TAFKA PP sent me this meme, which is much lighter than the previous one. It may, however, prove to be equally challenging, given that she’s tagged me to name restaurants in the north of Israel, and frankly, most of the restaurants that we go to are more centrally located. So, I may have to cheat a bit (as did she, might I point out!). Here we go!

The rules:
1. Add a direct link to your post below the name of the person who tagged you. Include the city/state and country you鈥檙e in.

Nicole (Sydney, Australia)
velverse (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)
LB (San Giovanni in Marignano, Italy)
Selba (Jakarta, Indonesia)
Olivia (London, England)
ML (Utah, USA)
Lotus (Toronto, Canada)
tanabata (Saitama, Japan)
Andi (Dallas [ish], Texas, United States)
Todd (Louisville, Kentucky, United States)
miss kendra (los angeles, california, u.s.a)
Jiggs Casey (Berkeley, CA, USA! USA! USA!)
Tits McGee (New England, USA)
Kat (Ontario, Canada)
Cheezy (London, England)
tafka PP (Jerusalem, Israel)
Liza (“Northern” Israel)

2. List out your top 5 favorite places to eat at your location.

  1. If I’m going close-to-home local, our default restaurant of choice is Jacko’s Fish and Seafood, located in the Caesarea Industrial Zone. Their seafood risotto is absolutely fabulous, and they do a grilled filet of bass that makes my mouth water just thinking about it. The service is always excellent, attire is anything from casual to dressy (by Israeli standards), and they’re very family-friendly. The Little One is adept at ordering chocolate truffles (“I want da choclit trupples, Mommy”) for dessert.
  2. Another favorite resto of ours in the area closed a couple of years ago, but we remember it so fondly that I’m including it here. Bistro Pica was an intimate French restaurant with consistently high-quality food and wonderful, personal service. No matter what we ordered, whether it be the duck, the seafood cassoulet, the salmon in saffron sauce, etc. Should I go on? The owner was a charming, well-traveled woman, with whom we still maintain contact. We took friends there, we brought my parents there. Birthdays and anniversaries were celebrated there. The owner recently let my husband know that she’s embarking on a new culinary project, and we anxiously await the news that she’s open for business.
  3. If we expand our geographic boundaries to include Tel Aviv, I have to say that my favorite restaurant is definitely Onami, which is, of course, Japanese. There’s one friend in particular who I really enjoying going with, and when our husbands join, they just sit there in awe as we continue to order more and more sushi, whether it be the salmon nigiri, pumpkin maki, salmon skin maki, etc. Their agadashi tofu is the best I’ve ever tasted, and their seaweed salad is certainly nothing to sneeze at either. We’ve even seen Japanese people eating there, which must be a good sign, right? Decor is funky trendy, and you can grab a table or sit at the bar and watch the sushi men work their magic right in front of your eyes. When you walk in, you’re greeted with a rousing “irasshaimase”, which means “please come in”, by the sushi men. I’ve got their number in my cell phone for emergencies…
  4. I love Tandoori. We go to the branch in Herzliya, and their food is out of this world. Service is always impeccable, and Reena Pushkarna has got to be one of the most charming hostesses ever. If you love Indian food and can’t get to TAFKA PP’s suggestion in Ramle, this is the place, with branches around the country, including a Kosher branch in Jerusalem. They’re also family-friendly, giving gift packs to small children as they leave the restaurant.
  5. Eema Adama is my fifth choice. They’re located near my office and make the most incredible salads ever. You select your own ingredients (with a selection ranging from the usual lettuce, tomato and cucumber, to broccoli, to two different kinds of tofu, two different kinds of chicken, an assortment of grains such as bulgur, lentils and quinoa, granola, pineapple, cheeses, anti-pasti, etc), and they create your salad, topping it off with any one of a number of phenomenal dressings (I always take a combination of the cider and the balsamic dressings). Ingredients are added to huge bowls, and once your salad is complete, the servers toss the salad together with the dressing in the bowls using large spoons, ensuring that everything is well mixed before handing you your bowl. You can do takeaway, eat inside the resto, or sit in the hidden courtyard in the back. I’ve taken many people there, including our very own Stefanella, and everyone loves it. I feel very healthy whenever I eat there, and it’s the perfect escape from the food served in the company dining room. Of course, I can’t mention this restaurant without giving thanks to friend and periodic commenter Arik, who introduced me to Eema Adama (as well as a number of other restos in this area) in the first place. Thanks, buddy! I definitely owe you one!

Let’s see, who to tag… Beth in Ireland, Jessica in Switzerland (whose food descriptions are so incredible that I sometimes feel I’ve gained weight just by reading her blog), NRG in Norway (do it in the comments section, please), and Dame, somewhere in the US, Lisa in Tel Aviv, and Stefanella, also in Tel Aviv.

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