Israel Travel 2011
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
February 3, 2011 cjnews.com T Page 27 THE CANADIAN JEWISH NEWS ISRAEL TRAVEL A beginner’s brief guide to Jerusalem Stav Shapir After soaking in so much culture, you © Ha’aretz Daily Newspaper Ltd. might want to grab a good cup of tea or coffee, or a little something sweet. Here, for the beginner, is a very short guide So, with your sugar levels high, making to several locations in the capital of Israel. you feel young and energetic once more, hop across the road to the Nachlaot sraelis and tourists alike descend upon neighbourhood, a bohemian enclave Jerusalem. where students are in the majority. An I If you don’t know where to begin, early evening stroll through those magical here, for the beginner tourist, is a short alleyways is the perfect way to end a day guide to several locations in one of the in Jerusalem. hottest spots in the Middle East. * * * One of the most vital and colourful Readers of the popular travel website places in Jerusalem is the Mahane Yehuda Trip Advisor have ranked Jerusalem among market, in the centre of town. Here, you can their Top 10 culture and sightseeing desti- stock up on local fruit and vegetables, gorge nations in the world, above London, Istan- on candy to your sweet tooth’s content, bul and Venice. and devour a fresh plate of hummus to The readers ranked the Italian city of keep you satisfied for hours. Florence in the first place, followed by Not only will your taste buds be stimu- Washington D.C., Rome and Paris. Jeru- lated in this vivacious market place: the salem was ranked seventh and described colourful vendors will almost certainly as having profound cultural and historical give you a chance to get in touch with the The Mahane Yehuda market significance. “stereotypical” Israeli – friendly, loud and Walking down the Via Dolorosa will give and grand collection of both local and in- “Plan on seeing the major sights,” the always willing to haggle. The market is open you a step-by-step guide to the Christian ternational art. This museum has works website suggests, “but also leave plenty from dawn to dusk, peaking in adrenaline history in the city of white stone. Later, a on exhibit ranging from impressionists of time to walk through the streets and on Friday afternoons ahead of the Sabbath, stroll through the Armenian Quarter to the to modernists and contemporary pieces, simply immerse yourself in the daily life when thousands rush to the stalls to stock Western Wall will offer you the chance to as well as a plethora of historical artifacts of such an ancient and revered place.” up on goodies for the weekend. fight for the right to find a crack in Juda- dating back more than 4,000 years. Trip Advisor is a free website that pro- After your hunger has been satiated and ism’s holiest site in which you can offer up When you are finished at the museum, vides extensive and in-depth travel in- your thirst has been quenched, you should your prayers. cut across the green parks to check out Is- formation on destinations all around the be prepared to brave the Old City for a little If you have had enough of the hustle rael’s Knesset building, whether you want globe. Site users can find reader reviews, taste of Jerusalem’s loaded history and reli- and bustle of the city, take a visit to the to enjoy the view, or try to get a glimpse of travel forums and tips. Readers provide gious significance. Israel Museum and check out the unique the prime minister making his rounds. most of the content. Escape winter Take flight to Israel COLLECT EL AL FREQUENT FLYER POINTS ROUND TRIP FREE MATMID REGISTRATION! TORONTO-TEL AVIV/EILAT Go to elal.com, click on “Join now” under Matmid and enter promo code AOW24483828 * DELICIOUS $ NEW MEALS 653 Experience the mouth watering Departures by March 31, 2011 delights created by Moshe Segev, BOOK BY MARCH 31 EL AL’s new head chef *Tax and fuel not included. Some restrictions apply. Subject to availability Please contact your travel agent or EL AL 416·967·4222 • 1·800·361·6174 www.elal.com Page 28 T cjnews.com February 3, 2011 ISRAEL TRAVEL THE CANADIAN JEWISH NEWS LET YOUR $ Chefs gear up for Pesach GO FURTHER Steve K. Walz Special to The CJN 10,000 satisfied travelers ven the most famous TV chefs have never expe- to Israel annually rienced the annual challenge of creating a series Eof kosher for Passover menus at high-end Israeli Specializing in Unique hotels. The meals must titillate the palates of thousands of visiting guests, while having access to only a limited Itineraries for number of ingredients based on kashrut and halachic considerations. In this respect, Israel’s top hotel chefs Bar/Bat Mitzvah, could be construed as the most innovative culinary artists in the food business! Family & Private Tours During the eight-day Passover holiday, thousands of Jewish tourists from the United States, United Kingdom No one does it better!!! and France flock to elite Israeli hotels to imbibe the fresh springtime air, as well as the pungent aroma of inventive 905-886-5610 Pesach cooking. There was a time in the not too distant Sheraton Tel Aviv & Towers, Executive Chef, Charley 800-294-1663 past when Israeli chefs were forced to limit their culinary Fadida at work in the kitchen. [email protected] savoir faire due to the dearth of premium kosher for 7117 Bathurst St., Just N. of Steeles, Thornhill, ON L4J 2J6 Passover ingredients. London. Our chicken soup, I think, is absolutely the best. I “New food technologies, which have helped create have a talented Iraqi-Jewish sous chef who makes sure that many quality kosher for Passover products that have been the soup and other dishes have a consistency of quality.” approved by the Tel Aviv Chief Rabbinate (under the stew- Across town, Sheraton Tel Aviv Hotel & Towers executive 3$6629(5,1,65$(/ ardship of Rabbi Yisroel Meir Lau), have grown by leaps chef, Charley Fadida, has garnered a reputation for spear- 5DPDGD-HUXVDOHP7KH$IIRUGDEOH/X[XU\+RWHO and bounds since I started working in Israel nearly 13 years heading a kosher culinary revolution in metro Tel Aviv. ago,” said John Donnelly, executive operations chef at Tel The Sheraton Tel Aviv Hotel & Towers Olive Restaurant, Aviv’s David InterContinental Hotel. which was created to showcase Fadida’s talents, has been Donnelly, who had previously worked as a top chef, consistently voted as one of the top five kosher restaurants serving up non-kosher dishes at the five-star luxury in Israel by TimeOut Magazine. InterContinental Mark Hopkins Hotel in San Francisco, “Today, where the hotel’s staff is much more person- Calif., as well as the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Boston, Mass., ally connected to the customer, it is important for the chef has relished the opportunity to create premium kosher to create a true culinary experience for the guests. In my cuisine year-round, as well as during Passover. dining room and restaurant, the orientation on the plate is He added, “The guests who come to our hotel from the more a work of art, with lots of colours, which gives you a 6WDU+RWHO²5HFHQWO\5HQRYDWHG United States, United Kingdom, France, etc. for Passover, real appetite,” Fadida said. /DUJH(OHJDQWO\$SSRLQWHG5RRPV are so culinary savvy they could go anywhere, because “In reality, creating menus for Pesach for hundreds of ([TXLVLWH&XLVLQH QRQJHEURFKWV they absolutely know what they like. As our guests have guests is literally like planning the opening of a new res- *ODWW0HKDGULQ 28 <HDU5RXQG such high expectations when it comes to prime cuisine, taurant. You have to plan ahead and order products three )UHH(QWUDQFHWR,QGRRU3RRO +HDOWK&OXE we are always trying to go to another culinary level. And months in advance, and there is no room for error since (QJOLVK6SHDNLQJ3URJUDP6KLXULP (QWHUWDLQPHQW today, it is absolutely possible to create unique and deli- suppliers don’t stock extra products for the eight days of (PLQHQW6FKRODULQ5HVLGHQFH cious dishes during Passover.” Pesach. There is no such thing as telling guests, ‘we don’t 1LJKW3DFNDJHV²&KLOGUHQ5DWHV Donnelly and his kitchen staff will serve up more than have this dish, because it’s Pesach.’ Today, there’s a whole )UHH2IIVWUHHW3DUNLQJ7HQQLV&RXUW 15,000 individual meals to nearly 1,000 guests during the range of new ingredients available, so you can put pastas course of the holiday, including the swanky seder soirees. and tortillas on the menu. I can guarantee that guests who What are the most popular dishes? come from the USA and UK this year will be able to eat, “First of all, I build menus that feature a variety of fla- and eat , and eat…My specialties include the traditional vours and tastes. Also, the growing number of high-quality chicken soup, gefilte fish and tangy North African-style /HDYHWKH5HVWWR8V kosher for Passover wines that I can cook with has given us fish dishes.” &RQWDFW5HVHUYDWLRQV'HSDUWPHQW more culinary options,” said Donnelly. In Jerusalem, David Citadel Hotel, executive chef, RU<RXU/RFDO7UDYHO$JHQW “I’m proud to say that the meat products we order from Eric Attias, is tasked with tailoring mouth-watering glatt 7HO)D[ Argentina are phenomenal. We’ve had guests from the kosher, non-gebrochts (no matzah meal), non-kitniyot (no (PDLOUDPDGDMHUXVDOHP#QHWYLVLRQQHWLO United States and United Kingdom who’ve asked us where legumes) cuisine for the hotel’s upscale tourists. ZZZUDPDGDFRP we get such quality meat.