Artisan pizzas and barbecued meat are among the trends that kosher maven Dani Klein noticed last year.
By Dani Klein
Over the last few years I have been noticing lots of changes and improvements in the kosher restaurant world.
While the trends I have identified from 2013 focus on happenings in the metro New York City area, a couple of them will have an impact on restaurants beyond the large Jewish enclave in the American Northeast and, will have a ripple effect across the US, Israel, and beyond. Here they are.
Trend One: Gourmet and Artisanal Kosher Pizza
Trend One: Gourmet and Artisanal Kosher Pizza
Last year saw the opening of two artisanal kosher pizza restaurants in midtown Manhattan: Pizza Da Solo and Raffaello Pizza. The former, owned by the Prime Hospitality Group, may make the best traditional Neapolitan kosher pizza, period. The latter is a newcomer and is located around the corner from the Diamond District. Their specialty is Roman style rectangular pizza with various delicious flavors and toppings. These pizza developments follow last year’s transformation to kosher of the always-crowded Bravo Pizza on Broadway. This eatery is best known for delicious New York-style pizza.
Trend Two: Brooklyn is Back
Trend Two: Brooklyn is Back
If you are looking for an inventive and decadent kosher meal, leave the obvious kosher dining areas of Flatbush & Borough Park. Pardes, near the Barclays Center, has been open for a few years now, miles from the nearest Jewish neighborhood. That gutsiness to lay roots in an area off the standard kosher map gave birth to more innovative restaurants last year: Chagall Bistro, a French steakhouse with amazing reviews opened in Park Slope, and a new restaurant serving an innovative kosher small-plates menu, Mason & Mug, opened in Prospect Heights.
Trend Three: Barbecue
Trend Three: Barbecue
Traditional barbecue, also known as “smoking meat,” isn’t something commonly found in kosher restaurants until recently. Smokey Joe’s in Teaneck, NJ has been pleasing Bergen County residents with their flavors for a few years now, but barbecue has truly exploded in 2013. What was formerly known as “Hakadosh BBQ” (currently “Wandering Cue”), originally a pop-up barbecue event in Westchester County, enjoyed a year of appearances throughout NYC and beyond, especially at street fairs and events.
One of those events was the Second Annual Long Island Kosher Barbecue Championship, where professional and amateur barbecuers battled it out. Outside of the New York City area, Milt’s Barbecue for the Perplexed opened in Chicago to rave reviews by both Jews and non-Jews, truly a boon for the local Jewish community.
Trend Four: High-End Steakhouses
Trend Four: High-End Steakhouses
Numerous New York kosher steakhouses have been in the news this year. The Prime Grill moved to a new, larger location further north in midtown east, and Prime at the Bentley moved into a permanent home at the Bentley Hotel. Mike’s Bistro announced that it is leaving the Upper West Side and moving to Midtown East. In addition to the opening of Chagall Bistro in Brooklyn, mentioned above, two new high end kosher steakhouses opened their doors in the second half of 2013: La Brochette, a French steakhouse on Lexington Ave, replacing a previous kosher restaurant; and Reserve Cut, a beautiful, modern steakhouse opened up in the Setai downtown by Wall Street.
Etc Steakhouse has taken over The Reserve Sushi & Steakhouse in Lakewood, NJ (this branch of the NJ restaurant is called Etc Squared). Most recently, the former steakhouse turned dairy restaurant turned Chinese restaurant, Solo, will be moving downtown to perhaps become a steakhouse yet again.
Dani Klein is founding editor of YeahThatsKosher.com, a leading resource for kosher travel worldwide. Together with his wife Arielle he roams the world, in search of kosher eating opportunities that make international travel more accessible to the observant Jew. Contact via email: dani@YeahThatsKosher.com or Twitter: @YeahThatsKosher