Trey Popp didn’t dislike his food at Zahav but that doesn’t mean he didn’t have some issues with the modern Israeli restaurant.

What disappointed me about my $300 meal at Zahav is that it offered meager food for thought. At that price, I expect dishes that expand my culinary horizons, or at least provoke discussion. What I got instead was skillfully prepared food that didn’t move me.

Worth Your Weight? [City Paper]
Zahav [Official Site]

Adam Erace visits Zahav and enjoys a restaurant that meets the hype.

Roast chicken is done justice with an air-chilled Canadian bird, 24-hour brine, za’atar massage and 15 minutes over open coals. The result is juicy and crispy in all the right places, with sumac onions and tangy green tehina keeping your tongue at attention.

Served for two, the whole chicken is one of three entree choices for the pre-fixe Mesibah (“Party Time”) menu. Salatim (“salads”) kick off the par-tay, seven Israeli tapas that range from everyday (sauteed potatoes, mushy eggplant) to inspired (cuminy Moroccan carrots and candy-sweet roasted red peppers). Hummus follows, then two mezes of the kitchen’s choosing, entree and dessert. Request the New School, a blockbuster of fried shredded phyllo, labneh ice cream, pistachios, Valrhona chocolate and kumquat syrup. It’s as innovative as this motherland tribute gets—except on Thursday nights when Solomonov does a modern Israeli menu in the Quarter, the restaurant’s 24-seat private dining room.

Zahav [Philadelphia Weekly]
Zahav [Official Site]

The Quarter, Chef Michael Solomonov’s exploration of modern Middle Eastern cuisine at Zahav will begin dinner service every Thursday, starting on June 26th. There will be two different six-course menus: a Chef’s Tasting and a Vegetable Tasting.

Highlights include Sweetbreads with crispy chicken skin and tehina and Eggplant “Al Ha’esh” with sesame and almond puree. Sounds like at one side of the table will be grossed out by the other! The cost is $65 per person, $100 with wine pairings and seating is limited.

June 26th menus after the jump.

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Next Friday, April 25th Zahav will be open to the public for a reception in conjunction with a photographic exhibition by Michael T Regan. The event is from 6 to 9pm and is free to attend. NOTE: This is just a sneak peek. The actual restaurant opening will happen in the first week of May. [Food & Drinq]

In other Zahav news, The Making of Zahav blog has the drink menu and Philly.com has a video on just how three of those cocktails came to be, including GM Max Shapiro’s Philadelphian take on the Manhattan, the 6th Borough.

Zahav [Official Site]

Craig LaBan visits Shundeez in Chestnut Hill for some affordable and tasty Persian food.

Kabobs are this menu’s best bets, which makes sense, considering it was named after a town in Iran renowned for its kabobs.

All are carefully cooked over a grill that avoids getting too hot, and come over a bed of fluffy basmati, topped with a stripe of saffron-tinged grains and melted butter.

But the secret to these meats, it seems, is in the onion juice, which provides milky zest to marinades without the onion’s pungent zap. It seems to amplify the saffron and otherwise simple seasonings in the moist chicken kabob. It also lends extra depth to a filet mignon that is flattened and grilled along the wide skewer (ours was a bit overcooked, but still tasty).

Two Bells – Very Good

Shundeez [Philadelphia Inquirer]
Shundeez Restaurant [Official Site]

Mac & Cheese may not love the hummus at the Sansom Kabob House but she sure likes the dipping sauce that comes with the pita.

I’m not one to dip bread in fine olive oil at Italian restaurants and discern the regional nuances – it tastes like oil – but this I’ll stick bread in. The sauce (don’t know its name) that accompanies the hummus is oily, herby, tangy, and spicy. This sauce tastes like pickle juice with heat, and is balanced with olive oil.

Sansom Kabob House [Mac & Cheese]
Sansom Kabob House [Official Site]

The chicken shawarma sandwich from the Pita Pocket might be the Bite’s current craving but there are serious contenders to that throne on the menus at Sonam and the Ugly American.

The Bite appears every Wednesday in the Metro and is written by Foobooz editor Arthur Etchells

The Bite: Fried, roasted or on a spit, it’s all delectable [Metro Philadelphia]

On Thursday, September 27th Executive Chef Michael Solomonov will hold a Modern meets Classic Middle Eastern dinner at Marigold Kitchen. Inspired by Solmnov’s recent trip to Israel & Turkey, Marigold will be offering a three course meal & dessert for just $50.

Menu after the jump.

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Rick Nichols has been on a shawarma quest since he first tasted the Middle Eastern sandwich on the streets of Moscow, yes Moscow!

Most recently he tried to recreate that taste of “Russian spring” at Mama’s Grill on South Street.

This is the venture of Shauli David, 26, whose father owns Mama’s Vegetarian, at 18 S. 20th St., where David says Israeli customers started asking for shawarma. Each day now he marinates chicken and turkey thighs with seasonings (cumin, paprika, salt and pepper), slow-roasting layers of them next to the glowing vertical heaters.

He personally bakes the puffy pita pockets (wheat and white) downstairs. The shop also makes most of its salads and spreads – hummus and pickled cucumber, tart cabbage slaw, and a great eggplant salad and spicy lemons spiked with garlic and paprika. David eats his own shawarma with tahini sauce, onion and pickled cucumber. I have mine one evening with all that, plus the cabbage slaw that provides nice crunch and the bright eggplant salad that helps to moisten the stuffing of chicken.

On South St., a remembered taste [Philadelphia Inquirer]

Craig LaBan visits Maccabeam at 128 S 12th Street and tries the turkey shawarma sandwich.

Laffa is a staple in Israel and allows for larger wrap-style sandwiches than the typical pita. Still warm and fresh from the oven, they have a stretchy consistency that makes the perfect, pliant container for Maccabeam’s fragrant and juicy turkey shawarma sandwiches.

Good Taste [Philadelphia Inquirer]