✈ Keeping Kosher in New York, NY

Contributed by Rachael Abrams | Last Date of Travel: January 2010

As a native-Texan I’m used to average Kosher restaurants, a small close-knit Jewish community and the passion to travel outside of Dallas to see other cities. New York is probably my favorite city to visit, not just for it’s liveliness nor it’s real winter weather—because of the incredibly diverse array of Kosher food.

I just returned from a very quick visit. Three nights in the Big Apple felt like a week simply because of all the food I ate. I feel like the city consumed me… literally.

My tasty travels began with delicious Chinese food, something my native Dallas lacks. EstiHana is an Asian restaurant situated in a lovely area close to the renown Natural History Museum on the Upper West Side. The atmosphere was very nice with couples on (what looked like) first dates—I was glad I dressed up that evening. I ordered a steamed chicken dish and shared a bowl of udon noodle soup (with beef). There’s sushi on the menu and other delectable entrees to satisfy ones Asian food craving. Although I walked out with a dent in my pocket, the food was well worth the damage. I was able to take a subway close to where the restaurant was located, which is an easy and inexpensive option for travelers.

The next day, after a lot of walking allover the Upper East Side, I landed in Times Square where tourists and gigantic advertisements can be found. Right off of Broadway, I dined at Schnitzel Express for lunch, where I ate a delicious Oriental Schnitzel sandwich. It was so good that right before I left for Dallas, I grabbed one to-go for the plane ride. For fast-food atmosphere, the food is perfect for a quick lunch.

New York impresses me with each visit for it’s incredible kosher food everywhere. If you are Jewish, New York is the place to be. It’s even written on the buildings with names like “Schwartz” and “Greenberg” stamped on the outside of both small and large businesses. After Shabbat, I dined with some friends at Clubhouse Cafe (right off of Times Square), which is a trendy American restaurant where you’ll find soft lighting, sliders, wings and delicious hamburgers. This is the perfect New York restaurant if you are willing to spend a few bucks.

My experience in New York was quite flavorful with incredible restaurants for my picky palette. Just in case you visit in the winter—bring walking shoes, gloves, and a hat. If you forget, you can purchase some warm weather gear at a stand…just about anywhere.

You can read about my posts on YeahThatsKosher here: http://yeahthatskosher.com/author/Rabrams

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Editor’s Note (from Dani Klein): for more info on New York, check out our post on NYC by clicking here.

Recommendation: for New Yorkers and tourists visiting NYC, we highly recommend using the Not For Tourists guidebooks and web resources: www.notfortourists.com/NewYork.aspx

Tags: estihana, jewish travel, kosher new york, kosher travel, Manhattan, natural history museum, New York, NFT, not for tourists, ny, nyc, schnitzel express, times square, tourist, upper east side

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New in NYC: Maoz & Clubhouse Cafe

Late last month, Arielle and I went to find a late bite to eat on the UWS and found a brand new place that just opened that night: Maoz Vegetarian. The name alone told me entrepreneurial Israelis have invaded the U.S. yet again. We walked in and found an Israeli-run Pareve / Vegetarian falafel place (with a Hashgacha). You could purchase your falafel as a part of a meal (with Belgian Fries) or a la carte. While I am not a fan of falafel, and I’ve had my share in Israel, Maoz’s took the cake. The falafel was awesome! To top that off, the fries were even better!

I don’t know what it was, but I just liked the atmosphere, and definitely the food. As it turns out, there are a few locations in NYC other than the one we found on Broadway between W70th and W71st streets. They also have locations by Union Square and on East 8th st near NYU. After visiting their super fun website www.maozusa.com I learned that they have additional locations in Philly, and MANY overseas including: Paris, Mumbai, Barcelona, Madrid, London, Perth, and 4 in The Netherlands. I must note though that I am not 100% sure that these are kosher. The good news is these places are vegetarian & do not offer any meat products. So feel free to check it out.

My wife and I have a ritual that every month or so we go on a date to a restuarant that we both want to try. She had been wanting to check out Clubhouse Cafe located on W.46th street between 6th and 7th Avenues. The establishment is owned by Le Marais located across the street, in the heart of the theater district in Times Square. Clubhouse Cafe is not your typical kosher restaurant. When you enter it’s as if you’re in some small trendy meatpacking bar, full of exposed brick walls, purple-black lighting and mirrors everywhere. There’s a bar up front, with a large flat screen for those who want to sit and drink. In the back there is a seating area and another flat screen (although it was not on when we were there.)

The food is traditional American-fare made upscale. Appetizers include duck empanadas, we tried those they’re pretty small but good – and buffalo wings among others. The sandwiches are fairly reasonable and well sized. She had the burger which was really delicious. I had a grilled chicken sandwich. Good but not as good as the burger. If you are looking for a fun place to go with friends, or for a different type of place then check it out. It’s not a great date place (tables are too cramped together) but it is definitely worth a try. For more info check out www.clubhousecafe.net.

Tags: bbq, falafel, israeli, maoz vegetarian, nyc, times square, uws

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