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.

salatim and hummus

Potentially the best hummus in the world…

crispy haloumi

fried cauliflower

I don’t even like cauliflower, but this was fried so well that it was absolutely delicious.

savta mati's borekas

pitriyot

white tuna with fava beans

the galil

lamb shoulder with crispy rice and pomegranate

dessert - pistachio cake, halvah mousse, almond semifreddo, cashew baklava