QUICK NEWS & NOTES:

Olive Cafe has replaced the name of Natural Village Cafe on Avenue I, off McDonald Avenue.  The new name will bring a new menu, with more of a focus on raw and organic dishes. Stay tuned for more details.

Brooklyn Upscale Pizza Store Opens
Posh Tomato is located on the corner of Avenue M and East 17th.  They only serve pizza (different varieties) but in an authentic thin Italian-style. The early feedback is very positive.

Occupy Wall Street-Milk Street Cafe Update:

Well, the barriers were down, and the tents were gone, but hopefully today's protest won't keep hurting Milk Street Cafe, which is trying to get back to full strength.

5 Towns: After a fire in the basement of Gourmet Glatt, the supermarket is back open.     

Brooklyn Opening:  Bagels n Greens- After one location on 18th Avenue in Boro Park, this stylish cafe is about to open on Coney Island Avenue (between Avenue J and K)

Park City, Utah Opening:

Bistro at Canyons- Kosher on the Slopes: This snow-resort kosher restaurant is the first of its kind in the U.S. serving up modern American kosher cuisine throughout the ski and snowboard season. To-Go Breakfast & Lunch meals are offered and full waiter service Dinner and Shabbat meals are served. Under the Kashruth Council of Canada. Click here for menu and more info.

HELP WANTED:

Manhattan

* Midtown restaurant looking for an experienced manager and or chef for new vegetarian fast food concept. Please send resume to newtonycfood@gmail.com

* Upper West Side restaurant seeking mashgiach for the morning.  Call 917-535-0639 if qualified. 

Brooklyn

Center for Kosher Culinary Arts

Looking for a kitchen manager. Someone who is passionate about food and interested in a career in the food business, email: info@kosherculinaryarts.com

* Flatbush restaurant looking for Chef/line cook.   

Must be able to cook fish/ pasta and able to manage kitchen crew and inventory. Must have food protection certificate. Also able to create new menu items as well as daily/ weekly specials. 

Email: Sfedida@gmail.com or call 201-832-6100

El Gaucho Glatt

1) Assistant to the cook, preferable Shomer Shabbat.  Remuneration according to experience.

2) Server- Minimum experience 1 year in fine dining restaurant. Resume may be sent to Shmuel at: elgauchoglatt@yahoo.com

 

Las Vegas
Area restaurant looking for mashgiach - $10 per hour.  Email raita@rnav.com if interested ASAP.

CELEBRATE ISRAEL AT OUR ANNUAL PARADE UP FIFTH AVENUE

JCRC-NY invites you to the 2011 Celebrate Israel Parade on Sunday, June 5! The Parade runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. along Fifth Avenue in Manhattan between 57^th and 74^th Streets.

This year’s celebration will be bigger and better than ever, with lively floats, marching bands, top Israeli and American musical acts, celebrity appearances and a number of other exciting additions suitable for all ages.

WHO:       More than 30,000 marchers and tens of thousands of spectators – including you!

WHAT:     Celebrate Israel Parade

WHERE: Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, between 57^th and 74^th Streets

WHEN:     Sunday, June 5; 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Rain or Shine!

The Parade’s new name reflects how it is now part of the larger Celebrate Israel Project, a new partnership between JCRC-NY, UJA-Federation of New York, the Consulate General of Israel in New York and Israel’s Ministry of Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs aimed at honoring the impact the State of Israel has on the lives of New Yorkers. In addition to a new name, the Parade has a new logo, conceived by famed graphic designer Milton Glaser, displaying the strong connection that American Jews have to the State of Israel.

Parade day kicks off with the Celebrate Israel Run at 9:00 a.m. in Central Park.  For more information and to register for the Run, please go to http://www.nyrr.org/races/2011/r0605x00.asp.

For more information, please contact JCRC-NY at info@jcrcny.org or call 212-983-4800.

See you there!

Click here to open this newsletter.

SCHMOOZE LUNCH 2011

 

Click above to see a larger image of the photo spread 

This past Tuesday was the opening luncheon to the annual conference called Schmooze where hundreds of producers and directors from Jewish Community centers around the globe gather with their colleagues'. This luncheon combined a unique combination of the best in kosher cuisine and Jewish Culture.

Seven top chefs prepared Kosher cuisine which were paired with seven kosher wines and seven different artists from different disciplines.  So, while nibbling on arugula salad, everyone enjoyed comedy by Jackie Hoffman, who confessed that these days "it's not always easy to find kosher 'ah rugela'!"

In addition to comedy, other genres were covered - including dance, theater, music, literature, photography and film. As an interesting side effect of bringing together different restaurants, a last-minute decision took the chili and chocolate short ribs off the menu so as not to mix it with the cheesecake dessert. Instead, the ribs were made available for a late afternoon snack. The Schmooze Conference continued after
the lunch was over and everyone got to go home with a free
Great Kosher Restaurants Magazine. The event was coordinated by Michael Dorf and City Winery.

The following courses were served: 
1) Grandma's Poached Pear and Arugula Salad by owner
Scott Magram of My Most Favorite Food

2) Mixed greens, consisting of Arugula, endive, tot soi, mizuna, accented with micro basil and popcorn shoots and accompanied by confit tomatoes, roasted pickled beets and grilled portobellos. Dressing was lemon shallot vinaigrette by

Chef Boris Poleschuk; Pomegranate consultant & recent  

"Hell's Kitchen" contestant

3) Abigael's Green Tea Noodles with Wok-Charred Vegetables in a Lemongrass Vinaigrette by Chef Jeff Nathan of Abigaels

4) Yemenite Mushroom koogle, by Chef Mike Gershkovitz of Mike's Bistro

5) Almond cake topped with a razor thin slice of kiwi encased in a sparkling wine and mango puree gelee. The dish was garnished with a mango mint slaw, a dolop of whipped cream and almond tuile by Director Jesse Blonder & Chef Philippe Kaemmerle of Center for Kosher Culinary Arts

6) A special cheesecake dessert by Manna Catering

7) Short ribs with a chili and chocolate sauce, with winter root vegetables by Chef Seth Warshaw of ETC Steakhouse (served later in the day)  

SOUTH FLORIDA:
STATE-OF-THE-RESTAURANT ADDRESS

Hello all,

Well, I just got back from Miami at 2:00 this morning and boy, do I have a lot to tell you.  South Florida has always been very seasonal for restaurants but for some reason this year there is so much more activity.  Restaurants switching locations, expanding, adding locations - you name it, Miami is doing it.

Where do I start?  Let's see.. and try to follow.  Gourmet Carrot in South Beach moved to the Aventura Waterways where Pita Hut used to be (which used to be La Valentina, which used to be Prime Grill).
West Avenue Cafe has replaced Gourmet Carrot in South Beach.

Then Pita Hut, which already has a location on 41st Street, moved out of the Waterways and into North Miami, taking off for the now closed Yotvata.  Jona's Pizza and Jona's Grill in North Miami is opening a pizza store on 41st Street, on the same block as Shem Tov, no less.  Meanwhile, Shem Tov will be going under a major renovation as they expand into the location of Kosher World, calling it "Beyond: Pizza & Wine" while keeping the name of ShemTov (they will have extra seating for Yeshiva Week). Staying around 41st Street, there is 41 on the Bay in Tower 41, run by David Nesser & Greenwald Caterers; Europa Grill is in the Days Inn; Asi's Grill took over Mr. Chopstick on Royal Palm Avenue; Pistachio Gourmet Grill took over Sam's Deli as a nice upgrade; and Prime Sushi, with a location on 41st Street, has been getting rave reviews from their second location in Sunny Isles Beach.

Meanwhile, Chai Wok, which is partly-owned by the same people as Jerusalem Pizza on 163rd in North Miami, is now in the former location of Fu Xing. And Sara's Restaurant on 123rd Street lives on...well kind of. The owners of The Fresh Diet and now the newly addedThe Kosher Fresh Diet has taken over the institution restaurant, calling it The Fresh Cafe.  In fact, in the next several months, they will be opening up a meat restaurant next door, called The Fresh Deli. And Bissaleh which used to be a Miami institution of its own, closed last year, but has re-opened under new ownership but in a tiny location, in the same complex as Prime Sushi and Lul Café.

And rumor has it that there is a nice dairy restaurant opening up in the Loehmann's Plaza on Biscayne and 187th behind Publix - but I drove around and couldn't find anything, so I'll keep an eye out for that.

And of course, you still have all the established restaurants that have been consistently good over the years:  Rare Steakhouse, Cine Citta, Thai Treat, Grill Time, Café Emunah, etc.

By the way, when you're in Florida - please let them know you heard about them from us.

And of course, we have discounted certificates to many of these Florida restaurants.  Click here to find out about who's been added to the list.

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: Wing Wan in North Miami is no longer kosher.  However, their sign still appears and I have heard stories of people walking in and g-d forbid, eating there.  So be careful and do not go in. Thank you, Linda S.
 

So you got all this?  Now tell all your friends. And if that was confusing,
I have broken down the restaurant scene by location below with the restaurants featured on our website and our award-winning pictures!


So until next time, be sure to save a seat for me at the table -
hopefully on Tuesday.



Elan Kornblum

"The Restaurant Guy"
Publisher & President
Great Kosher Restaurants Magazine
www.GreatKosherRestaurants.com
www.VIPKosherCreditCard.com

Phone: (718) 336-4201

Fax:     (718) 336-4203

Cell:     (917) 370-2153
 

"GREAT KOSHER" FLORIDA RESTAURANTS

Click here to see all of our South Florida restaurants at-a-glance or click on the individual restaurants below for pictures and menus.

SOUTH BEACH

West Avenue Cafe

Seventeen Restaurant

41^st STREET

41 on the Bay

Asi's Grill - (NEW) click here for menu

Rare Steakhouse

Prime Sushi

Pistachio Gourmet Grill - (NEW) click here for menu

COLLINS AVENUE

Europa Grille - (NEW) click here for menu

China Kikar Tel Aviv

SURFSIDE

Cine Citta Caffe

Cine Citta Grill

NORTH MIAMI

The Fresh Cafe (NEW- former Sara's) Click here for menu

Thai Treat

Grill Time

Shalom Haifa

Jona's Grill & Bar

Ritz Restaurant

SUNNY ISLES / WATERWAYS

Prime Sushi

Lul Cafe

China Bistro

Weber Cafe

HOLLYWOOD / FORT LAUDERDALE

Mozart Cafe

Cafe Emunah

BOCA RATON

Grill Time

The following restaurants are open for Shabbat meals:

41 on the Bay (Friday night & Shabbat afternoon)

China Kikar Tel Aviv (Friday night & Shabbat afternoon)

Europa Grille (Friday night, Shabbat afternoon & Se'udat Shlishit)

Rare Steakhouse (Friday night only)

Asi's Grill (Friday night only)

Cake was featured in a recent party, for the release of the new magazine.
Gives new meaning to the words: "Picture looks so good, I can eat it"

FEATURE STORY:

Just wanted to acknowledge today's
N.Y. Times article found on page A19,
where the "Next Great Kosher Chef" Challenge was featured. 

I was honored to be a judge, alongside Seth Warshaw of Etc. Steakhouse and Jamie Geller, of the "Quick and Kosher" Cookbook.
 
The contest was coordinated and sponsored by the Center for Kosher Culinary Arts in Brooklyn. The three finalists were under intense pressure and they should all be proud of themselves, especially winner, Jasmine Einalhori, age 22.

Click here for the full article - http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/13/nyregion/13kosher.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=kosher%20chef&st=cse

Click here for the Photo Slide Show.

We will notify you when and where the episode will be airing.