Finding Kosher Sushi in NYC

What was once impossible to find, Sushi has become so popular in the Jewish community over the past 15 years, every restaurant wants to get in on the action.

Delis, pizzerias, non-Japanese Asian eateries such as Chinese and Thai restaurants, have all jumped on the Sushi bandwagon. When I first tried Sushi over ten years ago, I absolutely hated it, but now I can’t get enough of this delicious finger food. (That’s right! The traditional way to eat Sushi is with your hands, not with chopsticks!)

So here are a few places I recommend in NYC. If you have some favorites of your own, please add them by commenting to this post.

• Mr. Broadway - Broadway, Midtown Manhattan – A great deli with Sushi bar up front. Some of the best tasting Sushi I have had.  Try the “Atlantic Roll” with Tuna, Avocado, and fresh Mango. Awesome!
• Jerusalem 2 Pizza (J2) - Broadway, Midtown Manhattan -Famous for its pizza (although it’s not too great anymore), J2 has expanded it’s menu and has a Sushi bar behind the sandwich area. You can pick up a pre-made roll or request a chef’s special roll. The rolls are surprisingly large, tasty, and inexpensive.
• Estihana - W 79th st., Upper West Side – Expensive but good Sushi. Popular date place. Also has a restaurant on Ave. J in Brooklyn.
• Fujihana - Ave. U, Brooklyn – Fujihana introduced me to Sushi. They are well known for their wide Japanese and Asian menu.
• Sushi Metsuyan - Central Ave., Cedarhurst – The Sushi is good, the atmosphere is amazing. The wall has a built in fish tank with exotic fish and other sea creatures. Great date place! They have 3 additional Sushi restaurants around the NY metro area including Teaneck, Queens, and Monsey.

✈ Keeping Kosher in Muscat, Oman

Contributed by: Rachel Lissner  |  Last Date of Travel: December 2007

Kosher Info: There are no kosher restaurants here but with a gigantic Indian ex-pat population, there is an abundance of vegetarian restaurants. Countless Indian restaurants! What could be better?

Standard Middle Eastern fare is found here, so I highly recommend is the halwa. It is gelatinous (jellylike) and is supposed to scooped out of the container by hand. It comes with cardamon and other spices and is absolutely amazing. It’s nothing like the crumbly halva North Americans (and Israelis) are accustomed to.

Whilst NOT Kosher… McDonald’s has both veggie burgers and “veggie surprise”, plus a filet-o-fish. interestingly there is also the “McArabia”, which is either chicken or beef, served in a pita… clearly not kosher, but there’s your culture factoid for the day.

Tourist Info: Muscat is a port city in a country with an extremely popular sultan. It’s quite progressive compared to other Gulf countries and the sultan has already decided that after he passes away that the country will become a democracy.

It is really hard to get around Muscat without a car and a local to navigate. The city is extremely spread out and is not walkable.

Here is a quick list of things to do and attractions in and around Muscat:

• Visit the souk, the central market in downtown Muscat. It’s on the port.
• See the Grand Mosque. In addition to being absolutely stunning, it has the largest carpet in the world.
• The Oman Museum, the Natural History Museum, and the National Museum all display interesting information about the country.
• If you manage to head out of the city, drive over to Sur and watch the green turtles lay eggs at sunrise. Oman hosts one of the largest community of turtles in the world.
• Wahiba Sands are dazzling sand dunes that host a number of little camps for tourists. Some camps are simply places to hang out in the desert while others offer camel rides and dune bashing.
• Try going to a Hindu temple. It’s an experience with lots of colour, song, and dance and there are often bits of leftover sacrifices that worshippers may eat.

Dress info: Despite the stated progressiveness, it is still a Muslim country the laws concerning clothes must be observed. Cover shoulders and knees, wear shirts with high necklines, and when going to religious areas, women must cover their hair.

Muslims wear traditional dress on the whole but the Indian ex-pat community is much more prone to wearing jeans and t-shirts. In areas like the souk, such clothing is permissible but on the beach, make sure to cover up appropriately.

Visit: http://www.destinationoman.com/socialcustoms.html for more tips on the Omani dress code and etiquette.

Jewish Info: The country itself is located northeast of Yemen and near Iran, two countries that until recently that had Jewish huge populations.  It’s about three hours southeast of Israel. Today there is no Jewish community in Oman, but at one point Jews had a presence in the country, mostly made of up Yemenite and Iraqi Jews.

The grave of the prophet Job is said to be 45 miles from Salalah, located in the south, and very close to the border with Yemen. Benjamin of Tudela, a famous cataloger of Jewish communities around the world, visited Muscat around 1170.

Oman does not have any formal relations with Israel, but from 1996 to 2000 the two countries did have exchange offices. There is no issue with Israeli stamps (in your passport) or visas and not much anti-semitism, if at all. Wikipedia, however, says that Omani newspapers circulate a high amount of anti-semitic images. In response to the Iranian threat, which is just across the gulf, the Omani government has started to reach out to Israel and the Jewish community.

✈ Keeping Kosher in Silicon Valley, CA

Contributed by: Erica S.  |  Last date of travel: Currenlty Resides in SV

San Jose, Palo Alto, Moutain View, etc.

Kosher Info:

There are a few restaurants located in the Silicon Valley which is defined as stretching from San Jose to South of San Francisco along the Peninsula. Izzy’s Brooklyn Bagels is located in Palo Alto and does the best possible job of imitating a NY Bagel Shop. Open mornings and afternoons, this restaurant is pretty delicious if you are in the mood for a perfect bagel with lox and vegetables. Some parve Shabbat takeout items available as well as Challah. There is a kosher Krispe Kreme Donuts in Mountain View and a new meat restaurant on Castro Street... the sous chef was formerly at Baron Herzog’s Tierra Sur in Oxnard, CA and the menu is expected to be very good.

Kosher groceries are available in the Silicon Valley but the price is marked up from what you would pay in NY or LA. Kosher chicken and turkey as well as other certified products can be found at various Trader Joe’s locations throughout the region. Mollie Stones in Palo Alto has a complete kosher aisle, packed meat, dairy (including Cholav Yisroel products) and freezer section. Lucky in Los Altos and Lucky in Saratoga have 2 full aisles of Kosher goods as well as a large freezer section, and dairy and meat fridges.

Tourist Info:

The Silicon Valley is mostly occupied by residents and businesses and there are not many “touristy” things to do. This isn’t really a vacation destination. However, San Francisco, Santa Cruz, Half Moon Bay are all within an hour’s drive and all are geared towards tourists. San Jose has a great technology museum and Great America, an amusement park is in Santa Clara.  The Winchester Mystery House in San Jose is enjoyable if you like weird large Victorian houses. One can take a driving tour of high-tech/internet company headquarters (which is fun for the technologically inclined traveler).

Jewish Info:

Palo Alto is home to two orthodox synagogues: Emek Beracha, which is OU Affiliated, and Chabad of the Greater South Bay. There are daily minyanim available. The Dryan Family Mikvah is housed on-site at the Chabad. The Jewish Study Network (Community Kollel) is now located in Palo Alto and offers daily classes for Jewish adults. Palo Alto has an Eruv.

San Jose has an orthodox synagogue called Am Echad which is located in the Willow Glen neighborhood. There is also a Mikvah in San Jose.