I'm not sure you can define a trend based on two incidents, but when two respectful restaurants offer you a boiled dinner while the temperatures outside are climbing, it must mean something. Is the new summer trend to boil on the inside as well as the outside? I don't get it, but judging by the quality of what I had at NG, maybe they're on to something.
Rewind a minute – the reason why we went to this temple of meat at Neve Tzedek was the new specials. Two new courses appeared on the menu: a Double T-Bone Steak (140 NIS) and a lamb fillet (150 NIS), which was a narrow meat rib steak, which took a lot of effort to detach from the bone. Both courses are unusual, so this was a real culinary adventure for a carnivore like me.
Since our goal was predetermined, we knew exactly which entrées to choose. The appetizers provided a bigger variety, in the form of IPA pie (36 NIS) – a casserole of entrecote with root vegetables and chestnuts in Indian Pale Ale (IPA) of the Dancing Camel, the local brewery, all in a red pot covered in pastry dough. Quite a challenge. Luckily we were right under the AC and even asked to raise the temperature before the next course, which made us realize this was a marketing strategy. Apart from the pie, which was delicious, we had the Green Hill (38 NIS) – a refreshing summer salad of diced herbs with walnuts, orange and chilly vinaigrette, and whole shrimps, and the Eggplant Salsa (35 NIS) – long eggplant slices with goat cheese, tomato salsa and cilantro and mint sauce. One word – respect!
After we dealt with that climatic challenge, we proceeded to the main event. The Double T-Bone included two fillets and sirloin steaks connected at the bone with sweet orange and mint sauce, which we skipped. This is a juicy and tasty course meant for true carnivorous meat lovers. The point is to get the marrow and clean out the bones (don't worry – you get a washcloth at the end of the meal). The Lamb fillet is unequal and so harder to grill. The thicker part, closer to the tail, is cartilaginous but fatter and has a stronger taste of meat. It came with white wine sauce, chestnuts, beef broth and cream, which was good, but was skipped as well. The excellent mashed potatoes with sweet potato cream and green vegetables were surprisingly devoured whole.
The T-Bone was the righteous winner and the Merlot Barbedo (44 NIS per glass, 175 NIS per bottle) gave it a good final touch.
The desserts were also upgraded and renewed at NG. We tried the Tiramisu (38 NIS) with the crunchy dough crumbs, which was delicious. We stayed by the bar for a while, laid back and indulged in the after math of the meal. We fantasized about the next time we'll encounter such high quality meat, breathed in the AC and stepped outside into the heat.
*The writer dined at the restaurant.