Shwarma with Napkins?!

Here's a positive review of an upscale Israeli restaurant in Park Slope, land of strollers and wealthy young folk. My first reaction was: it's about friggin time. Israeli food can be so satisfying when done right - fresh ingredients, sublime grilling of everything from meat to eggplant, the intermingling of tangy and spicy tastes, the vibrant colors - pure perfection. Don't get me wrong, I know Israeli cooking is no culinary Mount Everest (when was the last time you tasted chick-pea foam?), but the food from the holy land deserves respectable surroundings, not the usual sweaty falafel shacks dotting American cities with Jewish communities. You know what I'm referring to - the mean waitresses, unkempt salad/condiment bar, the heat from the shwarma spit, and no attention to decor.

So bravo to this Miriam restaurant, though I find it interesting that they list their wines from Israel as being from "South Europe." I thought Israel was in the Middle East. Even the UN thinks so. And it doesn't really help Israel's cause to be grouped in Europe, just ask neighbor Turkey.