Zahav

Reviews 3

GA

Gale Hess

Reservations seem a must, at least on Mothers Day :) Zhava is unique to this area and still ably manages a good job of balancing fresh/local, and traditional ingredients, which are pleasantly sometimes one and the same. We opted for the tasting menu but I expect a lighter palate would do well to take part of some portions home, to enjoy later. The Riesling Trocken 2014 Pfalz, and Pinot Noir were AMAZING! Very good wines. There are nice biers as well, local to international... Abbaye De St Bon Chien for $42 (25oz). Staff were quite attentive and kept an eye on our needs at all times. In less than a minute of my noting 2 or 3 considerations, they were on site to serve. 6 preparations/dishes for hummus included some welcome, limited veggies. I think they can customize several menu options to the vegan style, with few mods: Parsley/tabouli; Roast Red Beet/‘gurt/?; Carrot/spice(y/es); Baba Ganoush; 2 more. Hummus was delightfully spread thin, peppered and oiled on a medium-size plate (gorgeous, lite style preso.) Plus 2 large Latkfa bread (replenished by our hostess/waitress, when she noted it was GONE ha) Mezze plates: Kibbe Naya/Lamb Tartare: Bulgur, Lamb Bacon, Harif?- Lamb Bacon (enough said, for all the Bacon-Heads) :) Fried Potatoes: White Anchov., Sheep Chs., ?- Favorite of ours and neighboring table as well. Chicken Grape Leaves: Succulent Chicken!, Almond, Amber Sauce, Harissa Tehina- Exceptional Smoked Sable: Egg, Challah toast, Ramps- A very mild meld of flavors in a fun stacked, with the egg cleverly hidden in the contemporary style presentation. Al Haesh plates: Sirloin Shishlik: Amba, Pickled Apricot- Tender, tasty, a bit burnt on top (on point). Duck Kabab: Pistachio Schug, Castelvetrano Olive- The duck version of meatballs, and quite good with a solid dose of creativity. Not boring, while retaining a pleasant manner. The Coffee Cream was gorgeous and decadent. I was blown away by the presentation and the tactile experience. Flamed exterior gave way to creamy, bean essence and smooth finish. The Pistachio cake was well presented, but perhaps a bit wet, and according to my wife, it was overpowered by the lemon peal according to my wife. I found the lemon to be perfect, not standing out in any harsh way. It’s nearly spectacular, not sure... maybe my appetite was sated by this point :) My wife said it was the best meal shes had. It was indeed a great experience and worth trying. So, I guess that means it was a successful Mothers Day event. We will return and will bring friends. Thank you! Im posting a bit much because this area is a gem, and I had to make up an itinerary after not finding a similar resource. We had a great trip after parking at 2nd/Lombard. We walked N through the Shambles, picking up St. Peters Way until its terminus near Zahav (100% legit!). Check out the Physick House, and walk up to Elfreths Alley (oldest occupied city street in USA 1702, Old Oraibi in Az is oldest (far older, >~1100 inhabited settlement/non-street), the harbor (over viaduct on the east end of Walnut). Parking garages seem to run ~$20 for 3 hours, we luckily took 1st spot we saw, paying ~$5. Parking around Society Hill is not a good bet, at least not on Mothers Day ha.

PE

Penn Appétit

Zahav was completely booked for the first “round” of restaurant week, but the hostess called me back to let me know that they were going to extend the special menu—I was so excited! Zahav is a modern-Israeli restaurant on St. James place, which is near 2nd and Chestnut. While farther than I would normally venture for dinner—although still not terribly far—it was 100 percent worth it. Zahav offered an amazing special menu: hummus and laffa and a collection of 8 salads for the table, a choice of 2 appetizers (out of 10), choice of 1 entrée (out of 6), and a choice of 1 dessert (out of 3). The menu was very extensive and I went with an adventurous friend who also wanted to try everything, so we had the waiter advise us on what to order. The waiter was extremely helpful and chose the perfect menu for us… We started with the hummus, which I can honestly say was the best hummus I have ever eaten, and it came with laffa, which is similar to pita bread and cooked in a wood-burning oven. The selection of eight salads included delicious baba ghanoush, seasoned carrots, tabouleh, and spiced chickpeas. For the second course, I loved the fried cauliflower and the Maluach (a crispy, twice-baked flatbread thats layered with French butter), which was accompanied with a fresh, chunky tomato sauce. The crispy haloumi--a cypriotic sheep’s milk cheese--was served with pine nuts and a date puree and was my friend’s favorite dish. For the third course, we chose the house made Merguez, which is a lamb skewer that came with traditional cous cous and a spicy sauce, and the Sabra, which was a perfectly seasoned and cooked chicken, sliced and served with onions and Israeli cous cous, which we learned is made with larger grains than standard cous cous. The waiter suggested that my friend and I both order the Cashew Baklava for dessert, because it is that good. We should have listened. The lemon-poppy upside down cake, with a cucumber sorbet was wonderful and refreshing, but the baklava was out of this world. The baklava was not too salty and not too sweet, full of flavor and paired with a delicious white chocolate ice cream and a berry compote. Every dish at Zahav was prepared with the freshest ingredients, with dynamic combinations and flavors. The restaurant is spacious and has a lovely, relaxed décor. I would recommend this place to anyone looking to go out with good group of friends, so that you can try as many dishes as you can! While Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food is not generally my favorite, Zahav was one of the best dining experiences—from start to finish—that I have ever had in Philadelphia, and I plan to go back as soon as possible. --Caroline Murray

A

A Private User

The worst thing that can happen for any restaurant like Zahav is to have too many people write hyperbolic reviews making claims that "everyone" is going to "love" the food, decor and service. The truth is, in my and my dining partners experience, this is a fine little restaurant with some unique food. Its an entirely up and down experience, however. Now, the best of that unique food comes at the very beginning of the meal. The salatim salads are the smallest plates Ive ever seen placed in front of me (you would most likely think they were condiments if it werent explained to you). Though they are mostly excellent, you generally dont get enough forkfuls to know if you really love them. That being said, the laffa and hummus are out of this world. Then again, for the three of us who dined together, two pieces of flatbread left us fighting for more, and licking the hummus from our fingers (and yes, those two pieces of flatbread did represent a three-person order). Dinner was also an up-and-down experience. The vegetarian dishes and lighter fare were almost always spot-on, while the lamb was often dry and/or overcooked. The duck was a 65% glob of chewy fat with no resemblance to the juicy, crispy delicacy it usually represents at other establishments. Dessert was... hmmm, thats interesting, I dont even remember dessert. I guess that tells you a lot. Oh, yes, the chocolate semifreddo was quite good. The warm chocolate cake was very tasty, but served at room temperature, not warm by any stretch of the imagination. And my--no, I still dont remember what I had. Service was average, but nothing special, and restaurants that are supposed to be excellent should do a better job of training their waitstaff to be communicative and friendly, not merely capable. Perhaps had we not gone into this restaurant believing Zahav was going to be golden as its name suggests (and as the many golden reviews seem to attest), we would have enjoyed a decent little expensive experience. But one should not go here expecting something fantastic, unless perhaps youve never had middle-eastern food before, or succulent duck, tasty lamb, decent portion sizes or actually warm chocolate desserts. PS) When we called for a reservation, we were told that 5:00 and 9:30 were their only openings. When we arrived at 5, and left circa 7, there were the same 4 or 5 empty tables surrounding us. Did they think we were going to feel lucky to get any reservation at all, and therefore be more pleased with our dining experience?