mediterranean | ForTasteSake

Recently, we celebrated a friend’s birthday at Zahav, a mediterranean tapas-style restaurant. Walking distance from my house, I was excited to check it out, but was a bit thrown off by the address (237 Saint James Place). As I walked up and down Saint James, finding nothing resembling a restaurant, my enthusiasm started to wane (though some of that could have been attributed to my recovering from three weeks of being ill). Having traversed what should have been the appropriate block multiple times and getting grumpier with each step, I rounded the corner of a building and found myself basking in the warm glow of the front of Zahav (just in time to save my soon-to-be dinner companions from a miserable meal in my company).

The first to arrive, I parked myself near the door, watching couple after couple come in, only to be turned away because of their lack of reservations. It seemed a bit odd to me, considering that most of the tables were empty, but I learned later why this was the case – a meal at Zahav is more than just a meal. It’s a dining experience, one which you need to set aside a good chunk of your evening to truly enjoy.

Stephanie was the next to arrive, so we grabbed a seat at the bar and ordered some drinks to start the evening. (Shocking, I know).

lemonnana - bourbon, muddled mint, fresh lemon, verbena

ginger petel - vodka, canton liqueur, muddled blackberries, lemon

Meenoo and Juie (the birthday girl) arrived shortly thereafter, so we moved ourselves to a carved wooden table to begin our evening of celebrating. Stephanie and I decided to try the Mesibah, one of the two tasting menus. Unfortunately, our waiter informed us that it was meant to be an experience for the whole table, and, since the signature dish of the Mesibah was a whole roasted lamb shoulder and our other two companions were vegetarians, it wasn’t really going to work out for us. The waiter must have been able to read the disappointment on our faces, because he worked it out so that we could get the Mesibah, with Stephanie and me getting the lamb as our main course, while Meenoo and Juie got the Galil, a vegetarian dish of eggplant, tomato couscous, asparagus and tehina.

The service was fantastic, and the food, overall, is now on my list of the top ten meals I’ve had in my six years living in Philly. Having ordered the Mesibah, we weren’t entirely sure what dishes would be coming, so it was like a constant supply of never-ending surprise plates. The pictures in no way do the food justice, but here they are, nonetheless.