Philadelphia Jewish Voice - Glatt Kosher

Citron and Rose: The World's Best Glatt Kosher Restaurant!

RonitTreatman — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 16:32:52 GMT

What happens when philanthropist David Magerman and James Beard Award-winning Chef Michael Solomonov put their heads together? An incredibly ambitious project is born: to create the world's best glatt kosher European-Jewish restaurant! It will be poetically named Citron and Rose.

More after the jump.
"It will not be a kosher Zahav," David Magerman tells me, referring to Michael Solomonov's renown Center City Nouveau Israeli masterpiece. "Citron and Rose will reimagine Eastern Europe. This will be a unique place!" he promises me. Citron and Rose will also provide glatt kosher catering.

David Magerman is not in the restaurant business, and never wanted to be. "I started looking for a way to provide the Jewish community with a glatt kosher restaurant with the highest standards of excellence. My philosophy is that observant Jews should not have to compromise on quality," he explained.

Citron & Rose will have a sleek, modern, and elegant look. There will be seating for sixty. Diners will be able to enjoy viewing the chefs at work in the open kitchen. The wood and marble bar will offer an extensive selection of kosher wines, beer, and spirits. It will be glatt kosher, which means that it will adhere to the strictest standards of kashrut. Kosher supervision will be conducted by the Philadelphia Vaad Hashgacha.

To prepare for the summer opening, Michael Solomonov will be travelling in Eastern Europe. He will absorb the culture and learn about the food and culinary traditions. He will then share with us the forgotten tastes and textures of our pre-War ancestors. There will be marinated meats cooked over a charcoal rotisserie grill and charcuterie made in-house. Pickles will be made using traditional recipes. Salads and vegetable dishes not generally offered will be reincarnated. Citron And Rose will also offer freshly baked breads and desserts.

This planned menu brings back childhood memories for me. I grew up in a secular Israeli family. When I was a girl, my father and I would make a pilgrimage to the Orthodox city of Bnei Brak in Israel. We went there especially to buy cured turkey meat from one of the small, artisanal purveyors. "No one spices it like the Romanians!" my dad would exclaim. I have a feeling that this restaurant will be a crucible in which such memories will be conjured up for the post-war generations by Michael Solomonov's alchemy.

Those of us who live in the Greater Delaware Valley are very fortunate. Two of Philadelphia's biggest dreamers have joined forces to create an amazing new reality. I believe that David Magerman and Michael Solomonov can turn Citron and Rose into the best kosher restaurant in the world. I am salivating already!

368-370 Montgomery Avenue
Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004

Open Sunday - Thursday for dinner

Catering contact information:
events@citronandrose.com

Burger.org and Chicken.org

RonitTreatman — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 09:49:11 GMT

Chicken.org
534 South 4th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147
(267)687-7074

Burger.org
326 South Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147
(267)639-3425

Sunday-Thursday: 11AM to 10PM
Friday: 11AM to 4PM (Summer) 10AM to 2PM (Winter)

Online Delivery: www.diningin.com
Website: burgerorg.com

An Embarrassment Of Kosher Riches On South Street

-- by Ronit Treatman

Finally, kosher and organic can go on a date! I was strolling down South Street, when I stumbled upon Burger.org. and Chicken.org. "Glatt Kosher" was painted in large letters on the windows. Of course I had to try them both! I discovered two places where the standard for both kashrut and food quality meet the expectations of a Higher Authority.

I stepped into the Burger.org restaurant, and was immediately taken by the stylish hardwood floors, granite countertops, and eye popping accent colors. This place is definitely fun! The free-range organic meat is imported from Uruguay. I was impressed with the perfectly cooked to order, juicy lamb burger I had selected, served with a generous portion of French fries. You can order free-range beef, chicken, and turkey patties. They also have wild catch fish and vegetarian burgers. You could go with their selection of sandwiches, hummus, fries, and salads as well. Soon, it will be possible to have the total soda fountain experience. In about a week, Burger.org will begin serving pareve milk shakes and ice cream. If for any reason you become disgruntled while dining here, you can have the experience of the electronics customers in the You Don't Mess With The Zohan movie. You can cross the street and get your dinner at the competing kosher establishment: Chicken.org.

More after the jump.
Chicken.org is owned by the same gentlemen who brought us Burger.org. Eyal Aranya and Yoni Nadav were inspired to establish these restaurants because of their love of good food. They have gained two toeholds in Society Hill. At Chicken.org I sampled Israeli influenced rotisserie chicken and schnitzel. They were moist and perfectly seasoned. I was impressed with the colorful, crunchy selection of Middle Eastern salads, freshly prepared on the premises. Chicken.org is a miniature version of Burger.org. If there is a large party, and some people want chicken and others prefer burgers, Burger.org will accommodate all the diners.

Burger.org and Chicken.org are very stringent in their adherence of the laws of kashrut. They each have an on-site mashgiach, Rabbi Dov A. Brisman. Their Kosher Certification is from The Community Kashrus of Greater Philadelphia. For those who have very observant relatives, or would rather let someone else do the cooking, a glatt kosher Rosh Hashanah catering menu will be available shortly.

As I ate my lamb burger, I looked around the restaurant and took in the atmosphere. There was a table full of teenagers from USY. Middle-aged couples were enjoying an evening out on the town. An attractive young couple may have been out on their first date. Next time you make plans to go out, you don't have to choose. You can find kosher, and organic, and delicious!

Palace Royal: A Kosher Gem In Philadelphia's "Little Odessa"

RonitTreatman — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 02:21:00 GMT

9859 Bustleton Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19115-2611
Mon-Thu,Sun 11am-10pm; Fri 11am-3pm; Sat 8pm-12am
http://www.palaceroyalkosher.com/
(215) 677-3323
Glatt Kosher with supervision by the Orthodox Vaad of Philadelphia

-- Ronit Treatman

Odessa is a city on the shores of the Black Sea in Ukraine. Its port made it a gateway to trade between the Russian Empire and the rest of the world. As a result it was a very diverse city with influences from Europe, the Mediterranean, and the Caucasus. Philadelphia's "Little Odessa" is centered on Bustleton Avenue in North East Philadelphia. Cyrillic writing is everywhere, and there is Russian music playing in the stores. Tucked away in one of the strip malls along Bustleton Avenue is Palace Royal, a glatt kosher "Russian" restaurant. I invited my mother to join me there for lunch.

Stepping into the restaurant feels like arriving at a wedding. The tables are elegantly set, with flowers everywhere. The restroom is very clean. There is a small stage set up with all the musical instruments for the restaurant's band. In the evenings during the week, there is jazz music. Over the weekends there is Russian, Israeli, and all sorts of contemporary music. We were welcomed warmly by our waiter and shown to our table. The menu reflects the diversity of Odessa. There are dishes from Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Austria, Persia, Turkey, and Greece among others. Everything is glatt kosher.

More after the jump.

It wasn't always this way. Steve Klipatch came to the U.S. from Odessa in 1992. He grew up knowing that he was Jewish, but with no observance at all. "It was safer for me not to participate in Jewish life at the time in Ukraine," he explained. A professional musician and chef, he opened a restaurant shortly after arriving in this country. For ten years, he ran a restaurant that was not kosher. With time, he developed a longing to learn about his Jewish tradition. Many of his friends and acquaintances who came here from the former USSR were also very interested in learning about their Jewish heritage. Steve met Rabbi Boruch Shlain from Congregation Beth Solomon Kollel and Community Center. This Kollel has young Rabbis from the United States, Russia, and Israel. Its mission is to for these Rabbis to share their knowledge with anyone in the community who is interested, no matter what language they speak. Steve started learning Torah with Rabbi Shlain, who is originally from Belarus. As a result of these studies, Steve became observant. About three years ago, Steve Klipatch had an epiphany. "I thought to myself, I am feeding other Jews; I should be feeding them kosher food," he said. Steve Klipatch decided to transform his restaurant into a glatt kosher establishment. After he did this, his clients changed. He used to get more Russians. Now more Americans and Israelis came to his establishment. Russians who are becoming more observant are now attracted to Palace Royal as well.

There is a part of his heritage that Steve Klipatch did get in Odessa and is keeping. He has the recipes from his grandmothers' kitchens. At Palace Royal, the gefilte fish, Challah, Borscht, chicken noodle soup, blintzes, and cakes are cooked from recipes handed down in the family.

We started our meal with a very traditional Ukrainian dish, Blintzes with Salmon roe caviar. The crepes were paper thin, and the golden orbs of salmon caviar burst with flavor over our tongues. A Levantine specialty that we could not pass up was the Kubbeh with mushrooms. This stuffed bulgur croquette arrived at our table perfectly crispy and crunchy, with a deliciously flavorful filling. We had to try the Assorted Pickled Vegetable Platter, a combination of crunchy half sour cucumbers, half sour cabbage and carrot slaw, and half sour cherry tomatoes. It was delicious and refreshing! This was followed by a Turkish dish called Ki Kil' with meat, which is a flat bread filled with spiced minced meat. It was very flavorful and satisfying. We concluded our meal with two desserts. I got the homemade blintzes with pareve ice cream and berries. My mom got the rugalah with ice cream and fruits. My blintzes were delicious. When my mother bit into her chocolate rugalah, she exclaimed, "Wow!" She told me that in that instance she was transported back to Rishon LeZion, Israel in 1952, to her mother's kitchen. This was the exact same cake that her Polish-born mother used to bake for Shabbat. I saw a tear glistening in the corner of her eye as she told me that she hasn't tasted a cake like this in twenty-five years.

I would like to come back with my family on a Saturday or Sunday night, when the room is full and the band is playing. We can bring our own kosher wine or vodka. There are so many delicious foods left to taste on the menu. Maybe I will get to meet Rabbi Shlain. It is a glatt kosher restaurant, so he can indulge. And the Rabbi's favorite dish? Shnitzel.