April 30, 2004 at 12:08:20a.m.

Continuing in the never-ending search for good and affordable eats in Manhattan, my most favorite lunch companion and I have discovered a funky new place – The Kitchen, at 265 West 37th Street (NE corner of 8th Avenue), telephone 212-695-7700; supervision by the OK.

The good stuff – the shwarma was excellent. The demand for it seemed to be high, so we knew it was fresh. They also pack the pita with shwarma, and then give you a dish to make your own salad to go with it – a pretty good value for $7.95. (They have different lunch specials every day of the week, where your $7.95 also gets you fries and a soda.) Soups are also very good, and the mix-your-own salad bar had quite a few choices. Deli and chicken sandwiches are also available, as are the ubiquitous wraps – deli, chicken, and – falafel. The only things that did not look totally tempting were some of the chicken dishes, which were sitting in a sauce that had congealed unappetizingly. Most menu items are $8.75 or less.

One major caveat – if you want to eat in, this place is decidedly not user-friendly for the disabled. The eating area is up a narrow spiral staircase – which is really the only place to put it in such a small place.

Then there was the music. When we entered, we were blasted by the rap music. It took us a few seconds (and we’re both musicians) to realize that this was a rap version of – Adon Olam. Yes, the old traditional tune. VERY funky! Fortunately, when we went upstairs the music (such as it is) was not quite that loud, and we actually found it amusing. Then again, this could be part of the explanation for why their takeout business is much more brisk than their eat-in…

(DW)

April 29, 2004 at 9:50:14a.m.

Osem is investing 1.5 million Euros to enter the breakfast cereal market under the Bamba label.This will be Osem’s first joint effort with Nestle. A $1 million advertising campaign will launch the Bamba cereal. The cereal is intended for young children. The cereal is based on Osem’s Bamba corn snacks.

Amazingly, Osem sells ten million Bamba packages every month. The Bamba cereal will join the 15 cereal brands Nestle currently markets in Israel.

(RJR)

April 28, 2004 at 1:05:47p.m.

In our piece concerning the price of kosher meat, we mentioned that a shechita group had ceased working at one abbatoir and had issued a warning against others going there. Here is an update on the situation from Kosher Today:

PM Beef Holding has resumed schechita (slaughter) of glatt kosher beef despite an injunction by a number of Batei Din (rabbinical courts) barring rabbis, shochtim, and mashgichim from working there. Kansas City-based PM Beef Holdings, said that the company has an ample supply of glatt kosher beef under the supervision of Rabbi Moshe Heinemann and the Star-K of Baltimore.

Rabbi Heinemann rejected claims by the rabbis and shochtim of the Debreciner and Beit Din of the Vaad Mishmeres L’Mishmeres that the management of PM had interfered with kashrus supervision of beef. “We continue to enjoy a relationship with them and will also continue to ?Shecht’ and certify beef at their facilities,” Rabbi Heinemann said.

In a most unusual action, a group of leading batei din enjoined shochtim, mashgichim, and others involved in kosher schechita and processing from entering the premises of the PM Beef plant in Windom, Minn. They were joined by Rabbi Yona Metzger, Israel’s chief rabbi. Among the batei din to issue a “ktav ikul” (letter of injunction) were Even Hamishpot of Monsey, NY, the Bet Din Zedek of Karlsburg under Rabbi Yecheskiel Roth, the Agudas Harabbonim (Union of Orthodox Rabbis of the United States and Canada) and Kehillat Tartikov.

A spokesman for the Star-K stated: “The Star-K has received letters from a prestigious Bais Din, stating that they have examined all the pertinent documentation and since the Star-K is eager and willing to go to a Beit Din, on this basis they have issued permission for any Shochet, Bodak, or Mashgiach to work at the Windom facility.” As of this report, the Star-K had not named the “prestigious Beit Din.” The shochtim who walked out have summonsed slaughterers still working at PM to a Bet Din for taking their jobs. A spokesman for International Glatt Kosher, whose beef carries the hashgocho of the Debrecin, Bais Din of the Vaad Mishmeres L’Mishmeres, and the Orthodox Union (OU), said that it had already replaced the PM beef with “quality meat from other sources, which adheres to our strict standards for glatt kosher schechita.”

So, the question becomes, how will they use this as an excuse to further raise the price of kosher meat??

(RJR)

April 27, 2004 at 9:44:11a.m.

Kosher manufacturers are responding to the low carb craze by rolling out many new lines of their existing products in a low carb, low fat format. The latest addition comes from Brooklyn based-Flaum, which is set to roll out DIET CHEF, a line of low carb and low fat salads. The initial products will include tuna salad, cucumber salad, cole slaw and Russian cole slaw.

What’s Russian Cole Slaw? Well, you take a taste. If it doesn’t kill you, you get to take another taste……….

(RJR)

April 26, 2004 at 11:37:11a.m.

So there I am, strolling around Manhattan, always looking for a good inexpensive eatery, when I spy a nice-but-unpretentious place called “Bagel Mavens,” with a prominent mezuzah on the doorpost. Looks promising, so I crossed the street to check it out.

First, of course, I looked for a certificate of supervision – nothing to be found. Then I checked out the menu posted on the window. Diner-style food. Their French toast, they boasted, was only made with challah. You can get it plain, or with your choice of – bacon, ham, or sausage!

I’m still trying to figure out why a totally trefe restaurant has a mezuzah on its door – do they think they’ll trap some unsuspecting diners?

This is even worse than the shwarma place I saw not long ago in Greenwich Village – not only did it claim to be glatt kosher, but it even had a “bet-samech-daled” in big bold letters on its awning. But kashrut supervision? Nah. And it’s open 7 days a week, too.

Caveat emptor!

(DW)