Tov Pizza Damaged by Fire

WBAL (and several Presence sources) report that Baltimore's Tov Pizza was damaged by a fire early this morning around 5 AM. No one was injured in the fire; the cause is under investigation.

The damage does not look to be extensive, and is localized towards the back of the building; the exterior and eating area towards the front of the restaurant looked fine, although there was some glass being replaced (which may indicate a break-in/arson). The restaurant is closed as of now, no word on when it will be re-opening.

2008 Baltimore Kosher Community Survey

The 2008 Baltimore Kosher Community Survey is now up and available from the Kosher Community Surveys website.

You can also view the results of last year's survey, as well as completed surveys for other communities around the US, such as Cleveland, Boston and Philadelphia.

Incidentally, last year, in one of the towns surveyed, there was some controversy as to the appropriateness of these surveys; some rabbonim went so far as to decry them as lashon hara. My personal opinion is that not only are these surveys l'toeles, making them permissible (perhaps even compulsory), but in addition, using data generated in a statistical manner, from a large group of people, is the best way (other than, of course, divine revelation, which is, sadly, in short supply these days) for an uninformed person to form as valid an opinion as possible without direct experience. The statistical process ensures that even if a single individual answers irresponsibly, their results don't skew the overall outcome. Contrast this to the real world, where anyone with the necessary means and free time can shout their opinion from the rooftops and influence people in a less than valid way. A rabbi agrees with me.

Star-K Kosher Slurpee List Summer 2008

The Star-K has released their list of kosher Slurpee flavors, updated for Summer 2008.

R. Heinemann Stands By "Sabbath Mode" Ovens

The Yeshiva World recently posted letters from prominent Israeli and American rabbis against the use of "Sabbath Mode" ovens. The letters made reference to an individual opinion that they believed to be erroneous. That opinion, although not explicitly attributed to him, was that of R. Moshe Heinemann of Baltimore's Star-K.

Today, the Star-K sent out an email stating that R. Heinemann stands by his ruling:

June 5, 2008

Regarding Star-K certified Sabbath Mode ovens

Rav Heinemann, shlita, stands by his Psak that it is permissible to raise and lower temperatures on Yom Tov on ovens equipped with that particular Sabbath Mode feature. Please see Star-K website at http://www.star-k.org/consumer.htm , or call our office for details about your particular model. Star-K will, in the next few days, post an audio presentation from Rav Heinemann explaining his views.

For those who wish to refrain from placing their ovens in Sabbath Mode and still use their oven on Yom Tov, please be aware of the possible serious "Michshol" on many models. Opening the oven door will immediately shut off the heating elements, an act clearly forbidden on Yom Tov. Thus, even if you don't raise or lower the temperature, it is still important to keep the oven in Sabbath Mode.

Star-K Certification

Below is R. Heinemann's original teshuva on Sabbath Mode ovens, which can also be found on the Star-K's website, along with additional information regarding Sabbath Mode appliances:

Kosher Subway Opens Today

Baltimore's Kosher Subway is open today. A private preview gathering was held last Thursday night, Peninah and I were fortunate enough to attend along with mostly Star-K employees and friends of the owners, and I got a chance to sample some of Subway's sandwiches. I was very impressed, especially by the breads and the selection of toppings.

Many people have remarked to me that they think Subway will have a tough time competing with other local delis like Accents and The Knish Shop. While I agree that they will face competition, from what I've seen Subway does have some unique aspects to it that set it apart:

• parve cheeze


• a wide assortment of breads and toppings (the garlic bread is amazing)


• the Subway name (which doesn't matter much to frum Jews, but will bring non-frum business)


• a very nice and spacious location, with free wifi


• items not available at other locations, such as the meatball sub with cheeze

As such, I think there's plenty of room for a kosher Subway in the local market.

In the interests of full disclosure, I'd like to make it clear that I've received no compensation from Subway (other than the free samples I got last night). I like the food and I like the fact that mainstream American franchises are going kosher. I had kosher Cinnabon and Subway this week; I think it's a signal of where things are going, and I hope it continues.

View Larger Map

Kosher Bed and Breakfast Opens in Ocean City

Steffi's Place is a new kosher Bed and Breakfast located in Ocean City, MD. The B&B is owned and operated by Stephanie and Andy Becker of Baltimore, and is located one block from the Chabad of Ocean City, and is open year round. Service includes breakfast, lunch and dinner, certified by R. Y. Zvi Weiss of Baltimore. The menu looks quite diverse, and there is mention of scotch on Shabbos, which is always a plus.

A one-day stay at Steffi's Place is $109 per person; they also have a Thursday-Sunday Shabbos package which is $325 per person (keep in mind this includes all meals). For reservations, visit their website.

Exclusive Photos of Baltimore's Kosher Subway, Opening in April

I had the opportunity to talk with Harry Kozlovsky, owner and operator of the new kosher Subway opening soon in Baltimore. Harry gave me a tour of the new restaurant (pictures below) and gave me some more details on the restaurant

Baltimore's kosher Subway is hoping to open around the beginning of April (at the latest, after Pesach), with a Grand Opening, with Jared the Subway Guy, in May. The restaurant's opening has been delayed by a few months, mostly due to logisital issues relating to permits. The space has been completely remodeled with all new construction and furnishings, including seating inside for fifty, with additional seating available outside in warm weather. They plan to be open from 10AM to 9PM, as well as Saturday night's during the winter. The restaurant will also have wireless internet access available.

The Baltimore kosher Subway is certified by the Star-K; Harry told me that the Star-K is a pleasure to work with. I asked if the Star-K expressed any concern about certifying a franchise of a national brand such as Subway; he told me that they did not, and have been supportive in every way, and that they also had no issues with pareve cheese as a part of the menu. Harry also outlined the economic advantages available as a Subway franchise: many Subway items are already kosher, such as their breads and lettuce; purchasing them directly from Subway distribution results in a tremendous cost savings and insulates them from severe price fluctations (flour happens to be spiking right now, which is causing an increase in expenses for many of the area's kosher establishments). Meat suppliers are still being determined.

Harry also told me that they have plans to expand to Montgomery County in the near future. He didn't have a lot of information yet, it sounds like they are first scouting for the right location, somewhere in the Rockville/Bethesda/Silver Spring area.

Take a look at the pictures below, things are still under construction, but you get the general idea. Check back soon for more information on the opening of Baltimore's kosher Subway.

Upscale Kosher Dining Done Right: Potomac's Pomegranate Bistro

Peninah and I took a trip down to Potomac to try out the new kosher restaurant, The Pomegranate Bistro. It was a great experience. The restaurant was nice, clean, well-decorated; the staff was courteous and service was prompt. The portions were generous, the food was delicious and the prices were reasonable. Reservations can be made quickly and easily via their website. I don't really have anything bad to say.

I highly recommend you give The Pomegranate Bistro a try; it's appropriate both for special occasions and business meetings. As of now, it is, in my opinion, the finest kosher dining experience to be had in the Baltimore-Washington area.

A few pics (including shots of the menu) below.

Exterior of the restaurant.

Foyer/Entryway

Seating area

Menu - Appetizers (you can see the prices, click through and look for the All Sizes link to enlarge)

Menu - Entrees (you can see the prices, click through and look for the All Sizes link to enlarge)

Beef Satay Appetizer (forgot to take a picture before I ate)

Sicilian Eggplant

London Broil

Salmon - a very large piece of fish

Peninah had the Rib Eye Steak.

Amarreto Chocolate Cake - really good.

Washington Post Gets "Kosherized"

Today's Washington Post features an article entitled In Kosher Kitchens, More Than Taste Matters. Apart from giving a brief overview of the laws of kashrut, the article, ever so subtley, plugs the new Pomegranate Bistro in Potomac.

The article repeatedly makes use of the term "kosherize." I was unaware that this was a word. Welcome to the vernacular, "kosherize."

As an aside, the article metions a kosher Krispy Kreme in Alexandria, VA, of which I was unaware. The article also quotes R. Sanders of the Va'ad as saying, ""Now there is a guy who wants to open a Chinese place."

Dougie's On The Run - Closing

Email from the folks at Dougie's On The Run:

Dear Friends,

It is with sadness that we announce that Dougie's on the Run will be closing for business. A combination of unforeseen factors has forced us to make this difficult decision. Sunday night at Willowglen and Sanzo will likely be our last time to serve you. We will be open from 4:30-7:30 PM. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who have supported us. This is a wonderful community and we hope you will continue to support local kosher dining establishments as much as possible.

~Caycee and Aaron Polun

According to my records, they opened for business at the end of October (Hat tip: AS).

Kosher Cinnabon

The good people of Passaic, NJ were kind enough to send down some kosher Cinnabon's from the Hackensack, NJ location.

Much obliged. Stay classy, Passaic.

Kosher Cinnabon in Hackensack, NJ

The Kof-K has certified a Cinnabon in Hackensack, NJ.

A Kosher McDonald's?

Menachem Lubinsky, editor of Kosher Today, wrote an essay in the latest Kosher Today email entitled "Why a Kosher McDonald's in the U.S. May Not be a Good Idea!"

With the number of glatt kosher Subway branches continuing to grow, there is a growing feeling by some in the kosher food industry that McDonald's may not be far behind. I have heard from reliable sources that to date, the mega fast food chain has resisted overtures by entrepreneurs to franchise a kosher McDonald's. The only glatt kosher McDonald's exists in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Many leading rabbis have voiced concern over the prospect of having both kosher and non-kosher branches of McDonald's. They are already concerned about the possible confusion of kosher and non-kosher stores for such brands as Crispy Crème, Baskin-Robbins, and Dunkin Donuts. Several rabbis have written me about stores that sell both kosher and non kosher products. One rabbi cited an ice cream store where only two of 9 toppings are kosher.

In discussing the potential for McDonald's in the glatt kosher market, I received an earful from many different sources. Here is some of what I heard: It is apparent that the big name brands may not exactly appreciate the nuances of the glatt kosher market beyond the kashrus. One example is that customers generally are not enamored by limited menus with specific numbers to identify the menu. They prefer extensive menus where they can mix and match what they wish to eat. To obtain a proper hechsher, the stores would have to be closed on Shabbat and open on Motzoei Shabbos and make accommodations for Jewish holidays as well. Finally, there already are good stores in most of the Jewish neighborhoods and there may not be enough business to go around.

A few of the points are highly debatable and after having a Big Mac in Buenos Aires, I am part of the cheering squad hoping that there would be a glatt kosher McDonald's in the U.S. one day. But keeping in mind what I heard from kosher and rabbinic sources, I am not so sure anymore.

New Potomac Kosher Restaurant: The Pomegranate Bistro

I heard rumor about this a while back, now the Washington Jewish Week has an article about a new kosher restaurant opening in the Cabin John Shopping Center in Potomac, called The Pomegranate Bistro:

Recently retired airline executive Jacob Schorr, an Orthodox Jew, often encountered turbulence of the culinary kind. That is, he had trouble finding kosher restaurants where he wouldn't feel embarrassed hosting business contacts.

So he has created one of his own ‹ the Pomegranate Bistro, which is scheduled to open in the next few weeks in the Cabin John Shopping Center in Potomac.

The 80-seat meat and pareve establishment, in a storefront that formerly housed the Chicken Out Rotisserie, will strive to fill any number of upscale market niches, according to Schorr and the restaurant's staffers.

The article also mentions that Mr. Schorr was involved with The Red Heifer, which many of you may remember from a few years back. While it was a fine dining experience, The Red Heifer closed after only about a year.

If anyone happens to drive by the location, send me some pictures.

The article also mentions that Mama Leah's in Rockville closed down, which I was not aware of.

I Do Not Think It Means What You Think It Means

The Washington Post seems to have a bit of a misunderstanding as to what cholov yisrael means; from an otherwise positive review of Siena's Pizza in Rockville:

And as some of the faux meats contain lactose, they are not entirely cholov Israel -- that is, they combine meat and dairy -- so purely kosher diners should check with the staff.

I wish that's what cholov yisrael really meant, you know, for all of us who don't keep cholov yisrael (I know, I know, there really isn't anything that's *not* cholov yisrael acoording to R. Moshe, etc....it's just a joke).

Two points if you get the reference from the title of this post.

And for the record, at press time, Siena's is 100% kosher and under the supervision of the Capitol-K.

Kosher Subway Update

Passed by the old Goldberg's today (on the way to the new Goldberg's) and saw this sign in front of the space next door:

Word from the owners is they are looking to open mid February to early March. More information is availabe at www.koshersubs.com.

Baltimore Kosher News: Rita's, Schmell's and Amanda's

• A new Rita's has opened in Reisterstown Road Plaza. This Rita's is actually indoors, so it's open all year round. Brain freeze in the summer is one thing; brain freeze when it's below freezing out is quite a rush.
• Schmell's Bakery is under new ownership (Don Tkatch, if the word on the street is to be believed). Plans are to renovate to include sit down for a bakery/coffe shop establishment.
• The folks at Amanda's Fine Dining (formerly The Brasserie) let me know that they have a new website, www.amandasfinedining.com, which has information including menus and hours of operation. They also have new specials in the $16-$25 range, and all fish and beef entrees now include a complimentary house salad (your welcome). They are also hiring a new chef from New York to compliment local chef Bryan Crystal.

Dougie's Listens and Responds

The owner of Dougie's On the Run has taken the time to read through the comments on our recent post announcing their opening. I've copied it here, as it contains lots of useful information, but also shows that the proprietors get blogs and see the value in this kind of open dialogue.

To all who have posted and expressed feelings both positive and negative we sincerely appreciate your patience and feedback. As we continue to develop this new business model we will try to improve operations and communicate as clearly as possible. I am the owner of Dougie's on the Run and did want to respond to a few items in the blog.

- We have heard the concerns regarding the safety at the Greenspring and Willowglen location. We also see the danger and have stopped using that location despite how busy it was. We hope to find a safer and more suitable location. Thank you to all who expressed their concerns.

- We absolutely have a masgiach on board at all times. The truck has a locking door between the cab and the kitchen that the mashgiach holds the key to. We have spent a lot of money on securing the truck with a state of the art alarm system that will notify us of a breach even if we are not within earshot of the truck at the time. We have worked closely with the Star-K to develop this concept. Our intentions have always been to provide quality kosher food for the community especially in places where none is currently available.

- Although we do not have New York rents we have many costs that are substantially higher than a traditional restaurant. Our insurance, fuel, and licensing costs are understandably higher than other establishments. Our food, labor, advertising, etc. are just as high as any other restaurant. We have tried to keep our prices competitive for the area.

- We did speak with the gentleman who runs the farmers market prior to setting up in that location. He was thrilled to have us and is saddened that we will no longer be using that location. According to him our presence increased his sales.

- Finally, I would like to once again thank all of those who have expressed feelings both good and bad about our venture. I think the debate is healthy and can only make us better. I would however like to mention that our desire is to be good neighbors, good Jews, and good and honest businessmen. I am happy to address any genuine concerns that do not attack our character, integrity, or level of observance which quite frankly have no basis. Our email address is dougiesontherun@yahoo.com.

Dougie's On The Run Schedule

Just received an email from Dougie's on the Run with schedule information:

Dougie's On the Run will be at the following locations...
this week, beginning November 4, 2007:
*********************************************************************************************************
Sunday - Greenspring & Willowglen Ave. for dinner, 4:30 - 7:30pm
Monday - Social Security on Security Blvd. near Gwenoak for lunch at 11 - 2pm
Tuesday - Greenspring & Willowglen Ave. for dinner, 5 - 8pm
Wednesday - Owings Mills at Red Run Blvd. & Mill Run Circle for lunch, 11 - 2pm
Thursday - Woodholm Elem on Mt. Wilson Lane for dinner at 5 - 7:30pm
Fridays we'll be closed on a regular basis
Sunday - Etz Chaim on Fords Lane for dinner at 4:30 - 7:30 pm
*********************************************************************************************************

We hope to be adding more times & locations soon...including a downtown location, so stay tuned! Thanks for patience and your support as Dougie's gets up and running in Baltimore!

If you know anyone who wants Dougie's updates, have them email us & we'll be happy to add them.

As excited as many of you undoubtedly are, let's try to keep the comments somewhat civilized.

Goldberg's Has Left the Building

Word on the street is that Goldberg's has officially relocated and opened up shop in their new location.

Dougie's Express Open for Business

Dougie's On the Run is open for business. The Dougie's truck is serving customers right now, on the corner of Greenspring and Willow Glen (no word yet on their full schedule).

I stopped by and picked up an order of Fire Slammers, which were delicious. All the food is prepared fresh on the spot. The menu looks to be comparable to the menu at the full-service Dougie's; they have burgers (pastrami, chili and portabello mushroom), hot dogs, wraps, deli sandwiches, chicken, salads, bloomin' onions, all the Dougie's favorites. Prices were a little on the high side (a half order of Fire Slammers is $7.49, burgers range from $4.95 to $10.50), but I guess kosher food isn't less expensive even if you sell it out of a truck. There were about four people inside the truck, taking orders and cooking food. There were about six or seven folks ordering or waiting for their orders.

Here's a few shots I snapped with my phone:

Order here

Washing station

Logo

Where the magic happens.

Thanks to Penny for the tip.

2007 Baltimore Kosher Community Survey Results

The results of the 2007 Baltimore Kosher Community Survey are in.

The Brasserie Reborn: Amanda's

A few months back, the owners of The Brasserie sold their establishment to the Shalom Kosher Group, owners of Shalom Strictly Kosher Market and Max's Kosher Cafe in Silver Spring. The restaurant was closed for remodeling just before Rosh HaShannah, and reopened this past Wednesday as Amanda's. Penny and I stopped by last night to check things out.

When news came out that the new owners were also the proprietors of Max's, which is known for it's schwarma but not for it's ambiance, there were worries that Amanda's would devolve into nothing more than a glorified Kosher Bite. Thankfully, that is not the case. There is little difference between the old Brasserie and the new Amanda's. In remodeling, the coat room was removed, and some updates were made to the decor, but overall the place looks pretty much the same. Most of the staff from The Brasserie are back as well.

The menu is also not much different; appetizers all looked familiar, as well as main courses (for a refreshed, check out the old Brasserie menu). There were a few new items, such as a stuffed chicken entre, as well as a few old favorites that finally came off the specials list and onto the menu (Chilean Sea Bass, anyone?). The prices were on average about the same, leaning towards a bit more affordable. The current menu was not very comprehensive, with a focus on chicken, steak and pasta dishes; no sign of the Mexican fare previously offered by The Brasserie. Sushi is now presented as a separate menu, and it appears that the selections have increased.

The food took a long time to arrive, at least thirty minutes. In the old Brasserie days, I don't recall it taking this long; perhaps the wait was mitigated by the fact that a complimentary house salad was provided with each entre ordered. Amanda's has done away with the free salad, so the wait for the food was that much more frustrating. When the food finally did arrive, I was pleasantly surprised that, although the menu was at first glance the same, the food was much improved. I thoroughly enjoyed my steak, which came with a very tasty honey/peper sauce; and I actually ate all my green beans, which rarely happens. Penny had the stuffed chicken which she also enjoyed (according to the waiter, her old staple, flounder stuffed with imitation crab meat, will be added back on the menu in the coming weeks).

Overall, I was pleased with the new Amanda's. The lack of a salad irked me a bit, and the wait time was frustrating, but the food was good and the ambiance acceptable. I'm happy to say that there is still a nice place to go for special occasions in Baltimore; our fears of a fast food joint were unfounded.

Amanda's is located in Pomona Square, in the location previously occupied by The Brasserie. They are currently taking reservations for dinner only, with plans to open for lunch in the next few weeks.

Photos of the new Goldberg's Bagels

I happened to be over near Goldberg's new location in downtown Pikesville, and snapped this picture on my phone. Their new location is near the corner of Old Court and Reisterstown Rd., where Joan and Gary's used to be located, nearby where Blockbuster used to be located.

View Larger Map

Baltimore Kosher News Update

A few quick updates:

• Someone posted to the following to the Luach.com Baltimore page: "Would you support a dairy restaurant in the MT Washington Area? Would you support a dairy restaurant in the MT Washington Area. I'm looking to see if the Kosher world would support a full service fun, funky dairy concept restaurant in the Mout Washington area of Baltimore. Your input would be greatly appricated." I think this would be great; strangely enough, I find myself missing 921. They'd have to compete with Cocoaccino's, which still does not have free wifi.


• I've received several emails about the Dougie's Express (thanks!). I've contacted "Dougie" and gotten confirmation, and had a brief conversation with Aaron Pulon, who's running the the Baltimore Dougie's Express. It's going to be a van that stops in various locations (downtown, Social Security, Joey Pollak's office, etc.) at specific times. They've got a MySpace page, with no real information. I'm hoping to have a more detailed conversation with Mr. Pulon now that the holidays are over to get more details.


• I had a brief chat with someone at Amanda's, formerly The Brasserie. They were closed down (apart from sushi) from Yom Kippur through Sukkos, should be reopening soon. I'm going to try to talk to them this week also.

That's all the news that's fit to print, please let me know if you hear anything, and thanks to everyone who wrote in.

Dougie's (Express) Coming to Baltimore

Just so's you don't think I've lost my game: yes, I've heard the murmurings that a Dougie's (or Dougie's Express) is coming to Baltimore; that the deal is signed and will be announced soon. I'm working on getting in touch with those involved to see about getting some more concrete information. Meanwhile, all you hat-tip fiends, you know where to find me.

Hat tip to T, Esq. and YS, amongst others.

Liebes Closing

Tomorrow is the last day to shop at Liebes Kosher Deli, a long-time Baltimore kosher establishment. Liebe's recently sold to new owners, who are apparently closing down the shop to pursue other business ventures. If anyone would like to write up a history of Liebe's, I'd be happy to publish it.

The Brasserie Sold to Max's

Word on the street is that The Brasserie has been sold. The new owners are, reportedly, The Shalom Group, who also own Max's Cafe in Silver Spring (they also own Shalom's Kosher Market next door). Word is that Max's will be revamping the space over the next few weeks to make Max's a more affordable eatery.

Interesting news, to say the least. Max's in Silver Springs is good food (much better than Kosher Bite) in a somewhat nice environment (again, nicer than Kosher Bite...why is that the standard?). One thing that Max's does and does well is schwarma; Max's has a dedicated schwarma chef (a Palestinian, actually) who is passionate about his craft. It is probably the best schwarma in the Baltimore/DC area, so hopefully it will make it's way to Baltimore.

Hat tip to AS and IG.

Press Release: Baltimore Soon To Offer a Kosher Subway Restaurant

Just received this press release:

PRESS RELEASE                                                           

For Immediate Release

Contact:

Email: koshersubs@gmail.com

Web: www.koshersubs.com
Phone: (240) 715-1903

SUBWAY® BALTIMORE KOSHER SUBS To Open in the Fall

July 28,
2007 (Baltimore) – Come Fall, Baltimore will join Cleveland and Brooklyn offering a
Kosher SUBWAY®. The anticipated location will be at the 700-718 Reisterstown
Road Shopping Center in Pikesville, MD. 
Kosher Subway will offer the authentic Subway menu available for dining
in, catering or take-out. The menu will feature Glatt Kosher meat and pareve, non-dairy cheese as well as seafood
and vegetarian offerings under the Kashrus supervision of the Star-K of
Baltimore. 

With more than 28,000 locations in 86 countries, the SUBWAY® restaurant chain is the world's largest submarine sandwich franchise. The SUBWAY® sandwich chain has surpassed the number of McDonald's locations throughout the United States, Canada, and most recently, in Australia and New Zealand.

The SUBWAY® restaurant chain is now growing into the Kosher marketplace with the addition of very successful SUBWAY® Kosher restaurants already opened in Cleveland, Brooklyn, and openings have been announced for Los Angeles, Cedarhurst, and Kansas. In the next year, SUBWAY® Kosher restaurants will be opening in 15 additional locations across North and South America. The SUBWAY® brand offers a variety of options that tie in well with the desire to promote healthy eating and healthy lifestyles. It will be great for health conscious fitness enthusiasts and all families.

Baltimore Orthodox Community member Harry Kozlovsky, a partner in SUBWAY® BALTIMORE KOSHER SUBS stated, "We are excited to bring the flagship SUBWAY® brand experience to the Baltimore area kosher population. The availability of kosher, healthy, quickly prepared, very reasonably priced food, in a clean, happy, and friendly atmosphere, will be a great amenity for the vibrant Baltimore community."

SUBWAY® restaurants are famous for made-to-order foot long and 6-inch submarine sandwiches, served on SUBWAY® exclusive Italian, wheat and a variety of seasoned breads that are baked fresh daily in each restaurant. Hot and cold subs, many with 6 grams of fat, are available with an assortment of meats, fish, vegetables and condiments, toasted, all added at each customer's request.

Subway will be open six days a week for lunch and dinner and be available for dining in, take-out and catering services. In addition to offering a typical Subway® menu, it will also offer the very popular SUBWAY® Fresh Fit for Kids children's menu.

Harry Kozlovsky , Cleveland residents: Ghazi Faddoul, SUBWAY® franchisee and Development Agent, and Charles Zuchowski, the pioneer of the Cleveland SUBWAY® kosher concept, among others, have joined together to bring the SUBWAY® kosher experience to Baltimore and other communities in the future.

For other SUBWAY® Baltimore Kosher Subs

details, please go to www.koshersubs.com and send all
inquiries to

koshersubs@gmail.com.

 

More Information on Kosher Subway in Baltimore

Rumors of a kosher Subway coming to Baltimore have been circulating for some time. Through a bit of research and journalistic finesse, Presence has managed to uncover and confirm most of the details. I spoke with Harry Kozlovsky, one of the partners in the new venture, and he has confirmed that a kosher Subway will be opening in Baltimore in the fall of 2007. The restaurant will be located in the same strip mall that Goldberg's Bagels is currently located (if you notice, the two spaces next to Goldberg's across the small alley are closed or closing, my guess is this it where the kosher Subway will be).

That's all the information I have to report now, but you can be assured that the kosher Subway is happening. A press release will be going out early next week (either Sunday or Monday); we'll have the details here, which will include information on the restaurant, the restaurant's website (which is not yet live, so I'm not yet linking to it), along with additional information on some of the people involved and time frame for opening. Make sure to check back here over the weekend to get the scoop!

No, seriously, this time, we're closed

Word on the street is that the Brasserie is really closed now. Last night was purportedly the last night of full menu service. Sushi may or may not be available (as a non-sushi issue, I'm not terribly concerned).

In other Baltimore kosher restaurant news, I finally found something at Accents I am going to order again (the teriyaki fired beef wrap). I went to David Chu's right before the nine days, and it was very good. Rumors of a Dougie's Express opening up in Baltimore (some kind of mobile thing). No new news on the Kosher Subway, although I've heard from various folks that it's going to be moving into the spot next to Goldberg's current location.

Kosher Subway Rumors

A while back there were rumors of a kosher Subway opening in the Baltimore. This week, I received a number of anonymous email from someone identifying himself only as "koshersubwayfresh." This individual claims that the kosher Subway is happening in Baltimore, sometime around the end of the summer. I really don't have any other information, so take it with a grain of salt. But, if it's true, you heard it here first, check back for updates, I'll post as I get more information.

Krispy Kreme still Kosher

I've been hearing lots of talk that Krispy Kreme in Owings Mills was no longer kosher; indeed, they are no longer certified by the Star-D. I called the Vaad today to double-check, as the Star-K's website, as of this morning, still listed Krispy Kreme as under the Star-D. Turns out it is true that Krispy Kreme in Owings Mills is no longer under the Star-D, but someone from the Vaad does go in and check it on a regular basis and it is, according to the woman I spoke with, OK. So there you go, feel free to make your own inquires.

This applies only to the Krispy Kreme at 10021 Reisterstown Road in Owings Mills.

[Update: I forgot that Diana posted about this a while back. Consider me enforced.]

Chicken Plucking Around the World

From The Kosher Blog: FAQ: Why does kosher poultry have so many feathers?

Kashrus at Communal Events

The Washington Jewish Week has a very interesting article about kashrus at communal events (where communal inidcates the entire Jewish community, not just the Orthodox). For the first time, the DCJCC's annual dinner will be "kosher-style," meaning those who adhere to traditional standards of kashrut will likely be enjoying the airplane meal experience. Towards the end of the article, there are quotes from a broad array of rabbis from all denominations; most support traditional kashrus standards at communal events.

Only somewhat ironic, as the function of kashrus is, if not explictly then at least implicitly, to encourage, define and reinforce Jewish community. I once again refer you to R. Meir Soloveitchik's article The Meaning of Kashrut.

[Hat tip: The Jew and the Carrot]

Brasserie Open After Pesach

The Brasserie answered their phone this morning and said they are open from 5 to 9 today. Hurray!

And, about that other thing, more coming soon.

Brasserie Not Re-opening after Pesach

Word is that the Brasserie, Baltimore's only high-end kosher eating establishment, will not be re-opening after Passover. More details as they emerge.

The Brasserie is regularly closed on Fridays, but will be open on Sunday, Erev Pesach, from 4-9PM.

The "D" is for "Disgusting"

YUTopia posts about Kosher Delight's health code woes, and links to a listing of their code violations. A quick rundown:

1. Accurate thermometer not provided in refrigerated or hot holding equipment.
2. Facility not vermin proof. Harborage or conditions conducive to vermin exist.
3. Evidence of flying insects or live flying insects present in facility's food and/or non-food areas.
4. Evidence of roaches or live roaches present in facility's food and/or non-food areas.
5. Evidence of rats or live rats present in facility's food and/or non-food areas.
6. Cold food held above 41°F (smoked fish above 38°F) except during necessary preparation.
7. Hot food that has been cooked and refrigerated is being held for service without first being reheated to 165°F or above within 2 hours.

On the one hand, that's just disgusting (and a shame, as I like KD). Not to excuse this kind of thing, but it does appear that kosher establishments in NY get shut down quite often due to health code violations (such as Cafe K, another of my favorite establishments).

Just out of curiosity, does the state of Maryland publish this kind of information? That would be quite interesting. The closest I found was a page from the Baltimore City Health Department of recent food establishment closures.

Dunkin Donuts Outside of DC Remain Kosher, for now

The Forward has an article entitled 'No Donuts, No Peace,' Cry Kosher Protesters, which details the DC area Dunkin Donuts loss of kosher certification and the subsequent fury of the kosher-donut-consuming populace. In the article, it is noted that the decision to force the DC franchise to adhere to the standard Dunkin Donuts corporate menu only applied to the DC area for demographic reasons, and would not become standard corporate policy. In other words, Baltimore, New York, Boston and others, can breath easy and continue inhaling donuts.

The article also contains what I thought to be poigniant psychological insight into just why Dunkin Donuts is so gosh-darned important to the kosher community:

For observant Jews, though, Dunkin’ Donuts and a few other coffee chains are among the only points of access to mainstream, chain-restaurant America.

“The sad fact of life is that we are in the kosher community. We don’t get access to the other world very often,” said Rabbi Binyamin Sanders, director of field operations for the Washington rabbinical authority, or Vaad, that provides kosher certification for local Dunkin’ Donuts branches.

“The other world is the world where you can have a Dunkin’ Donuts product,” Sanders added. “It’s not like those regular kosher stores. It’s a national thing. It’s something you can feel like part of the rest of the world. You’re not so isolated.”

OIB of the Day: Goldberg's Bagels

Goldberg's Bagels has a nifty online order form, you can fill it out and supposedly, your order will be ready in 20 minutes. I used it this morning to place an order for a baker's dozen of bagels for a small family gathering. Five minutes after I placed my order, the phone rings. It's Goldberg's Bagels telling me that Sunday morning is walk-in orders only!

OIB. In the time it took for them to call me, they could have filled my order and had it waiting.

DC Dunkin Donuts Lose Kosher Certification

Via Kosherblog.net and SaraK, the Washington Jewish Week reports:

Dunkin' Donuts drops kashrut at two stores; third to follow;

The doughnuts will still be made with kosher ingredients, but, as of next week, the Washington area will have fewer Dunkin' Donut franchises certified as kosher.

With the corporation's push to expand its menu offerings, Jim Willard, who owns five franchises in the area, says he has received a letter from the corporation saying he could no longer make menu modifications in his stores. That, in effect, means he must sell nonkosher food products.

As of Wednesday, the Cabin John location in Potomac and the Rockville Metro Pike Plaza store near White Flint will no longer be certified by the Vaad Harabanim of Greater Washington kosher supervising agency.

Assorted Baltimore Kosher Tidbits

• David Chu's is not as good as it used to be. Ever since the ownership change late last year, the food hasn't been the same. I'd heard reports of this, but finally got to try it for myself. I was very disappointed. Hopefully they can get their groove back, as it's still one of the nicest places to eat in town. Rumor is that the original David Chu's chef left and is now at Kosher Bite, so perhaps KB's Chinese food is now better.
• The world-famous Kosher Bite french fry is dead. Kosher Bite recently changed the type of french fry they use in making their fries. The new fry is the same as the fries used by Accents. Kosher Bite: WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?!? Just because Accents does it, doesn't mean you have to. We want our fries back. Next time you're at KB, remember to tell them to bring back the old fries.
• The latest unconfirmed word-on-the-street is that the Kosher Subway is not happening in Baltimore. More on this as it develops.
• I had a Cocoaccino's hot chocolate yesterday. It was really, really good. Still no wifi.

Lunch at Cocoaccino's

Peninah and I lunched at Cocoaccino's yesterday, they've launched their food menu, which includes soup (looks like one flavor a day, yesterday was French Onion), a salad bar reminiscent of 921, bagels ($1.50 for a bagel with cream cheese), sandwiches (ranging from $4 to $9) and eggs/omelettes. We both got salads, which were very generously apportioned, and split a three-cheese (cheddar, feta and mozzarella) grilled cheese sandwich on 12-grain bread. Quite good. The other side of The Atrium is now set up with tables for Cocoaccino's patrons, with a little isle in the middle for those getting their nails done to pass through (rumors have been heard that the owners of The Atrium would like to develop a kosher food court).

I asked the owner about free wifi, and he told me that they are thinking about it, but are concerned that some folks will come and buy one cup of coffee and sit for three hours. I told him I thought that would be a good thing. Wouldn't you like to have someone come everyday and sit for three hours, and buy a cup of coffee every day, rather than coming only when they drive by or feel like it? How many people are going to be there between the hours of 9 and 12 anyhow? If I could get free wifi, I'd go every morning, buy a hot chocolate and bagel with cream cheese and work for 1-2 hours. That's about $60 over the course of a month from one person; even if I go half that, if you have two people who do that, you've covered your Internet costs and then some. I'd probably also have meetings there now and again, which would be a fully-expensed meal (meaning I won't be skimping on salad toppings). Without wifi, I'll go there for lunch occasionally, order the cheapest salad with no extra toppings, and split a sandwich with my wife (or better yet, not tell her I'm going).

The Hulk Goes Kosher

Simply hilarious. It reminds me of the age-old quesiton, once posed by the well-known philosopher and professional wrestling commentator Gorilla Monsoon: "What happens when an irresistible force meets an immovable object?" only this time, the Hulk is the immovable object, and the irresistible force is the kosher food. If only Andre were here.

[Hat tip: RDE does it again]

Cocoaccino's is Open

Cocoaccino's, from the proprietors of Accents Grill, opens today for coffee and ice cream; other menu items will be available in February. Cocoaccino is located in the Greenspring Shopping Center, right next to Accents, where Baskin and Robbin's used to be.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: get free wifi, and I'll be there every day (maybe some space heaters for the Atrium in the winter).

A Kosher Subway Grows In Brooklyn. And LA. And Baltimore...

Life-of-Rubin spots a Kosher Subway in Brooklyn.

Look! Another one, this time in LA (coming April 2007).

The Brooklyn establishment opened around the beginning of the year. Word is they don't serve parve (read: fake) cheese at the NY establishment; Cleveland does, no word if LA or Baltimore will follow suit.

Does anyone have information on who owns these restaurants? I know that the folks in Cleveland (Ghazi Faddoul, Charles Zuchowski and Avi Cohen, per the original Cleveland Jewish News article) have right of first refusal for any kosher Subway franchise. The website for the LA branch is registered to one "Jonathan Sedaghat" of Beverly Hills, CA. I don't know who is involved with the Baltimore branch, but I have learned that there might possibly be two locations opening.

If anyone can provide significant information for a scoop, I'll buy you a sandwich at the new Subway.

eBagels

Not sure how new this is, but you can place an order with Goldeberg's Bagels online. Awe-some.

Note to Goldberg's: your website does not list your hours of operation, as far as I could find.

Ain't That the Truth

Frum Satire: Good Kosher Salsa is Hard to Come By.

Kosher Subway Coming to Baltimore?

The latest rumor is that a Kosher Subway will be opening in the location vacated by Goldberg's Bagels when they move a few blocks north to where Ace and Gary's Bagels used to be.

Kosher Bed and Breakfast in Newport, RI

The Associated Press:

A practicing Catholic who attends church each Sunday, Mary Ellen Newbury hardly seems a sure bet to know the ins and outs of keeping a kosher diet.

But as innkeeper of the Admiral Weaver Inn, the only kosher bed-and-breakfast in Rhode Island, Newbury's job is to ensure her guest's religious needs are satisfied -- whether by making sure that meat and dairy meals are kept separate or by keeping bacon and sausage far away from the house.

OIB of the Day: Tov Pizza

Hopefully you're familiar with the term OIB (if not, read Peninah's seminal post on OIB). Last night at Tov Pizza, I attempted to order two slices with broccoli for my wife, but was told that there is a four-slice minimum for slices with toppings on Thursday night. So instead I ordered two plain slices. So I guess this is a two part OIB: OIB on the four-slice minimum, and OIB on me for being too cheap.

There's added irony to this if you know who originated the term OIB...or perhaps it explains it.

Woldholme Coldstone: No Hechsher

A anonymous source today sent in word about the new Coldstone Creamery in the Woodholme shopping center that we had previously reported would be obtaining kosher certification:

The Coldstone in the Woodholme shopping center has decided to abandon its pursuit of kosher certification. They were working with Rabbi Salfer regarding it, but since the franchise owners are Jewish, they would have to be closed on Shabbos, so it wouldn't be worth it financially. They do claim that all of their ingredients are kosher certified and are glad to show documentation to that effect to whoever asks...Unlike Baskin Robbins which ships in tubs of factory made ice cream, Coldstone makes their ice cream on premises, which gives it more of a factory status, and needs certification on the location.

So, check with your LOR (Local Orthodox Rabbi).

Which leaves the question: where does one go for ice cream?

DC Kosher Survey Results

The results are in for the 2006 DC Kosher Community Survey. The results are surprising, at least to me; I'm not that familiar with the JCC Cafe, which received the highest marks. Max's and Siena's, two of my favorites, did pretty well, which is nice to see (was at Max's last weekend, and noticed they had repaired their booths/benches, so perhaps they are listening).

Baltimore Kosher News: Goldberg's Moving; Star-K Expands to Israel

A few Baltimore-related bits of kashrus news. The first: rumor is that Baltimore's beloved Goldberg's Bagels is moving it's Pikesville retail location. No word yet on the exact location, but it will be nearby. Hopefully it will be a larger and nicer establishment, and they will keep the free wi-fi.

Another rumor floating around is that the Star-K, the Baltimore-based kashrus certification organization, is expanding overseas with the acquisition of a Jerusalem-based hashgacha. It's still unclear which one; either way it's an interesting expansion. I'm not that familiar with the intricacies of international kashrus, I believe the OU is not well-respected there, so the joining of a respectable US organization with a respected Israeli one could be an important step.

Kosher Food Porn

Daboysof905: Crab cakes for Shabbat (don't worry, they're kosher crab cakes). Admittedly, I never liked the real thing back in the day, but my palate has broadened a bit since then.

And for desert: SoccerDad's homemade Chocolate Babka.

Jewish Las Vegas Links

I'll be in Las Vegas this week at a conference. In preparation, I've cobbled together some links to restaurants and shuls. If anyone has any comments on any of these places (either in terms of quality, convenience, appropriateness for business meetings, fastest shacharis, etc.), please let me know.

Restaurants:
Chabad of Las Vegas - Kosher Dining
Sababa Grille
Panini Cafe
Haifa Restaurant
Cleopatra's
Shalom Hunan
More at Shamash.org

Shuls:
Chabad Las Vegas
OU Shul - Shaarei Tefilah

More on Baskin Robbins/Accents/Atrium

DW left a comment on my last post on Baskin Robbins closing:

I got the real "scoop" last night, it will be more like a cafe, with ice cream, paninis, expresso type drinks, salads and yes - cheese cake. "Cococcino" will be opening in January, there will be atrium seating. No pasta at the beginning due to the limited food prep.space. As usually all the naysayers in Baltimore are ready to put in down before they open the doors and they will be the first to cry in their lattes when the place does not do well. But the Franks (who also own Accents) have many years of catering and restaurant experience so I have faith that they will do it right.

Awesome! I hope they have free wifi.

Condolences

The Baskin Robbins in Greenspring Shopping Center has closed, suddenly and unexpectedly. They are no longer open; today, the cash registers were locked and no ice cream was being sold.

The word is a kosher milchig restaurant is moving into the space. A dairy Accents, perhaps? If you were at my niece's bat mitzvah, you know they do a good job.

A Day in the City (with Pictures and Video)

Penny and I are in New York on vacation for her birthday; A quick recap of some of the highlights from our day:

We saw Al Pachino outside the News Corporation building. I managed to snap a photo with my camera phone:

Here's how it went down. While we are waiting in the reception area to go up to TV Guide (see below), we heard the guy in front of us say he was someone's personal assistant (we didn't hear who); he had a list of people he would be signing in for a screening of some sort. Penny managed to catch a glimpse of the list, and saw Al Pachino's name at the top. We then heard him tell the receptionist that they would be arriving around 1:45. We went up to visit TV Guide, and as we got outside, looked at our watches: 1:30. So we hung out for about 15 minutes, and sure enough, here comes Scarface. I managed to position myself between the street and the entrance to the building so that Al would have to pass within about five feet of me and I could get a good shot with my camera phone. Al looked really old and his hair was dyed a yellowish-blond. We sent the sighting in to Gawker Stalker, but so far it hasn't made the site.

Back to TV Guide: Our good friend Sara works for TV Guide in the News Corporation building (same building as FOX News; she shares a gym with Geraldo), so we went to see her office. This is an office of people who get paid to watch TV and write about it; in other words, pretty much a dream job. Sarah introduced me to Michael Ausiello, a TV Guide writer who is a big Lost fan (he's done some interviews with the creators of the show). We talked a little Lost (we both think the third season is awesome; I'll post more about Lost later, cause last night's episode was good), and he was really nice (especially as we were invading his office). The office is otherwise pretty non-glamorous, but it was cool to see; and we got some complimentary TV Guides to take home.

We whiled the afternoon away, visited the Apple store on 5th Avenue (quite a unique structure), did a little shopping, and then headed uptown to The Colbert Report. We got there around 4:45, waited till about 6 to get in the building. Once inside, we waited another hour till about 7, when they brought us into the studio. We were seated in the back row, not bad because we could see everything fairly well, but at one some points a cameraman was directly between us and Colbert. Stephen came out and, before doing the show, took questions from the audience. One woman thanked him for challenging some senator about veteran health benefits, as her husband had been disabled while fighting in Iraq. I'm sure she meant well, and I'm sure there is a problem for vets, but it really killed the comedy mood, and Stephen took no further questions (I was considering asking him for mechillah). The show began, and went very smoothly, the did the whole thing in a single take.

The guest was neither Richard Dawkins (he was on last night) nor Deepak Chopra (phew). Instead, David Kuo, a former top-guy in the Department of Faith-Based Inititives, was there to plug his new book, Tempting Faith: An Inside Story of Political Seduction. The basic thesis of the book appears to be that the Republican party knowingly co-oped Jesus/Christianity in order to win elections.

Here's a clip of the interview:

The interview went on a bit long, and at the end Mr. Kuo gave something to Stephen, I think it was his cuff links. Stephen looked a bit disturbed by the gesture, and went backstage for a moment. And then he did a really funny bit involving Senator Rick Santorum and a complete set of The Lord of the Rings action figures:

And then it was over. Here's a post from another person who was at the show. Here's one last clip from the show, this is The Word (one of their daily segments):

Our final brush with celebrity of the evening came later at Abigael's when Daniel Brody of Apprentice fame came in with his wife. Penny knows Mrs. Brody, so we chatted for a minute (I don't think Dan remembered my posts on The Apprentice). Despite being fired early on, Dan is doing fine.

Then it was back to our pad, watch a TiVO'ed episode of Lost (which was AWESOME, more on that later), and then...a little blogging and trying to fall asleep. Tomorrow: Jake or Bust!

Paradise Found

Green's Chocolate Babka might be the most delicious food every invented.

And if anyone dares to mention Zomicks in the comments, they are banned for life.

Kosher Rumors

An anonymous tipster sent in word that there is a new Coldstone Creamery opening near Woodholme, and they are considering obtaining kosher certification.

For those of you unfamiliar with Coldstone, it's like Starbucks for ice cream; basically, they create an "experience" around something simple like an ice cream with toppings so they can charge you $3.50 for something that would be $2 at Baskin and Robbins. They have menu items, combinations of ice creams and toppings you can choose from, and their servers prepare your dish right before your eyes using these short, flat-headed, shovel-like scoopers. It's a bit unsettling to watch them massage your ice cream and toppings into a homogenous mush, but it is kind of tasty.

There is a kosher Coldstone in Norfolk, VA, we went there earlier this year. If you tip the servers, they will sing to you while they prepare your ice cream. After the people in front of us left a tip, I specifically didn't, so they wouldn't sing. It's not that I'm cheap (well, I am, but that's beside the point), it's just that I want all your attention focused on my ice cream.

DC Kosher Community Survey

Kosher Community Surveys has just opened up the 2006 survey for the DC area.

Baltimore Kosher Survey Results

Kosher Community Surveys has released the results from their survey of Baltimore area kosher restaurants. Not too many big surprises, but an interesting read.

Italian Sausage?

I have bad luck when it comes to restaurants. As a kid I was very unadventurous in the realm of the palate; from ages 7 to 22, every time I got Chinese, I ordered the same thing: wonton soup and beef with snow peas (and I didn't eat the snow peas, they just didn't contribute any taste to the beef). Sometime after I got married, I started eating all sorts of different things, and I am rarely, if ever, satisfied with what I get.

Tonight, I met Peninah at Max's for dinner. I usually head straight for Ahmed's schwarma bar, but tonight, one of the specials caught my eye: Italian Sausage over Fettucini ($11.95). Sounds good, right? What I got was a hot dog on top of some wide noodles mixed with some marinara sauce. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't anything special either. Will I ever learn (probably not)?

Rule #1 when going to Max's: get the schwarma.

Rule #2: see Rule #1.

The Scotch Blog goes Kosher

AlanLaz's previous posts on kashrus issues relating to scotch whisky have been combined and published by the The Scotch Blog (the very finest in Scotch-related blogging). Way to go, Alan!

Alan's passion for scotch is only matched by my willingness to sample his collection.

Brain Freeze

There's a new Rita's in the Valley Village shopping center. Now you can get your children's shoes, vacuum cleaner repairs and delicious icy treats all in one convenient location.

I recommend the Lemonade or Cherry Gelati.

Kosher Community Survey

I received an email from Neil Rosenbaum, who runs a site called Kosher Community Surveys, about their latest survey focusing on the Baltimore area kosher establishments. Check it out, rate your favorite restaurants, and they'll publish the results at some later date.

The site also has previous surveys for the DC and Boston areas.

On Scotch Whisky

AlanLaz has a great series of posts on scotch whisky, including an excellent overview of the history and process behind whisky, as well as a brief overview of some of the kashrus concerns.

I recently began "getting into" scotch (thanks, Penny and Alan). So far, my collection includes a bottle of Aberlour 15 (Sherry Wood Finish) and a bottle of McClelland's Islay.

How You Like 'Dem Apples!

At last night's Chumash shiur, the topic of discussion was the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. R. Gottlieb reviewed the midrash which explains the various different fruits that could have been the Forbidden Fruit. It is well known that the apple, probably the most recognizable choice, is not found in any statements of Chazal.

Wikipedia says:

In Western Christian art, the fruit is most commonly depicted as an apple. One possible reason for this arises from a medieval pun. It was a source of humor to monks that the Latin word for evil was similar to the word for apple. Thus it was often said that by eating the malum (apple), Eve contracted malus (evil). There is, however, no textual or historical evidence by which to argue the literalness of this image.

I knew I had read something about this somewhere, and after a little searching found what I was looking for. In Nefesh HaRav (pg 209-210), R. Herschel Schacter writes:

I heard once from [the Rav] that the GR"A had a custom not to eat grapes on Rosh HaShannah, because according to one opinion the Tree of Knowledge was a grapevine...and when he mentioned this, someone asked, "But the Tree of Knowledge was an apple (tapuach)?!?" Our teacher answered him immediately that this was incorrect, rather that according to one opinion, it was an etrog, which in the language of the Tanach is called tapuach, and the Christians mixed up the tapuach from Tanach with the tapuach of today, as in the times of the Tanach, there were no apples in the Land of Israel.

Jews for Jared

Bangitout blog links to a video from a local Cleveland news station reporting on the new Kosher Subway.

A quote from one of the women interviewed:

"Cleveland has a nice, growing Orthodox Jewish community...and so the demand for kosher restaurants is getting bigger and bigger. We even have a kosher donut shop now...

Whoah! A KOSHER DONUT SHOP!?!?!? Alert the media!

Seriously, Cleveland has one thing that makes this all possible: American Greetings.

It'd be nice to get one of these in Baltimore, who knows, with the landscape of kosher establishments likely to change drastically over the next 6 months, anything is possible.

David Chu's - On The Block

Rumors have been circulating that David Chu's China Bistro, probably the best overall kosher restaurant in Baltimore, is either up for sale or has been sold. There's been questions as to whether or not the new owner intends on keeping the place kosher. So far, I've heard nothing conclusive; the Star-K said only that it is kosher right now, and the woman at David Chu's seemed to be saying that they are still kosher, and perhaps that they will continue to be kosher under new ownership.

It would be a real loss for Baltimore if David Chu's went treif. I can't even imagine why a new owner would consider dropping the certification, as the place has been doing business for years and has an excellent reputation.

I've got some more stuff, but I'm waiting for a bit more info. Stay tuned.

2006 Pesach Food Spotlight

Many exciting developments this year in the Kosher for Pesach world. I don't even have to do my best to contain myself; the matzoh does it for me.

Crispy-O shelo kdarkha

Next up, a new product that, surprisingly, we like! Hoo Lachmu is a "100% non gebrokts, gluten free “flat bread.” Ideal for sandwiches, pizza and even French toast." The Presence team tried them as pizza, and, we must admit, they are pretty good! Of course, with a whopping 254 calories per slice (only 74.7 from fat!), we'll probably be dead long before these make it all the way through our digestive tracts. Hoo Lachmu weighs in quite respectfully in all the other areas of "ingredients that will kill you quickly." But they sure are tasty, as far as Pesach food goes. So for this year, Hoo Lachmu wins both the coveted "Best New Pesach Food Attempting to Imitate a Chametz Product" award and the "Best Pesach Product Name Thought up by Three Chassids in Borough Park Five Minutes Before Yontif" award. Congratulations!

Kosher Stand at Camden Yards

In an act that has been described by some as a "selfless sacrifice," I took the kids this afternoon, so Penny could get some Pesach cleaning done. So we went to the O's game. I know, Artscroll material. Anyway...

I was a bit confused when I headed out to left field to get me some kosher food; what had been the kosher stand in previous years was now selling nachos with meat and cheese toppings. I was halfway through my second order (JOKE) when I realized the kosher stand had relocated across the concourse. The new kosher stand now looks just like all the other concession stands, only the line of patrons is about evenly split betweeo folks in yarmulkas, and folks who stare at the menu for about 2 minutes, can't find anything with cheese, and go someplace else.

Along with the new location, the menu has been updated as well; in addition to the old favorites (hot dogs, hot pretzels, relish packets), the kosher stand now sells Italian sausauge (which, in kosher stand terms, means a beef hot dog slightly less red in color than the regular hot dogs), french fries and chicken tenders. They also sell the MinuteMaid Lemonade frezzie things, which are awesome. Oh, they sell beer too, but nothing good. I had the chicken tenders, and they were really good, but I had to wait about ten minutes for them.

As for the game, Boston won, a Yankees fan caught a fly ball and, upon brandishing his jersey, was collectively booed by the crowd. We had seats right behind home plate about 10 rows back, really great seats, the weather was nice (I traditionally have bad luck with April games and end up freezing). All in all, a good way to start the season. And when I came home, the house was clean!

Kosher Subway

According to The Kosher Blog, Cleveland will soon have a kosher Subway.

That is so awesome. Why can't we get one here?

More details in the Cleveland Jewish News.

Speaking of which, who do I talk to at the JCC about getting free wireless at Cafe Eden? It would be so easy for them to do, and would help bring in a lot of business.

Phantom Gaza Vegetables

My next door neighbor showed me some vegetables she bought at Seven Mile Market today. The head of romaine was unremarkable, other than the packaging, which indicated it had been produced in Kfar Darom, which, last I checked, is located in the Palestinian-controlled Gaza strip. The brand name of the veg is Chasalat, the company Alei Katif. Some quick Googling turned up an article from The Netherlands, which reports that Alei Katif has relocated to Sderot and resumed production of some, but not all, of its vegetable products.

The price was quite hefty ($4.49 for a head of romaine), but I suppose you could count a portion of your purchase as charity/ma'aser.

Kosher All Day Long

SoccerDad has a link to the second edition of the Kosher Cooking Carnival. Lots of good links to recipes and many good kosher food blogs I had not heard of. I am currently devouring Jerusalem Soul Foodies, a blog detailing a trip to Israel, from a gastro-intestinal point of view. Oh. Yeah.

As a side project, I've started a Blogdigger group of kosher food blogs, it's available at http://groups.blogdigger.com/KosherBlogs. Email me if you see something that should be added to the list.

Dinner at The Brasserie

Roasted Duck Spring Egg Roll...Roasted Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms...Delmonico Steak...Rack of Ribs.

Oh baby.

Last night, my parents were kind enough to take Peninah and me to The Brasserie for my birthday. I don't think I had been there for dinner since the menu change. Things are much different now. Not only is the menu much broader, the portions are HUGE. After polishing off all of the above (to be fair, I only had one rib), I was barely able to move, and have made a nice dent in my post-surgery weight loss. It was an awesome eating experience.

Little known fact: did you know that Lonnie owns kosher.com?

Jewish Times on Restaurant Closings

The Jewish Times has an article detailing the closing of 921 and the uncertain future of The Brassiere. It's pretty clear that 921's closing had absolutely nothing to do with the business itself, which is upsetting.

So there's now (or will soon be) a gaping void in the kosher restaurant market. What do we need, what do we want, and who's going to do it?

More Breaking News

My anonymous source has tipped me off to another imminent closing in the Baltimore Kosher Restaurant industry. I won't post it yet, because I really, really, really, really, really hope it's not true. If it is, it will be very difficult for to have a kosher business lunch in Baltimore.

Update: I drove by 921 on my way home from work, all I saw was an empty parking lot, apart from a family that walked up to the door, appeared to be reading a note posted on the door, and walking away. No lights on inside.

There's been some talk circulating regarding a connection between the two closings; I don't know if there is anything to them, and I'm friends with folks on at least one side of the equation, so we'll simply mourn the closings at this point, and wait to see if there's anything else to talk about that's appropriate.

Breaking News

This just in: an anonymous source is reporting that Cafe 921 has closed, permanently. At this point we're still treating this as rumor, but if anyone has any information, please let us know. We'll update as we learn more.

Update: It definitely looks as if there is some substance to the rumors; calls to Cafe 921 continue to go unanswered. I'm going to do a little reconnoitering at lunch time to confirm.

What did 921 in? The food, overall, was good, the place clean. Despite the somewhat confusing process of getting your food and paying for it, there weren't any major problems with the place. Every time I went in, the place was busy, so it wasn't for lack of customers.

Two factors, I think, contributed to 921's closing. The first, and most obvious, was the rent. The last few times I was in there, the air conditioning was all but off, indicating they were attempting to cut back on overhead.

The other factor, which is a bit more speculative, was the clientele. Clearly, 921 was the place to be on Saturday night if you were under the age of 20. While on a typical Saturday night it was often difficult to get a table, the majority of those taking up space were not buying food. Many of the teenagers came to hang out, but not to eat, which took up space and likely drove away older and hungrier customers. I recall often seeing the owner making rounds asking kids to leave if they weren't eating anything. I'm not sure how much of an affect this had on the business, but if the owner is out there, you'd think it was significant. I suggested to 921 that they offer something like a nacho-chip w/ cheese platter, something that a group of people could share, but, alas, my suggestions fell on deaf ears.

So on behalf of everyone here at Presence, and the Baltimore community, I'd like to wish the folks from 921 the best of luck, and hope they find themselves back on their feet with another venture soon (hint, hint: Mexican food). In the mean time, let's have a moment of silence for the pea soup, the quesodillas and that salad dressing with the poppy seeds in it.

As for the effect 921's closing will have on the other kosher eating establishments, let's just say I'll bet Mr. Goldberg's Bagels is either really happy or really nervous right now, and probably both.

A Trip to the Deli

So we made it to down to Eli's in DC (pronounced like Shlossberg, not Lasson). Although Eli's was a bit different than I was expecting, overall I was fairly satisfied with the experience. I suppose I thought Eli's a bit more formal, when in fact the menu is very light (sandwiches, burgers). I usually don't order desert, but I was actually not full by the end of the meal.

Here's the rundown. They have a wide selection of appetizers. Unfortuneately, the ones we were interested in weren't available (no wings, no knishes). We settled on "Spicy Potato Wedges," onion rings and a complimentary bowl of pickles (available upon request only). I hope the folks at Eli's will forgive me if I'm mistaken, but the "Spicy Potato Wedges" were almost certainly McCain's spicy fries; I had imagined some sort of homemade thing. This turned out to be my major issue with Eli's; while it was a nice restaurant, it was obvious much of the food was packaged. The pickles were from a jar, and we never ended up getting the onion rings, I can only hope they weren't Kinneret.

As restaurants in DC tend to have a short lifespan, I got soup as well. I went for the pea soup, which was tasty, but thin (in my book, nothing but nothing beats a nice thick pea soup). Penny got the matzoh ball, which was quite peppery. Nothing particularly special.

Shortly after (the service was incredibly speedy, a plus) I ordered a New Yorker (pastrami, corned beef, Russian dressing and cole slaw; again, the cole slaw was almost certainly the same as you get on a deli platter from Liebes). The sandwich was good, with plenty of meat, but I was still hungry at the end. The chips that came with the sandwich were also garden variety.

As I was still hungry, I had the tiramisu for desert. I honestly can't compare it to anything, since it was my first Tierra Misu experience. The nice part came when we got the check; for four people, we were only $56, which, I think, is pretty good.

So all in all, Eli's was a good meal, good food, but, ultimately, there's not much there that's going to get me to drive all the way into DC to eat there. It's a great place to get a decent-priced meal, if you are in the neighboorhood (I've heard things about folks moving back into DC and downtown Silver Springs), but if I'm getting in my car and driving someplace outside of Baltimore, I'm stopping in Wheaton for a shwarma, if you catch my meaning. I certainly wish the people at Eli's the best of luck, they have a fine establishment that I hope to visit again soon.

Bon Appétit

As you can tell from the previous post, my mind is prone to creating elaborate theories connecting seemingly (and often actually) disparate ideas. I rarely have the time or perserverance to follow through on most of them. In the rare case, I find that someone has done the work for me. In the comments of the previous post, someone known only as "M" (working for MI-6, perhaps?) mentioned an article by Leon Kass, MD in the June 1994 edition of Commentary entitled, "Why the Dietary Laws?" Commentary does the world a disservice by locking up their archives (M, if you read this, please ask Moneypenny to forward me an electronic copy by the usual methods. The password is 'fiber'), so I went to Amazon and discovered a book entitled "The Hungry Soul," by Leon Kass, MD. A brief exerpt:

Compared to wisdom eating may be a humble subject, but it is no trivial matter. It is the first and most urget activity of all animal and human life: We are only because we eat. Much of human life is, in practice, organized around this neccessity. Enormous time and energies are poured into growing, harvesting, rearing butchering, preserving, cooking and consuming food. The manufacture of tables, chairs, stoves, refrigerators, dishes, glassware, utensils, and kitchen gadgets; the provision of homes with fuel for cooking,...-all these and more follow from the increasingly complex ways in which we arrange ato meet our most basic need. Indeed, at least indirectly, the need to eat makes the world go around: Most of sociery's work gets done largely because we workers need to make living - that is, to earn enough to fed ourselves and our families. If we lived in a bountiful Garden of Eden, who would work? Who would do much of anything?

I've already bought my copy. The soup, my friends, is on.

Kosher all day long

The Kosher Blog linked to a new blog by locals, KosherCritic. They've got a review of Eli's, the new deli in DC, as well as an older review of The Red Heifer (which, I heard, is closing; www.theredheifer.com was down at time of writing. Don't say I didn't warn you, cause I did). KosherCritic aims to give reviews of all the kosher establishments in Maryland and DC, which would be a great resource (Critics: if you're in Baltimore and in need of an eating guide, let me know).

From KosherCritic I found Kosher Traveler and Kosher Today (not a blog, but hey, we can't all be this cool), which has a blurb on the Pikesville Safeway closing its Kosher Deli section (bonus points for quotes from Uncle Wolfgang).

Flash Mob Lunch at Brasserie

Penny suggested that the Flash Mob Lunch at the Brasserie should be it's own post, rather than buried at the end of the previous one. So here goes:

At any rate, I'd be sad to see the Brasserie go, so here's what we're going to do. Call it a lunch time flash mob, if you will. Let's all meet at the Brasserie for lunch, this Wed. (May 11, I think), at 12:00 PM. If you like, spread the word, RSVP in the comments or just show up. More than likely it will be just me, but it could be a nice gathering of folks. We'll eat, drink and be merry and perhaps postpone the inevitable for just a while longer. See you there.

It's Brasserie, not Brassiere

The rumor cicuclating over the last days of Pesach was that both The Brassiere and Cafe 921 are in dire straits. The Brassiere's plight is probably due to a combination of heat from the recently-opened Accents, which is closer to the community, more affordably priced and ostensibly family-friendly, while Cafe 921, despite having the fealty of the 16 and under crowd, might be reeling from lofty overhead expenses for their staff and location.

As callous as this may sound, I care very little as to the fate of 921; apart from that tasty salad dressing, there's not much in culinary terms that I feel beholden to. Combine that with the fact that the place is disorganized beyond belief and whenever I go there, I'm out 20 bucks and still hungry, and I'm fine to see it go.

The Brassiere, however, would be a real loss if it were to shut down. It's the one place in town to go for a special occasion that you get a nice, waitered meal without spending more than is reasonable for an economically depressed town like Baltimore. More importantly, it's still relatively taboo to bring kids there, making it one of the few places one can get away from all things under the age of twelve for a short period of time. Also, the DelMonico steak is amazing.

As sad as it would be should The Brassiere go the way of Buzz Berg's Bison herd, it's quite understandable, given the community demographics. The Baltimore community is family-oriented; the average household size is probably between four and five, and people are going to opt for the more affordable and kid-friendly establishments five times out of six.

This also underscores the need for higher-end establishments to market outside the "kosher" community. Despite the fact that the community has grown significantly over the past few years, we still seem to be unable to support more than a certain number of eating establishments. Pulling from the non-kosher community could allow us to move beyond this bottleneck, assuming there's a willingness to sacrifice a more parochial atmosphere for more variety.

At any rate, I'd be sad to see the Brasserie go, so here's what we're going to do. Call it a lunch time flash mob, if you will. Let's all meet at the Brasserie for lunch, this Wed. (May 11, I think), at 12:00 PM. If you like, spread the word, RSVP in the comments or just show up. More than likely it will be just me, but it could be a nice gathering of folks. We'll eat, drink and be merry and perhaps postpone the inevitable for just a while longer. See you there.

Still #1, Still largely inedible

One year later, and Google agrees that Presence is your #1 resource for information about T. Abraham's Crispy-O's. If T. Abraham knew where his/her matzoh were buttered, they'd have sent me a free case of 2005's New and Improved Crispy-O's for advanced review (I am not below shilling for free Pesach food).

Since they didn't, I'll give my own, unbiased review. While this year's batch shows marked improvements over previous years (notice the "flavor rings", along with a softer texture for Less Internal Bleeding!), we've got a long way to go from cardboard to breakfast cereal. I'd say we've progressed to the level of fruit-flavored sandpaper (or cotton-swabs, if you add milk). No further information is available on the origins or meaning of the zombie-cow/moose mascot thing.

In other Pesach food news, nothing is new. We don't seem to have anything particularly new and exciting in our house. If you know of anything, please let me know. I'm starving. If I can't find anything to eat soon, I'm liable to go hunt me up some buffalo (yes, this is on my way to work).

Star-K responds

Via The Lone Ortho, the Star-K has put up a page in response to the attack launched by the Debrecin shochtim. The page includes a letter from the Star-K explaining the situation, and 6 minute, 55 second video of R. Heinemann, addressing, point-by-point, the allegations levied by Debrecin. They have also scheduled a series of lectures explaining their position, also available on tape.

All I would add is: Who's usually right in an argument? The one yelling, screaming and insulting his opponent, or the one who calmly explains himself without resorting to name-calling or denigration?

An interesting comment from R. Heinemann's video: R. Heinamann states:

In Europe, the Hechsher of a butcher facility usually consisted of the Rabbi saying the owner is a frum yid and you can rely on him and his place. Of course, according to the Halacha, this will not work for a [non-Jew]. We don’t give a Hechsher, not to a yid or to a [non-Jew]. We give a Hechsher to the product. We have Mashgichim who supervise the meat [from start to finish], from the time the animal walks into the slaughter house until the meat is packaged. We give the [certification] to the product and once it is doubly sealed, it can be sold anywhere and by anyone.

This illustrates just how much kashrus has changed over the last fifty years; in Baltimore, we still have establishments that are accepted as Kosher without hashgacha (seriously, could we survive without the Liebe's chopped liver? I don't think so). The whole concept of hashgacha as it is commonly applied today, with imported meat and restaurants, seems to be a wholly new entity. Anyone know of any good books that detail the history of hashgacha as an industry, as it developed in America or in Europe? Something that details the evolution of the modern halachos of hashgacha, from their sources in the Talmud, along with key decisions by major poskim over the last 50-100 years? If something like this does not exist, it would make a great thesis.

The Attack on Glatt Kosher Shchitah

In the mail today, I received the infamous pamphlet denouncing the Star-K, published by the shochtim of Debrecin. ALong with the pamplet was a folded one page insert with statements from R. Elyashiv, R. Sternbuch, R. Moshe Feinstein and others I have never heard of. The focus of the insert is the halachic question of selling kosher and treif meat in the same establishment.

For more on the history here, check here, including links to Chakira's background posts on the debacle.

I'm assuming the pamphlet was mailed to the entire Baltimore Eruv list. If so, I find this to be, at the least, mean-spirited, and at the most, motzei shem ra. I read through the first half; so far, lots of hand waving and implied, unstated conclusions.

Update: Many rabbanim referenced this over Shabbos. The pamphlet was indeed mass-mailed to the entire Baltimore Jewish community. I heard that R. Gottleib, R. Taub and R. Hopfer all printed or made statements, mostly staying out of the debate, only saying that the venue of presentation was wholly inappropriate. The only purpose I can discern in sending this to the Baltimore community is to foment chaos for R. Heinemann at home.

#1 In USA and Overseas!

As an experiment, I added my stats tracker to the individual entry pages, hoping to get a better idea of how people find this site. The first thing I noticed was lots of hits coming from searches for Baltimore kosher restaurants. So I did a little Googling and found that Presence appears as the top search result for:

• Tov's Pizza (Tov Pizza places a sad 10th)


• Cafe 921 (or Cafe 921 The Pikes)


• Sabra Grille

• Kosher Bite (#4, but #1 in USA and Overseas!!!)


• Caramel's Pizza (#4)


• Siena's Rockville (#5)


• Stacks DC Kosher (#4)

Obviously I need to work on David Chu's (went there tonight, had some weird soup thing; bad choice), The Brassiere, er Brasserie, Goldberg's Bagels, Mama Leah's and the mother of all kosher restaurants, Max's.

In the meantime, it appears that The Red Heiffer is open. Hurry up and go there, before they close.

Pesach Food Spotlight - T. Abraham's Crispy-O's

Over the past ten years, the Kosher for Pesach world has made strong developments in many areas. The breakfast cereal department, however, seems to have been left woefully behind, and not for lack of trying. The original breakfast cereal deemed "good enough" for Passover, T. Abraham's Crispy-O's, were so dreadfully horrible, it's amazing they were around for a second year. Alas, the newer "improved" versions came out again the next year, and we've been treated to their throat-scratching goodness ever since.

In their current manifestation, Crispy-O's are availabe in three different flavors, that don't mix (trust us, we've tried). There's Original (or, "yellow"), Chocolate and Fruity. All three have the same sandpaper-like consistency when eaten dry; add milk, and within seconds they transform into a bowl of mush. Amazingly, almost none of the coloring used to "flavor" the cereals dissolves into the milk. We're not sure if this is good, or very, very bad.

As with all Passover products, it's important to read the advertising on the box for subtle clues. In Crispy-O's case, we are informed that the product contains, "No Fat. No Cholesterol." A quick perusal of the Nutritional Information reveals that, besides lacking fat and cholesterol, Crispy-O's are completely devoid of any nutritional value. No vitamins, no minerals, no nothing. Cardboard would be healthier, and probably taste better, too.

Further proving that Pesach food is impervious to the logics of marketing, Crispy-O's Fruity Flavor is endorsed by a somewhat deformed bovine creature (not pictured here, fortuneatly). Kids are surely drawn to his blank, zombie-like stare, just as we seem to be drawn towards any food, no matter how inedible, that bears a Kosher for Passover sign.

Pesach Food Spotlights - Bissli

Today's Pesach Food Spotlight falls on that little Israeli snack food that could, Bissli - Smokey Flavor!

For those unfamiliar with the popular Israeli snack food line, Bissli is Israel's answer to the Potato Chip. Available in all shapes, sizes and flavors, the hard-hats over at the Osem factory must have worked well into the late afternoon to come up with the substance used as the basis for all Bissli snack "foods". Their unique coarse texture, saturated in delicious Palm Oil, combined with the unmistakable crunch (and subsequent jaw ache) that accompanies every bite, make Bissli a must-try for any serious aficionado of Middle Eastern cuisine. The Smokey Flavor comes in tube shapes, which, upon mastication, collapse quite nicely, causing little gum or palate damage (as opposed to Pizza Wheels, which should not be allowed on airplanes). One would be wise to adhere to the warning emblazoned on all Bissli food products: "Protect from Sun." We're still trying to figure out if they mean the food, or those that ate the food.

So check out Bissli products; "Kosher for Passover, and all year round!"

Stay tuned for more Pesach Food Spotlights, from my lunch.

Cafe 921 at the Pikes

There's a new restaurant in town; Cafe 921, located in the old Pikes Theatre on Resiterstown Road, opened last week for a "sneak preview." Cafe 921 is an upscale (as Baltimore Kosher goes), sit-down dairy restaurant, run by the same folks that own The Brassiere.

I went twice over the last two weeks, and both times came away pretty pleased. They've got brick over pizza, good soups, a make-your-own salad bar (with a weird topping menu - too complicated), as well as fresh calzones, wraps and fish dishes. It appears that Menash, the chef from The Brassiere, will be spending some time over at Cafe 921.

The preview was basically self-serve, but after Pesach the full menu will be available, along with waiters to take your order. And they have a bar; Lonnie told me they'll be open Saturday nights. Hopefully they'll keep the riff-raff out so we can hang out, drink beer and wax philosophic. Should be interesting.

The price is a bit steep for your average lunch (my order of a grilled eggplant wrap, small minestrone soup and iced tea came to $10.17). I'm going to experiment with the menu to find the perfect $6.50 lunch; a combination of soup and salad should do the trick.

All in all, I'm impressed (although, I'm still holding out for a Ref Heifer Baltimore branch).

Waiter, there's a fly in my...

I finally made it to Stacks, D.C.'s erstwhile Kosher delicatessen. The restaurant itself is great, the location amazing - 5 blocks from the White House, only a few blocks from Metro Center (did I ever mention that I absolutely love the D.C. Metro? Every time I ride it I have memories of elementary school trips to the National Zoo, and the little red haired girl from...uh, but I digress...). As far as the food goes, I'm not so sure. I ordered the Steak Sandwich ($14.95). I figured I probably wouldn't be back there for a while, so I might as well go all out. The Steak Sandwich was OK, certainly not worth $15 (not enough onions).

The worst part was, I ordered water to drink (when your sandwich costs $15...well, you get the idea). After drinking about a quarter of the glass, I noticed a small, deceased bug (species unknown) floating alongside an ice cube. The waiter was very polite, and kindly exchanged my water, free of charge. Needless to say, I didn't leave a tip.

So overall, Stacks gets a lukewarm review. But then again, if you're in D.C., where else ya gonna eat?

Thank the Sweet Lord

I have three words for you: The Red Heifer.

Menus are available online. Here is a sample:

BBQ Pit- Choose from our signature sauces; House Original, Texas Pecos or Louisiana. All entrees served with rolls, cole slaw and potato salad.

BBQ Baby Jumbo Beef Ribs 18
Two bones, enough for one person.

BBQ Jumbo Beef Ribs 21
Two bones, enough for one hungry person.

BBQ Super Jumbo Beef Ribs 24
Two colossal bones, enough for one very hungry person!

BBQ Beef Back Ribs 24
1/2 Rack 13

BBQ Beef Short Ribs 18
Two bones, enough for one hungry person.

BBQ Sliced Beef Brisket 12
Platter.

BBQ Pulled Beef 9
Platter.

BBQ Chicken 13
Half large chicken 13

BBQ Chicken Legs 9
Two leg platter.

Somebody up there's been listening, that's for darn sure.

I've already stopped eating in preparation for my first visit.

Pork - the other red meat

I'm immensely enjoying this article from the Houston Press (via Protocols) about tricksy restaurateurs switching pork for veal. The author makes a particular point of offering up righteous indignation on behalf of the innocent Jewish and Muslim patrons, whose religious sensibilities and, perhaps even immortal souls, are at stake here. Take, for example, this cogent observation:

[Veal Sorrentino] was a lunch special the day I ordered it, but the waiter didn't mention prosciutto [apparently prosciutto is made out of pork]. And I didn't notice any, either.

"The waiter probably described it as sautéed veal with eggplant tomatoes and fontina cheese [emp. added]," Butera said. I pointed out that this was deceptive for Jews and Muslims who need to avoid pork.

Oh yes. We mustn't deceive the poor unsuspecting Jews, who are ordering milk and meat in the same dish, and slip them some pork unawares.

Sorry, no sympathy here. Either starve like the rest of us or take your chances with the pigs.

Water, water everywhere...

So way back when I started this blog, I mentioned that I wanted to blog about the goings-on in the Baltimore Jewish Community. Looking back, I notice that I really haven't written much about goings-on in the Jewish community. Part of that has to do with the fact that, well, not much is going on in the Jewish community.

Take Saturday night, two weeks ago; we arranged for a baby sitter, and set out for a night on the town with two other couples. The plan was to catch a movie and then get something to eat. The movie fell through (who would have thought that Something's Gotta Give would sell out? Then again, I usually go to the movies during work hours...), so we figured we'd spend the money and time consuming copious amounts of food.

No such luck. We drove down Reisterstown Road, passing most of the major Kosher establishments. Brassiere? Closed. The new Knish Shop (whose sandwichs are excellent, I might add)...closed. Sabra Grille...trief. David Chu's, which until that week had been opening on Saturday nights...closed. We even went to the Royal, and got all excited to see people going in, only to find out it was a private party, and, as far as we were concerned, they were...closed. Kosher Bite, I'm happy to say, was also closed. We ended up at Tov's Pizza (the only other places open were Caramel's and Goldberg's Bagels), sitting across from a birthday party and a family of twelve, splitting a pie with green peppers and onions.

Now, I realize that the economy in Baltimore, and of the Baltimore Jewish community in particular, is a bit weaker than the likes of New York, but COME ON. Is it really not worth it for all these places to be open on Saturday night, even in the winter? What has the world come to if I can't get a fleishig meal on a Saturday night?

Seriously, we need to get things going with the Kosher restaurants. I wish I could make some sort of articulate argument for this other than "I need a hot brisket sandwich," but I can't. But let's be realistic. Some of the restaurants in town are really bad. Normally, I'm all for letting the market decide, but in this case, as we're dealing with a small, relatively insular community, I think we should be allowed to vote on which restaurants to keep, and which ones to ditch. The resources from the defunct establishments could be funneled into new restaurants. For example: Why do we need three pizza shops? One should close and become a meat establishment, preferably Mexican-themed.

As an aside, we're going to the Jewish Museum's exhibit on Jewish entertainers this Saturday night. And, not coincidentally, there will be food there.

Sabra Grille goes Treif

Oh well. I was really excited about Sabra Grille when they first opened. Unfortunately, their food was just not exciting. I mean, if Kosher Bite does better schwarma than you, you have an issue. I feel bad for the owners, who seem like nice guys, but the food was just not the kind of stuff I (and apparently others) was going to go back for. I gave them a few tries, and every time walked away with a bad taste in my mouth.

The only consolation is that R. Weinreb is hard at work.