Say hello to Jerusalem-based Chef Uri Nevon, standing outside an open-air section of the Machane Yehuda Market he called the Iraqi quarter, where an older generation of men plays backgammon. "This is their gathering place," Uri says. "Unfortunately, the younger generation doesn't do this, so take a picture. You may not be able to capture this scene for much longer."
I did as Uri said. I took a picture.
I'll share a few more portraits from this spot at a later time.
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Stroll to Uri's restaurant, Machneyuda, named after the market of the same name, footsteps away. He buys his products there, so he and his partners honored the market by naming their restaurant after it.
We started off with flatbread pizzas.
The colors of the restaurant reflect the colors in the market. Bold spices, seeds, vegetables, fruits dominate the market stalls, and these same shades fill not only the two-story seating area, but the open kitchen as well.
Below is Israel's most famous and beloved dish, hummus, made more colorful with dollops of tapenade, tomato, and pesto.
We were served most dishes family-style, but this particular jar of warm, rich polenta with mushrooms and asparagus was more refined. I smiled when I realized that the trend of serving food in individual jars, so popular now in the United States (see this and this), is not simply a quirk of our culture.
The crispy fish with tahini sauce, green beans, onions, ground olives, and confit garlic, pictured below, was a typical, large-platter dish. Bold and messy, the food captured Uri's big personality and outsize spirit.
There was definitely something Jackson Pollacky going on. I loved the feel of eating this way -- the community and warmth it engenders around the table -- but when you've got a platter this large it's difficult to be restrained. This was the Joseph and his amazing technicolor dreamcoat dish of the evening -- a riotous, multihued display served with confidence and humor.
Above is a view of the restaurant, looking down from the second floor. See all that color? At regular intervals, while the music blares, the chefs begin singing and dancing, and diners who know the words clap and join in. The interludes keep the mood high.
It's impossible not to be happy in this place. Maybe the flavors are sometimes offbeat, but in Israel, people dream, and they dream big.
Above, you see my traveling cohorts, accomplished and visible American chefs. Hugh Acheson and Viet Pham flank Uri to the left, and Maury Rubin and Ben Ford to the right. I'll be writing plenty more about these guys soon. Trust me.
And warm congratulations to those of you who've had your electricity restored. As they say in these parts, mazel tov.
