Zahav in Pictures

Zahav.  It's not a new restaurant.  We've been there before.  But it's run by a James Beard award winner.  And we love it.  So we returned.  

It's up on a hill.

Best start to a meal: chewy fresh laffa bread and a giant bowl of creamy, salty tahini hummus.

Salatim: Eight salads (shared by up to 4 people).  Pickled turnips and a simple carrot salad were our faves. 

My portion of laffa and about 1/3 of the salads I ate.  Funny that neither of my favorites show up on the plate- I ate them straight out of the bowls.  Oops.

Crispy haloumi with peaches and corn.  Salty fried cheese is always a winner.  The simple corn salad surprisingly held its own against the cheese- a little sweetness goes a long way.

Tomato soup with spiced lamb, pine nuts, and zucchini.  Way better than Campbell's and great for this cooler weather we've been having. 

Crispy veal sweetbreads with zucchini baba ganoush and corn vinaigrette.  The friedness on these was magically soft and crispy at the same time.  Tasted a little like fried oysters. 

House smoked sable on top of Texas toast  challah bread.  The flaky chunks of lightly smoked fish are hiding the fried egg embedded in the bread.  This would make a perfect breakfast.

Kofte.  Cumin-spiced ground beef + lamb meatballs atop sauteed carrots and peppers.

Hanger steak between eggplant puree and eggplant hash.  All I remember is the salt. So salty.

Crispy sea bream.  Cooked perfectly- crackly skin and flaky fish.  Black-eyed peas + green beans + tomatoes were spicy.

The inside space.  Semi-open kitchen, huge open room, minimal decor.  Ceiling lighting makes it feel like a movie set.

Almond-apricot rugelach with honey roasted apricot (great) and rosewater sorbet (great if you like eating soap). Almond paste inside the pastries kept them from being too light.

Kataifi.  Crispy, sugared shredded wheat encasing dark chocolate mousse.  Ultra thick labeneh ice cream was like a dense ball of cool yogurt.  A had to defend this from multiple attempted attacks by my spoon.

Solid dinner with friends, unique dining experience, good service considering it is Restaurant Week (this tasting menu is only $1 more during non-RW weeks).  Weird music, a lot of salt, and the fact that it was past my bedtime on a Sunday kept this from being a five-star meal.

Zahav
Walnut Street between 2nd and 3rd