Mazel Tov
At Bistro K, fine Mediterranean dining just happens to be kosher.
Why would a successful restaurateur who, though Jewish, is not shomer shabbat (observant of the Sabbath) wade into the fast-moving stream of kosher dining? "Sometimes I ask myself the same thing," Samuel said with a dramatic sigh. "We are a difficult people," he added. When pressed, he explained that he catered a cultural event at a synagogue in Dallas that made him feel warm inside. "It make me feel good for what I did," he explained. "I keep reinventing myself, so now I try this." Having a kosher restaurant, Shawel said, defines a Jewish community. Its existence sends a message to the world that the community is strong. A kosher restaurant is a matter of pride for observant Jews, said Rabbi David Shawel, director of supervision of Vaad Hakashurus, the Dallas-area kosher certifying agency . But community leaders did have to twist Samuel's arm. "I was approached by the Vaad, who said, 'It's long overdue....Who better than you to open a kosher restaurant?'" he explained. The gamble paid off. Although Vaad officials count, at most, 4000 Metroplex families that buy kosher meats and a total Jewish population of roughly 60,000 individuals, the reception has been overwhelming. "We've been mobbed since day one," he said, "I didn't realize the need for a kosher restaurant was so great." "Kosher," as defined in the Jewish Virtual Library (www.us-israel.org), means prepared according to ritually correct Jewish dietary practices. Traditional Jewish dietary laws are based on biblical legislation. Only animals such as sheep and cows that both chew their cud and have split hooves are permitted, and they must be slaughtered in a particular way. Further, meat products may not be cooked or eaten with milk products or immediately thereafter. Fowl is considered a meat food and also has to be slaughtered in a special manner. Of sea creatures, only those having fins and scales -- that is, fish -- are permitted. Within that simple definition is a web of rules regarding the manner of slaughter, draining of blood, meat prep, and removal of the sciatic nerve. Glatt kosher meat is perceived to be more pure than USDA choice because it is rigorously inspected, processed, and deemed blemish-free. "Nowadays [the term "glatt kosher"] is used to mean a very high standard of supervision and integrity," Shawel explained. A kosher restaurant bears the increased cost of certified meats as well as the additional supervision required: A mashgiach (kosher overseer) opens the door in the morning and lights the stove, signs off on invoices, and supervises all food production. "The mashgiach is accountable to the kosher standard and responsible to the owner," Shawel said. Despite the expense -- cooked corned beef on Bistro K's take-out menu costs a whopping $16.99 per pound, and entrées are similarly priced -- meat has been flying out of the Bistro kitchen. "I've never purchased so much meat for any restaurant," owner Samuel said. Just over a month old, Bistro K is already nearly overwhelmed by business. Samuel said that, for now, he's dealing with the instant popularity of the restaurant and keeping it well stocked with meat. But soon, he added, the menu will look more "Avner." "It will get a little more upscale in time," he said. He's also applied for a liquor license. The food is exquisitely prepared and worth every penny. Moroccan beef cigars -- long flauta-like sticks of flaky pastry filled with seasoned ground beef -- came with a remoulade of roasted peppers. The best deal on the menu is the Mediterranean assorted meza plate, sort of an antipasto of olives, pickled beets, eggplant, hummus, tabbouleh, a cold ratatouille, cold green beans, and a too-small taste of "My Mother's Garden Vegetable Salad." Each item on the cold platter was better than the last. The pickled carrots and green beans were winners for retaining their flavor and snap while absorbing the taste of vinegar. The hummus was rich with olive oil and had a garlicky finish. The garden vegetable salad was perfection in a bowl. So simple and so wonderful, it had chunks of tomato, green pepper, and cucumber tossed with lemon and olive oil. Its bright flavor was like edible sunshine, appetizing without being overly filling. It's the kind of dish that seems simple enough to make at home but will probably prove impossible to duplicate. Shwarma, served on a platter or in a sandwich, is a combination of marinated and roasted turkey and lamb that is shaved from a foot-long meat stack, rather like gyro fixings. Turkey thighs and lamb shoulder are marinated in dry spices and thinly sliced, then stacked in layers on a spit. The resulting mass weighs 50 to 60 pounds. The meat is perpetually turning on the spit, ready for the chef to shave off the next order. At Bistro K the shwarma spices hit the nose before the scent of roasted lamb. The scents of the three C's of cardamom, clove, and cinnamon mix with garlic and lemon from the tahini that garnishes the dish. The lamb skewers are not for anyone who is halting in enthusiasm for the meat. The meat aroma slaps the face with a steamy noseful of the scent that is unerringly lamb. But for those who long for meat that bleated, the skewers are masterfully prepared. The meat was bloody rare on the inside and charred to perfection on the outside. The juice from the lamb infused the vegetable orzo with even more flavor than that of the grilled mushrooms, peppers, tomato, and carrot already studding the pasta. Jerusalem mixed-grill sandwich is a jumble of meats and juicy grilled onion. Chicken, beef, and chicken livers were sautéed with a heady dose of a cayenne-like spice that nearly overpowered the meat. The only criticism Samuel has received is about what's not on his menu. "There is no matzo ball soup and there will be no matzo ball soup," he said. Ashkenazim -- Jews of European descent -- expected to find kugel, gefilte fish, and matzo ball soup rather than tahini, grape leaves, and Moroccan beef dishes. "This is a Mediterranean restaurant that is kosher, not Jewish or Israeli," Samuel stressed.
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