Food Blogger’s Evening in Tel Aviv

We met at the Mazzarine café on tree-lined Montefiori Street. It’s a Parisian-style patisserie, decorated in a style that recalls the settings of novels by Colette.

The private room we  reserved had a gorgeous crystal chandelier, big, comfortable, cushioned chairs and an ample wooden table. The food (kosher dairy) is fresh and appetizing. The usual quiches, salads, and pasta were on the menu, the difference being that they were obviously hand-made, with care,  each with its little innovative twist.  The pastries looked rich and amazingly decadent. A good setting for six foodies getting to know each other.

The participants were:

Yaelian, of the Finnish Oranges and Honey blog

Irene Sharon Hodes

Liz Steinberg of Café Liz

Sarah Melamed of Foodbridge

Michelle Kemp-Nordell of Baroness Tapuzina

…and myself.

Several other bloggers who had hoped to come couldn’t make it, but we hope to see them at the next meeting, in early March.

We became comfortable with each other quickly, and conversation, irrigated by Dalton Fumé Blanc wine,  flowed uninterrupted till when our orders arrived. Then we fell silent, concentrating on the flavors of the dishes set down before us.

I had gnocchi with artichokes and grilled cherry tomatoes.

Liz had Caesar Salad.

Irène had seared tuna with a scallion pancake and Jasmine rice.

Baroness Tapuzina had consommé with chunks of grilled tuna and strips of pasta.

Yaelian’s quiche and Sarah’s order, which I don’t remember, didn’t photograph well (my little Cannon A750 doesn’t do well at night). I’m hoping that the other bloggers will have better photos.

But we did have a hilarious time photographing each other taking pictures of the food. Well, it was a foodie meeting, what can you do?

The management was amused and intrigued by the flock of noisy women and the bursts of laughter coming from our reserved table. Over the evening, they kindly sent over  a dish new on their menu, gnocchi stuffed with prune preserve and covered in a techinah-based sauce. That dish wasn’t the best of what we tasted: I personally found that the flavors jarred. But my gnocchi with artichokes was very good.

Then the chef, Sharon Artzi, came over to introduce himself and explain the dishes we had ordered.

At dessert time, the management gifted our table with a little extra:

Myself, I had an eclair split open and stuffed with strawberries and cream. An elegant variation on strawberry shortcake.

As much as the lovely setting and delicious food, we enjoyed the exchange of ideas, stimulation, and mutual support. It was a fun, fun evening. I look forward to the next event, and hope you Israeli food bloggers out there join us.