November 2010
In the beautiful building that formerly housed La Guta, Shalom and Mazal Cohen have opened the new GOURMET Restaurant. How heartening to see olim chadashim, and from France, no less, contributing to the Jerusalem restaurant scene. No need to go to Paris to eat authentic French cuisine. No fusion here, except for the best local ingredients, the menu is classic French. The chef is Shlomi Cohen (ex Lilith). In addition they have one of the most extensive, and I should mention, expensive wine lists in the city.
The room is understated, classic and elegant. Expect cloth napkins and tablecloths. Were it not for the Jerusalem stone, one could imagine oneself in Paris with French music and art in the background.
The menu is the kind we like short and to the point. Just a few good dishes that they make to perfection. There are six first courses to choose from. We shared the GOURMET salad which had the creative paring of cherry tomatoes, grilled dates, avocados, red onions, capers, croutons, olives and cashews. We savored every bite. We also shared chicken livers, drizzled with fig comfit, served on a bed of puree. The livers glistened with the topping and were tender and not dried out. Other first courses were a classic Caesar salad, fish Carpaccio and the house specialty, rotolo, pasta rolled with a stuffing of lamb ragout on a bed of spinach and pumpkin.
The main courses were also classic, each with a creative touch. I enjoyed the chicken breast stuffed with walnuts on a bed of spelt with limo cello sauce. How innovative. It makes you wonder why no one ever thought of this combo before. My partner chose sea bream (labrak) baked with fennel, olive salsa, anise-flavored liquor and tarragon. The two licorice flavors were fun and not overbearing. The other offerings are prime rib, lamb chops and filet steak. The side dishes were also interesting like green peas in pistachio sauce or rosti with the lamb chops.
As in the French tradition, the portions were just the right size, so we could order dessert with no qualms. All the desserts are fresh and made in house by Chamutal (ex-1868) and you will really have a hard choice. We had lemon meringue pie with a dab of day glow mint (It matched the adorable demitasse cups in the identical color!). The taste was sublime. We also love the combination of chocolate and orange so we ordered this incredible concoction that had hard chocolate filled with an orange cream and topped with hot chocolate . We were only sorry we couldn't also order the chestnut-coconut dessert and the triple chocolate.
WINE LIST
The wine list is divided by geographic areas in Israel. The Judaea Hills are represented by Tzorah Winery and a bottle will run you 180sh. From there the prices only go "north". Castel Winery, Petit Castel, 300sh a bottle and Castel Grand Vin, 380sh a bottle. Then there are the French wines offered at 590sh and 550sh a bottle. I am sure they must be worth the price, and if you do order, save some for me! Lest you despair, there are fine wines from Dalton by the glass.
BOTTOM LINE
GOURMET restaurant is a welcome addition to the Jerusalem fine dining scene. How fortunate we are to have the contribution of French Jewry to this ingathering of exiles!
PRICES
First courses range from 42-55sh, main courses from75-140sh and desserts from 32-37sh.
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