetti.

Jess opted for the special which was shrimp and snow peas so an Asian influence here but with at least 10 garlic cloves in the dish.  Not what she was expecting.

Fred and I went with two different whole fishes.  Fred had the sea bream which he loved.  Simply prepared with a mixture of herbs over the top.

I had the grouper which was not as good.  Actually raw in the middle when they served it to me so I had to send it back.  Not something I like doing. 

We had two fantastic bottles of white wine from the Golan Heights where we are going in a few days.

We walked back to the hotel and called it a day. 

Day 2 Jerusalem

Today we slept in.  We were going to start out the day at the Western Wall tunnel which I am sure is amazing but by not going it gives us a reason to return.  You just can't do it all.  Instead we began with a short drive up to the Mt of Olives.  You can see all of Jerusalem from this spot.  That birds eye view puts everything into perspective from the variety of churches, mosques, historical walls and even digs that with just discovered new pieces of history that you can see from above.  It is actually pretty damn amazing that they are still discovering new things every year. 

The weather is spectacular.  At this point we are all ready to take on the day. 

Below the Mt. of Olives is a burial area for only the Orthodox Jews unless you pay the right amount to get a spot.  So we were told. 

Our next stop was the Old City again. 

The bazaars are all open.  Mostly shlock but some food and spice stores.  Amazing how those stores have been here for thousands of years just different stuff.  I am pretty sure pomegranate juice has been sold for years and years.  Their juicer is definitely old school. 

We walked over to the Holy Sepulchre church.  There are six different religions represented in this church alone.  Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, Syrian Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox and Ethiopian Orthodox. Lots of different religions praying in this spot in peace.  The slab of stone is from when Jesus was around so they say.

Here is supposedly where Jesus is buried.  People wait in line to go inside where only 3 people can fit and there is a Greek Orthodox priest inside who blesses everyone who comes in.  No surprises, we didn't do the line.

Next stop was the food markets in the old Jewish section.  My favorite part.  This area is called the Mahane Yehuda Market.  It is packed and full of different stalls and stores of food from olives, dried fruits, breads, desserts, juices, vegetables, fruits, meats, fish, etc.  Loved it.  Here is the olive man who is one of many.

Spices.

Desserts most of them with pistachios.  I particularly loved the crispy sugar roll packed with sesame seeds.

Strawberries galore.  I picked up some dried figs and dates too.  How could I not?

Challah that just came out of the oven.  Sticky, warm, crusty and just plain good.  Jessica captured the moment. 

I had to get some herring.  I grew up with two bottles of herring in the refrigerator.  One was creamed and the other was pickled with onions.  I got some pickled herring which was amazing.

Classic rugelach that was out of this world.  Emily and Josh went a little crazy here. 


These just came out of the oven.  Sweet bread with chocolate oozing out of the center on the left and simple sweet bread on the right both covered with simple syrup from a large pastry brush.  Wow. 

Then we drove through the Jewish ghetto which is occupied by Hasidim Jews.  My guess is that not much has changed over the years but it was certainly fun and fascinating to drive through no matter how many times I have gone through areas like this.  In NYC, just take a drive into areas of Williamsburg Brooklyn.


I had to go back to the old section of Jerusalem to get hummus at Lina's.  Supposedly the best in Israel.  I got two to go because we didn't want to sit down.  They were happy to please.  Two large soft pitas stuffed with hummus, chick peas and chopped tomatoes and cucumbers.  Pretty damn good.

Back to the hotel for a little rest and relaxation.

 

 

 

Arcadia, Jerusalem

Last night we had dinner at Arcadia for our first night in Jerusalem.  The restaurant is down a tiny street and easy to miss.  There is a gate and behind it is a large garden and to the right is the restaurant.  You have to ring the doorbell for access.  We finally figured it out and got in.  The restaurant itself feels old just like the rest of Jerusalem.  A tiny kitchen, a small place with just a few tables, low light and really good music. 

Perhaps it is the restaurant or how things are done in Jerusalem but the length of the meal was ridiculous.  There is no doubt that there was a rhythm to how Arcadia was going to work.  Not so sure we were quite up for it.  Appetizers come out of the kitchen about half an hour after you get there.  We shared everything.  After that is complete, then we get to order.  I told them we were exhausted and hungry but it did not seem to register.  Someone recommended that if you say we want to leave here in an hour and a half then they know from the beginning how to pace the meal.  Not so sure this would have even worked.  Alas.  We started with a small serving of spicy lentil soup.  I'd love to know what spices they put in there.  Delicious.

Our first round out was long soft breads that were absolutely out of this world.  Hot warm soft and crusty bread served with a variety of classic Middle Eastern dips. 

With the bread came an eggplant carpaccio that was tasty and fresh.  All the vegetables come directly from their garden.  They do not buy anything at market except for meat and fish.  I really like that. 

Pan fried kale and ground meat with a dollop of ricotta.  This was quite good and different. 

Sliced cuttlefish with onions was very fishy tasting.  Nobody loved this.

Right before they gave us the menus we were each given a spoonful of chopped seviche.  This was just not that interesting.  It was bland and garlicky.  At this point we got our menus and realized we were supposed to order a first course and then a main now.  Set price.  Again I told the people serving us that we were exhausted and would just like to order the second course and would that be okay with them.  She said that it would take the same amount of time so she would just bring out a bunch of the second courses for us to share.  Time wise, this made no difference, which was truly unfortunate.

This particular dish was different.  Carpaccio of rump with chopped vegetables on top.  The meat tasted like it had been cured. 

Sea bass carpaccio with smell red peppercorns was fantastic.  Fresh, flavorful and just the right touch of salt and pepper.

Roasted slices of calamari with slices of fennel.  A nice combination and roasting both the calamari with the fennel creates a nice flavor.

None of the pastas were particularly good.  Gnocchi with a tomato sauce.  The gnocchi were light but not that airy.

Ravioli with a strange tasting tomato sauce.

 

Kale mushroom risotto which was too al dente. 

Finally the main courses came.  Fred and Josh went for the butchers special of the night which was beef.  Different cuts of beef roasted in the oven served with slices of sweet potato and a red wine reduction over the top.  All put together at the table.  It was really delicious.  Each flavor popped and the meat was really good.

Jess has the fish which she enjoyed and I didn't taste.

Em and I split the special chicken.  Juicy, flavorful and well presented but in all honesty I was full and exhausted so it was really hard to enjoy.

We had now been there two and a half hours and dessert was nowhere in sight.  I told them we were done.  Check please and we will pass on dessert.  Even that took a while.  They couldn't have been nicer about it.  The chef was there and he was happy to see us too but dinner was way too long.  After all, we are all spending each day and night with each other.  We didn't need to have a 3 hour meal.  Actually, I am not so sure I need to have a 3 hour meal ever. 

Wrap up on Arcadia.  Some highs, some lows.  Lots of thought goes into preparation.  Love the concept of all vegetables they grow on the premises.  Interesting herbs that are burning when a dish is presented.  Definitely has a Jerusalem old world vibe.  I wish we were given the opportunity to order once we got there so that the flow would have been much quicker and made for a better experience.  I am going to work on telling the people at our next meal, an hour and a half tops and we will be done.

 

 

First night in Jerusalem

Our first night in Jerusalem we took a walking tour of Mt. Zion.  We basically never travel with guides or use a travel agent but for this particular trip we did.  I just didn't know what to expect.  I am very glad we had someone with us in Egypt and Jordan but not so sure it is necessary in Israel.  Although last nights tour was pretty amazing and there is no doubt we would not have learned or did any of the special things we did without guidance. 

We started at the Chamber of the Holocaust Museum where we each were served a glass of an amazing tea made of local herbs.  Then we began our journey.

First stop was at an area where people believe King David was originally buried.  Many candles and lights are left here.  It was really beautiful. We then walked into the area where his actual tomb is afterward which is under going construction.  Women to the left and men to the right with a curtain in between us both.  The candles were much better.


Continued up to the top of one of the roofs to see the sparkling city of Jerusalem below.  I loved how we got from place to place on the rooftops.  Streets down below and in the middle including the rooftops.  Many religions living inside the old city.  You can actually feel the change when you walk from the Jewish area to the Christian area to the Armenian area to the Muslim area. 

Our guide, who actually lived in the Old City for many years, took us into a beautiful garden surrounded by homes.  We wandered through a few adjoining gardens.  The sign in someones window that looks out into the garden read:  the sound of little Jewish children playing is the most beautiful music in the world.  It was like when you walk down the streets in Paris and happen to see a gate open where people live and the inside floor is the same as the street yet there is a tranquil garden in there or even an area where someone parks their car, you have glimpsed into something intimate, someone lives there.  We got the same glimpse of life walking into the home gardens behind the streets of Old Jerusalem. 

Eventually we made our way down the street that leads to the Western Wall.  I wish I could have captured the aroma.  From someones kitchen I could smell a chicken roasting.  It smelled like walking into a Jewish Grandma's home for a family dinner.  The connection between the smell of a chicken dinner and the wall that is thousands of years old as we were wandering around an area with so much history just brings you back right to the present and now.  

Seeing the wall up close vs seeing it in so many pictures is quite powerful.  The girls and I went to the womens area on the right and the boys went to the left.  We each wrote something and put it in the wall.  I am not really a spiritual person and not so sure I am a very religious person either and watching so many completely absorbed in prayer is hard to connect with or frankly understand.  I am Jewish and my connection to my religion is something I definitely think about yet I am a reform Jew.  Being here and seeing people in prayer and seeing the historical sights is something that will probably be something I think about for a very long time.   

jordan to israel

I am going to make this short and sweet because the journey was long and arduous. 

We left Petra this morning and drove over to the Hussein Bridge which sits on the border between Jordan and Israel.  Driving over the mountains was a white knuckle drive.  Their road basically fits one car and is only paved in a few locations.  The dramatic landscape is worthwhile especially the picture above where the volcanic ash meets with the limestone.  It took us not only longer than we wanted to get there seeing camels and bedoins on the way but going through the border patrol was torture.  Not sure I'd recommend going that route.  Nobody was interesting in stamping the passports with any sense of urgency.  You literally go through 4 separate areas checking the passports before they let you to the other side and that is only once you get to the border patrol in Israel.  Won't bore anyone with the patrol on the Jordan side.  Were we on edge?  For sure.

As Jessica put it, it only took us 4 hours (through customs and such) instead of 40 years to get to the Promised Land.  Not so sure any of us have been this happy to get to a new country in our lives.  The driver who met us on the other side was just classic.  We finally get through with our luggage and he looks and says "Wilson family?"  I said "yeah".  He says "thank god..let's go".  Classic. 

We are here, we are happy and seeing Egypt and Jordan before we got to Israeli will put a different persepctive on how we view Israeli.  Next time, we fly in to Israel.

 

 

last night in petra, the sun room

The custom in this part of Jordan (Petra) is when a guest comes to dinner the family sacrifices a lamb or a goat and serves you the entire animal with rice and bread.  You are supposed to eat this with your right hand, no utensils.  Also, they turn down the lights so nobody knows how much or how little you are eating.  I believe there is only one recipe because they serve the same amount to one person or a family of 5. 

Our guide is from Petra and his family lives here as well as hundreds of cousins.  We had dinner at a local restaurant which serves the classic dinner for guests of the area.  I liked the whole concept.  You take the bread and then put the lamb, rice and sauce inside, roll up the bread (crepe), and eat it.  Like eating the Bo Ssam at Momofuko with much different ingredients or like eating mushu pork at a Chinese restuarant.  The dish has rice, lamb and toasted pine nuts.  Everybody wraps!

I thought the food was quite good.  Greens above.  Then the lamb.  Then the yogurt sauce.

Here is the bread which is really big.

Afterward, Fred and I wandered over to the Cave Bar for drink.  The hukkah smells were a bit overwhelming and one drink was all we needed.  A nice end to our journey in Petra. 

Petra

When I told people that I was going to Petra all the responses were the same.  It is amazing, you are going to love it.  I was concerned that I'd be disappointed because of all the praise.  Not the case.  Petra is just amazing.  The history, the beauty, the intensity, just everything. 

We left Amman early stopping midway for tea with dried sage.  Sage is good for the stomach which we could all use a little of since we got here.

Setting out for the walk into Petra around 11ish.  Sun sets at 4ish and it is a long walk in.  You are wowed and continue to be wowed at every turn. 

Walking through the passage way toward the city is beautiful.  Years and years ago there was a earthquake that created the opening that we walked through. Down the sides, at the bottom of the canyons, the people that lived here carved out water catches so that water would flow downward into the city for use.  You can see it on the picture above in the near bottom left corner. 

This is a small place to pray as people would leave the city.  They would also sacrifice their animals here.  You can't see it in this picture but to the right is a fairly large sized hole carved into the wall for the priest to sit in and oversee the prayer site. 

Camels and donkeys are everywhere.

Remember Indiana Jones?  Here is the Temple of Doom.

All of these small holes are burial grounds.

Check out the incredible colors of the rock.  We were standing in a small cave. 

This was a theater.

Fred and Emily left us after lunch.  On the way up to the Mosque, which is the very top of Petra and the end of the trail, Josh, Jessica and I took donkeys up to the top.

Here is the Mosque at the top.  Pretty amazing.  Truth is the pictures don't do Petra justice...at least from my camera. You can capture the size because the people in front look so tiny.

A million people will visit Petra this year.  There are small tents set up by the locals around the trail selling wares.  This is as touristy as it gets.

We walked down.

Locals hanging out with their donkeys hoping we will grab a ride.

Views from the top on the way down.  Quite an incredible day.  It isn't the same but think of the Badlands in South Dakota meet the Grand Canyon in terms of the physical beauty as the basis for a bedoin city that has existed for thousands of years inside that is like nothing else.  People lived in the caves until 1985 when Petra became a UNESCO site.  The people were then moved out of the area.  After the Jordan/Israel treaty in 1994 people began to come here in bigger numbers to see Petra.  Those numbers grow annually.  Although a three hour drive from Amman, it is well worth the journey. 

Memorable is just one word that comes to mind.   

Fakhr El-Din Restaurant, Amman Jordan

Last night our dinner was quite good.  One of the nicest restaurants in Jordan named Fakhr El-Din.  Located in an old neighborhood that appears to be a large home converted into a restaurant.  Service was really good.  We even had a Jordanian red wine which was delicious.  I liked this place and the whole experience.

Each table has this vegetable mixture at the table.  Two heads of lettuce stuffed with carrot sticks and some cucumbers on the side. 

There were also fresh cut tomatoes, zatar (a spice), olive oil and a huge bowl of crushed garlic on the table to begin.  I didn't touch the garlic which was so intense in smell.  A little overpowering for my taste.

I ordered some starters for the table.  Emily bagged this particular dinner.  She needed sleep!  The hummus was incredible.  Really creamy with extra lemon juice and whole beans in the middle.  There was certainly garlic in the hummus but I didn't taste it going down.  I did have a bit of a kick in the middle of the night as I continue to toss and turn getting used to the time period but I dealt.  Tabbolleh salad was really fresh.  Massive chopped parsley.  Nice.  The Armenian salad was my favorite.  I don't usually love mint but this was so good.  Fresh pieces of mint, slices of crunchy small cucumbers and pieces of tomatoes.  This salad really cleansed the mouth.  Also the ingredients tasted like they had been picked from a garden just before they were served to us.

This was a stuffed spinach onion mixture.  The pastry was too thick and had very little flavor. 

Warm broad beans and olive oil.  I didn't love this either.  Just not that interesting.

Josh and Jessica each ordered this dish.  I believe it is called Fatteh (not sure I spelled that right).  Chicken, rice, crispy pieces of pita bread baked in a yogurt sauce.  It wasn't what they were expecting but it was quite delicious and different.  Less yogurt would have been better but it wasn't as heavy as it looks.

I had simple grilled lamb chops with a piece of pita covered with spicy paprika.  Simple.

Fred had a pounded boneless chicken breast grilled.  Also really well done. I guess French fries are universal. 

For dessert we something we have seen everywhere.  A creamed mixture covered with a crispy rice and pistachios on top.  Very good.

This was interesting too.  Almost like a soft cannelloni with a whipped cream cheese topped with crushed pistachios and then a simple sugar to pour over the top.  This didn't have as much flavor as the first one but I liked it.

I liked the simplicity of the food, the vibe, the service and the different flavors that gave everything a Middle Eastern taste. 

Jordan

We got up at the ungodly hour of 5am to get grab a plane to Amman, Jordan.  We definitely did not need to get up that early but that is another story on to itself.  I might need a vacation after this vacation.

Getting through customs alone was interesting.  Cultures are so different.  If you thought NYers were pushy, loud and cut in line think again and take a trip to the Middle East.  A whole different ball game. 


We made our way directly up to Mt. Nebo where it is believed that it was here where Moses saw the Promised Land.  It is beautiful up there and gives you a really interesting perspective of how close all the Middle Eastern countries are to each other.  It takes only 6 hours to drive across the entire country of Jordan.  There is smog but you can see the Dead Sea.

There is a church on top going through construction and these mosaics are part of it.  Incredible pieces of work now housed in a small tent outside the church. 

We drove back through Amman stopping for lunch at a Jordanian fast food shop called Daya'a.

Not bad actually.  Sliced chicken from the large rotisseries rolled up in a pita bread with pickles and a spicy sauce.  Comes back at you later but not bad going down. 

Our next ride was to Jerash.  One of the world's best preserved Roman provincial cities.  The Decapolis trading League city of Gerasa dating back thousands of years. 

This is the gates to the city. 

Here is where the Chariots rode. 

There is a small restaurant on the site where coffee was so in order.

Here is the theater.  The acoustics are incredible.  You can literally whisper from the center of the stage and you can hear someone speak anywhere in the stands.  If you put your head in those small holes behind Josh when you speak there is an echo.  Those must help with the acoustics.

We were given a small performance.

The marketplace.

Unbelievable how ornate the tops of the columns are and continue to stand today after earthquakes and so much time.

Definitely worth the journey.  An unbelievable city.  Quite large in scope and gives you a true perspective of what life might have been like thousands of years ago.

Back to the hotel for a little relaxation and then out to dinner.  Tomorrow, Petra. 

 

 

cairo

We left for Cairo on Saturday night.  After a harrowing week, I literally slept 18 of the past 24 hours on planes and once we got to Cairo.  I am still in a daze.  It is good to be out of the norm of every day to reflect and think differently. 


Our first day was a whirlwind.  Of course the first stop was the pyramids.  They are so awesome.  Huge and just a wow.  This is the largest pyramid in Giza.

The other pyramids in Giza were built for the children of the family.  The largest one of course being for the father.  You can see the one in the back which is more like what I expected a pyramid to look like.  Very triangular vs the largest one which isn't as precise.

Looking up at the pyramid gives you a better visual of how huge it is.  It consists of 2.3 million limestone blocks.

We walked below into a hieroglyphics which had a variety of etchings about the families buried in the area.  Supposedly Obama had come here and thought this particular symbol looked just like him.

The Sphynx is on the otherside of the pyramids.  Pretty wild. 

Our next stop was for something to eat.  I might be regretting that now.  Fast food falafel, think McDonalds of Cairo. 

On the side were some pickled vegetables that were terrible.  Spicy and weird tasting.

Like McDonald's, the lima bean falafel actually was quite good going down.

The area of old Cairo has a bunch of winding streets with walls that aren't very high.  We went to see the Ben Ezra Synagogue as well as one of the oldest churches in the area.  The Jewish population at this point in Cairo is relatively nill although there are over 12 million people living in Cairo and Egypt grows at a pace of a million more people every 9 months. 

En route to the Mosque, I had to stop at this bakery.  The smells were delicious.  Cumin bread sticks.

Huge pretzels, cookies, rolls.

This was particularly good.  The middle tasted like cinnamon sugar bread.

Next door was a spice and bean store.

Down the way was a store where people to go to get their portraits taken.

FInally made our way to the Mosque which is quite huge and beautiful.

Interior is just spacious with beautiful lighting and stained glass.

The rug is blocked out like this so people can stay in line when praying.

Our last stop of the day was the Egyptian Museum where all the contents of the pyramids are kept.  Built in 1901.  No cameras allowed inside.

We crawled back to the hotel.  Big naps coming.