As I prepare to head down to the Miami Beach area, I made sure to discuss my options since the last time I was down there was Pesach 3.5 years ago, and nearly all restaurants were closed.

I’ll be sure to write a follow up post on my experiences in the region soon.

As reported by the Washington Post, Joe Lieberman, and other kosher observant staffers who work on Capitol Hill in DC will now have kosher prepacked options available in the Senate cafeterias.

Restaurant Associates, the contractor that run the chamber’s food service (as well as many other large corporations’ food services), will be placing orders with Wrap2Go, a DC/Maryland based Kosher caterer and supplier of prepacked kosher meals.

Wrap2Go also has locations where their food is available including:

• Georgetown University Law Center
  Market Cafe & Peet’s Coffee
  600 New Jersey Ave, NW
  Washington, DC

• The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Cafe
  100 Raoul Wallenberg Place, SW
  Washington, DC



• The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
  3rd Floor at Urban Cafe RM. 3135
  451 7th St, SW
  Washington, DC

• American University
  Eagle Express @ the Mary Graydon Center
  4400 Massachusettes Ave, NW
  Washington, DC

• Government Accountability Office
  Canteen
  441 G St, NW
  Washington, DC

• FoBo Gro (Foggy Bottom Grocery)
  2140 F St, NW
  Washington, DC

• Office of Personnel Management
  1900 E St. NW
  Washington, DC
• They have additional locations in Maryland as well.

The Occupy Wall Street (#OWS) movement is now running on its 7th week of mass protests in lower Manhattan. While the crowds are fighting for better wages, jobs, and other economic issues, one of their unintended casualties has been a local Kosher restaurant: Milk Street Cafe, located on Wall Street, and just opened this summer (see my video of the restaurant by clicking here).

Due to the protests, the thriving restaurant is no longer thriving, and just laid off 21 employees from the large restaurant (nearly a quarter of his staff) — which by the way – has THREE separate kosher kitchens, dairy, meat, and pareve (certified by the OU).

The protests + police barricades make it extremely difficult – but not impossible – to reach for pedestrians. Remember, Wall St. is a pedestrian mall, and currently, it is carved up and blocked by many barricades.

Regardless of who is to blame for the restaurant’s layoffs and current financial troubles, we can do something about it – we can eat there.

We can make it our business to go out of our way around the barricades and crowds and eat there. I’m not necessarily endorsing this restaurant over others in the area … or in general. Obviously many Kosher restaurants go out of business … but typically for lack of demand, or because simply, the food / service was bad. This restaurant was in high demand. However, due to unforeseen circumstances they are losing money and may have to close prematurely because of these protests and the NYPD’s response.

Whether you work downtown, or are a #OWS protesters and keep kosher … be sure to stop by Milk Street Cafe on 50 Wall Street. It’s a huge place with lots of options.

—-
This video is from 3.5 months ago, and the place is thriving! Now, it may go out of business!

Click here for: Restaurant Info

Sushein is a brand new Kosher sushi restaurant officially opening today in downtown Manhattan (NYC) near City Hall. What makes Sushein unique is that they are the 1st kosher sushi restaurant in the U.S. to have a conveyor belt in the restaurant deliver sushi to its patrons. I have seen these conveyor belt sushi places before, but never kosher. I was lucky enough to be invited to a special “invite-only” premiere this Sunday, and I left full, satisfied, and overall had a great culinary experience. (Scroll down to the bottom for more pictures from Sushein)

The way a conveyor belt sushi restaurant works is the conveyor belt loops between the kitchen or sushi chefs making the sushi/sashimi/hand rolls/seaweed salads/etc. and the patrons. Each plate of sushi is color coated, which delineates the cost of that plate. You can grab whatever you want off of the conveyor belt and just eat. No ordering required. You can, however, order something from the menu a la carte from one of the waiters.

>> Watch the video to see the conveyor belt in action

Since the plates are small, the portions are really appetizer or “tapas” sized, and thus priced accordingly, with plates ranging from $2.50 – $7+ each. It is not uncommon to eat multiple plates off of the conveyor belt. At the end of your meal, your plates are tallied up to figure out your cost of meal. (In Sushein, because it is a meat restaurant, they also serve beef or chicken sushi, which is quite innovative and tasty, and those plates have a red sticker on them letting you know they are “fleishigs”.)

Some of the sushi rolls I tried were interesting and innovative, including a roll with Salmon, Mango, and Pesto sauce; a “dessert” roll with strawberries, mango, pineapple, and a creamy chocolate center; as well as various rolls incorporating asparagus, chicken breast, beef slices, etc. Every one I tried was beautifully presented and delicious.

I would describe Sushein’s cuisine as Asian Fusion. While many may just go to sample the sushi from the conveyor belt, which is a fun experience, their menu incorporates Asian flavors from across the region.

We tried a handful of appetizers, soups, and main dishes.

My favorites were the Sweet Potato Coconut Curry soup, Lamb Lollies, Short Ribs, and Chilean Sea Bass.

Arielle and I both agreed that the portions were perfectly sized, not too big or small.

The design of silver with pink accents gave it a fun and modern environment, with flat screen TVs, a sushi bar and booths along the conveyor belt, and a back room (not near the conveyor belt) for larger groups or private parties of up to around 20 people. The design was done by Niki Broyn of Brooklyn.

Forgot to mention… Sushein has a selection of Kosher Wines to help you enjoy your meal.

More pics from Sushein:

It’s a great date place, or even a place to take a co-worker. Hope you enjoy it.

~Dani

Sushein
325 Broadway
New York, NY
(212) 962-2500

Under the Supervision of the Orthodox Union (OU)

Contributed by: James C. | Last Date of Travel: June 2011

Kosher Info:

Kosher travelers not only want to indulge in India’s cultural highlights, they want to enjoy quality meals that meet the requirements of Jewish dietary laws. With a vibrant Jewish heritage, India offers culinary diversity, suitable for the observant kosher traveller. Flights to India can take you to the heart of three unique Jewish communities, where you can experience authentic Indian – Jewish kosher cuisine. Each community abides by the Kosher laws but has adapted Indian influences into the style of cooking, resulting in a distinct fusion of tastes and flavours.

Outside of the Chabad Centres, Bayit Yehudi (a string of open houses for Israeli and Jewish travelers in India), Lev Yehudi, Jewish institutions, guest houses and/or using the services of kosher travel agents in these communities, a Kosher menu will be hard to find. While pre-packaged kosher food is available, it might not always be suitable to carry as you travel around. Depending on where you choose to travel, you’ll have to fend for yourself! It’s also worth highlighting that your airline meal may not be kosher – or at least there may not be a kosher meal that you’re interested in eating. Some airlines are better at others at this.

Seek out Kosher friendly food with:

• The Bene-Israeli Jewish Community of Mumbai
  Mumbai is home to the Bene Israel, the oldest and largest Jewish community. This community has adapted to the local flavors of Marathi cuisine. The dishes are redolent with spices. Coconuts and mangoes are staples. Only fish, sheep, goats and certain fowl are eaten – no beef. Expect dishes including flat bread, rice and/or lentils, and vegetable or fish curries. Bombil-batata with moong dal khichdi is a typical Saturday night meal. On the Sabbath, they enjoy a semolina and coconut milk dish called ‘kanavili’. In Mumbai you’ll also find the only Kosher Bakery in India to make strictly Kosher products, which is housed on the ground floor of the ORT India building at Worli.
• The Black Jews of Cochin
  In this small community, you’ll find the kosher cooking is spicy with an emphasis on using ginger, coriander, mustard seed, fresh and dry hot chili, fenugreek, cardamom and the ever-present curry leaves. No meat, only a little poultry is eaten. Spicy fish curries and rice cooked with coconut milk, saffron and almonds is common in Cochin kosher cuisine.

• The Baghdadi Jewish Community in Calcutta
  This community brought with them dishes like Hameen (Vegetables and Meat) and Koobe (Stuffed Dumplings). These were later adapted to include Bengali spices such as ginger and turmeric and commonly use vegetables like squashes and spinach. Baghdadi Jewish parathas and beef curry are popular.

Tourist Info:

Well, it depends on where in India you plan to visit. India is a big country. Very big and unless you’re planning to do a tour of the entire country, you will need to be specific about where you’re going and what you will be able to see during your time there.

Here’s 5 things you absolutely must to on a trip to India

• Visit the Taj Mahal – It’s one of the seven wonders and absolutely worth the visit.
• Take a camal ride – Trek through the sands on one of the many ‘ships of the desert’
• Try a (kosher) curry – Regardless of whether or not you like spicey food, you simply can’t visit India without sampling one the spicey curries on offer.
• Go to the beach- if you’re visiting Goa the beaches are absolutely worth a visit.
• Go to the market – dive headfirst into the chaotic pace of life that India is known for

Jewish Info:

There are currently 33 synagogues in India. Not all are in use and some date as far back as the mid sixteenth century. Although Jews arrived in India long before this, it took a considerable amount of time before the first synagogues were built. The most famous synagogues in India are the Baghdadi, Bene Israel, and Cochin synagogues.

Here’s a decent list of the prayer halls and synagogues in India. We recommend calling or emailing them to confirm their hours and if they’re still around.

If you’re like me, you drool every time you pass a Cinnabon shop in the U.S. The way those cinnamon buns smell and look make me hungry and want to skip lunch just to try them.

So we’re excited to report that Cinnabon is opening a Kosher shop in Tel Aviv by Rabin Square at the corner of Ibn Gvirol st. 62and Zeitlin st.

Now … I need a kosher Cinnabon in NYC.

Thank you to @BenjiLovitt for the h/t.

My husband and I were recently in Belize on our Honeymoon and wanted to share some Kosher food tips:

- It’s true that there is zero kosher food or Jewish life found in Belize. We were in touch with the next closest thing- the Chabad in Guatemala. The Rabbi was very nice and helpful (put us in touch with some Chabad guys who had just traveled through Belize and offered advice). There wasn’t much he could help us with, but if you have the time, and it fits into your schedule, you can easily get to Guatemala to spend Shabbos by them.

-We pretty much brought a suitcase of food (we were there for 9 days) of the usual dry goods/tuna packets/instant soups etc, as well as some of the La Briute heat up meals (which were definitely better then we expected!).

-We also had gone on a fishing trip one morning, where we caught 20 fish (there is an abundance of fish in Belize and they’re found not too far from the shore, so fishing is surprisingly easy)-all of the fish were Kosher fish and we were able to speak to and work with the chef at our hotel, who triple wrapped all the fish in tin foil, sprinkled some salt & pepper and put it on the grill (he allowed my husband to act as the ‘mashgiach’, so he watched over the entire process)- this was a huge highlight of the trip and the fish was extremely delicious!

-We spent half the trip at the jungle and half at the islands/beach area. When we landed in Belize we asked our cab to pull into a supermarket that was literally right outside the airport (you can get a lot of American OU dry goods, cereals, snacks, etc). When we transfered from the Jungle to the Beach, we stopped in Belize City to catch a ferry. Belize City has a big supermarket called “Brodies” which had tons of OU products! All kinds of dry good groceries and then in their freezer section, they have a great selection of frozen OU brand bagels, cream-cheeses, breads and other cheeses…so we happily stocked up there.

The trip was absolutely incredible and while food was definitely a major concern before leaving, in the end, it all worked out amazingly and it wasn’t as difficult as it could’ve been in a country with zero Jewish life.

We highly recommend traveling to and exploring all that Belize has to offer and hope that some of these ideas help in planning your trip!

Crumbs bakery, which does have kosher certification is selling flour-less cupcakes in its shops and online. I must assure you that they may be kosher, but they are NOT Kosher for Passover.

However tempting they might be to consume this week… stay away. Stay far away.

This is what they are offering: http://www.crumbs.com/cupcakes#tags=passover