Ida's idyll (restaurant review)

Jerusalem Post, Weekend Magazine; May 22, 2008

Sleepy Nahariya's slogan promises utopia for fun lovers. While this is surely debatable, the Ida chef's restaurant certainly provides a culinary retreat

The sign greeting visitors at the main entrance of Nahariya humorously reads: "Nahariya-Resort for Fun Lovers." Judging from its Hebrew counterpart below (L'ohavim et ha'chayim), I think they meant: "Naharyia - For People Who Love the Good Life."

Driving further down HaGe'aton Boulevard, it's difficult to understand at first glance how Nahariya earned its poorly translated slogan. The train station on the left consists of drab, gray block buildings; the street is lined with shabby discount clothing stores, banks, and falafel joints.

But as I drove up towards the beach to Ida's Restaurant, the street turned quieter, picturesque, and more appropriate to a resort town. Ida's Restaurant, the only chef restaurant in the city, has definitely helped Nahariya become a place for "fun lovers" of good food.

Ida is situated on pedigree real-estate, the home of the city's first mayor, Gershon Tatz. The owners paid tribute to the Tatz family by naming the restaurant after his wife, Ida, and preserving the structure of the home but renovating it with a modern touch.

Windows with open shutters are draped with sturdy, peach-colored curtains. Chocolate-colored wallpaper with abstracted flowers graces the walls. Chandeliers of ruffled glass are unecessary in daytime - enough air and sun seeps through the windows.
The corridor leading to the original front door (where the original mailbox and doorbell have been preserved) now serves as a pantry.

The restaurant was empty except for four lively English-speaking women who reminded me of The Golden Girls. I nestled near the window in a corner room that used to be the Tatz daughter's bedroom and opened the menu.

Apparently, Nahariya suffers from lack of proof readers. The English menu was titled "manu," and veal brain was spelt "veal brian," etc.. Errors aside, the content of the menu and descriptions of the dishes proved enticing and well thought-out.

Cordon-Bleu trained chef, Shay Shmueli, 33, has blended French and Mediterranean cuisine with exotic touches. For the adventurous, Ida offers samplings of four main courses and nearly all the appetizers for NIS 150 per person (price varies).
Wines are listed not according to region, but by type, and include detailed descriptions of the wine's properties, origins, and uses.

I forgot about all spelling mistakes as soon as I tried the salmon tartar served with herbed lemon cream and tobiko (NIS 35). Generous with parsley and ginger and rich in olive oil, the dish was absolutely delicious. The hinary tofu stuffed with lamb (NIS 35) did not excite me as much as the previous appetizers, but it satisfied. Modeled after the Iraqi kubeh, the chef experimented with an Eastern- inspired tofu crust in lieu of bulgur. The filling of ground lamb and pinenuts made the grade, but the rubbery wrap didn't work for me.

For the main course, the friendly and efficient waitress recommended pan-fried scallops with sweet potato puree and ginger sauce (NIS 110). The dish is a popular alternative to shrimp for the scallops' health value: low in fat and cholesterol free. As a former kosher eater, I usually shy away from the mollusk family, but I gave it a go. Blame it on its healthiness, but the scallop meat was rather tasteless; the creamy puree valorously compensated for its lack of color, flavor, and fat.

Certainly the best dish of the day - and one of my most memorable chicken dishes - was the grilled chicken served with herb casserole (NIS 68). The dish consisted of grilled strips of chicken served on a bed of chickpeas and Persian herbs and rice - a nod to the chef's Persian roots. The generous and aromatic spicing of leek, coriander, dill and Persian lemon was so flavorful that I couldn't stop eating it despite feeling full.

The desserts tasting platter (NIS 65) further attested to the chef's proficiency, although I would recommend going with a single dish of the cheesecake or the Persian rice pudding. The malabi and creme brulee, while good, were not particularly outstanding.

After the meal I took to the beach promenade to walk-off the filling gourmet meal. As I passed by the unpopulated and seemingly unpolluted I felt like I was living the city's slogan.

HaGe'aton Boulevard 48; 04-951-3444; Hours: 12 pm to midnight. Not Kosher.