In Queens, we have a K Burger: Meet the Meat.

It is essentially a fast food burger place, although the food is always cooked to order and therefore not exactly fast. The decor of the place is a garishly painted orange color.

The food there is tasty. Burgers are cooked to order. Buns are baked on the premises and are large and well made (not the mushy store burger bun). Buns come in plain, sesame or whole wheat. Burgers are topped with any number of toppings you request. We like the fried onions, lettuce, tomato, pickles and mushrooms.

Menu items include:
K Burger six ounces, a regular burger
Sumo nine ounces
Fire One ground beef with jalapeno
Lamb Burger
Chicken Burger
Veggie Burger
Schnitzi
and some other variations on a theme.

The K Burger costs $7. The Sumo costs $9. Yup- nine bucks for a fast food burger. Hey, a kid’s hot dog, soda and fries is $8.

A Sumo with a side of (soggy) fries (each time we have been there someone has complained about the soggy fries) and a soda comes to almost $14 before the tax is added. Not too cheap for a meal on the go.

As we said, the food is tasty. There is absolutely no ambiance, unless you count screaming little kids (with barely hanging on kipot) running wild all over the place. They put on quite a show!

This place is too expensive to take the family. For what they charge you might as well go some place and have a better meal. Yet, the burgers are good.

Hashgacha is by the Queens Vaad. They are located at 7545 Main Street in Queens. 718.544.4797

Our trip to Fort Lauderdale was so that we could perform a wedding for a wonderful and lovely couple. On Monday, on the beach, we set up a chupah in the sand and held the wedding. It was magical. It was also hot as can be and humid, too. As the lone Northerner, we were sure that this was the South’s revenge for the Civil War.

After the ceremony, we climbed into blissfully air-conditioned autos and traveled to Prime Grill and Steakhouse, a kosher steak house, under Kosher Miami hashgacha. A large restaurant with a lot of dark wood and bamboo, the place has an ambiance that is pleasant.

Because we were a small party of ten, we were given a limited menu with just about four choices for each stage of the meal. Unfortunately, there was almost no air conditioning in the place so they had placed huge fans all over the restaurant. All the fans did was blow hot air. It was hard to guess which was worse- the restaurant heat or the outside temperature, which at midnight was still close to 90 and very humid.

You gotta love a steak house that lists STAKE on its menu. We thought perhaps they were vampire leftovers or something. “And how would you like your wooden stake, sir? Oh, I will have mine medium rare.”

They began the meal by placing plates of a really delicious red potato salad and pickled veggies with dipping sauce on the table. Rolls were fresh, crisp and warm. The potato salad was outrageously good. Everyone commented on how delish it was.

Appetizer choices were: chicken satay, salad or chicken soup. The soup, although it looked like vegetable soup, was quite tasty and the matza balls were perfectly solid (if you like them that way)

The chicken satay was served on skewers with a dipping sauce and mesculin and cherry tomatoes. We enjoyed the chicken very much.

The salad looked good. It was big. It filled a large plate. It was salad.

Dinner choices included salmon (with a “hoisim” sauce), prime rib, rib stake (sic) or half a chicken with “chink” glaze. At 14 ounces the meat was just big enough. The prime rib was perfect. The meat was tender and juicy. The gravy was a perfect accompaniment for the meat. The steak was more than just a tad on the tough side. One person who ordered medium well got meat that was dripping red juice. Another person got a steak perfectly grilled, but the meat was too tough. The steak was, however, nicely seasoned.

Dessert was “ice cream” or chocolate cake or tiramisu. The chocolate cake was like velvet. The tiramisu was to die for. As in: momma put the coins on my eyes!! We have never tasted something so heavenly………

The wine served with dinner was very good and most people seemed happy with the wine they got (we had several choices). Water was cold and good tasting and our cups were refilled over and over in a timely and attentive manner. The wait staff was incredible. They were attentive without hovering. They anticipated people’s needs. They were helpful with suggestions. All in all, they were super.

Would we eat there again? Yes, we would. But we would forego the “stake” and have the prime rib!

The restaurant is located at the Waterways Shops, 3599 NE 207 St, Aventura, Florida. 305.692.9392

All of our Israeli friends and family are complaining like crazy over the fact that they have to celebrate a three day yom tov (two days Rosh Hashanah followed by shabbat) just as we do here in the Diaspora. Hahaha- they finally get to understand Jewish life as we live it out here in the boonies, so to speak. Rosh Hashana is two days in Israel, too! Voila- they get the same three days we do.

Norman’s Steak and Burger comes to the rescue for the good folks in Israel. Good friend Robin (the Norman of Norman’s) sent us her take away menu for RH/Shabbat. Check it out!

NORMAN’S STEAK’N BURGER AUGUST 2007
27 Emek Refaim, German Colony, Jerusalem
Telephone: 972-2-566-6603 Fax: 972-2-672-9548
E-mail: burger@normans.co.il www.normans.co.il

ROSH HASHANA 3 DAYS… OY VEH!
Preparing meals for three days of
Rosh Hashana…
is not an easy time in the kitchen.

Relax……Norman’s Restaurant has a special take away menu so that you can enjoy the holiday, Shabbat and avoid the grind. Fresh food at unbeatable prices.

Norman’s take-out menu is unique. None of our take-out items are frozen. We only prepare for orders so that everything is fresh and tasty.
We only use Glatt Mehadrin meats and our chickens are Mehadrin. All our baked goods and desserts are Mehadrin. All greens are Gush Katif type.
If you want a special menu with unique items or don’t see what you like on the menu, call Robin at 052-240-2883 or e-mail her at robin@normans.co.il

NORMAN’S ROSH HASHANA TAKE OUT MENU….

Soup
Chicken soup…just like your Bubbie use to make 55 NIS per liter
Meat soup: chunks of meat with potatoes and vegetables in a tomato base 55 NIS per liter
Pumpkin soup…great for vegetarians 50 NIS per liter

Fish
Grilled salmon…with a tomato sauce 35 NIS per portion

Chicken

Hot dogs in a blanket with mustard sauce

Whole roasted chicken…spiced to perfection
20 NIS per portion

80 NIS
Schnitzel…in a delicious batter 37 NIS per portion
Chicken fingers..your kids will love them 37 NIS per portion
Stuffed chicken ..with mushrooms & onions 40 NIS per portion
De boned chicken..in our chef’s sauce 52 NIS for two pieces

Meat
Roast beef…in a red wine sauce 220 NIS/kg. (4-6 people)
Meat balls…sweet & sour to tickle your tongue 36 NIS for 5
Goulash…so yummy
Honey garlic beef..cooked in our special sauce 110 NIS per liter
160 NIS per kilo

Kugels, Potatoes, Vegetables & Rice
Rice and mixed vegetables… So yummy
Potato kugel…need we say more 67 NIS (6-8 people
67 NIS (6-8 people)
Sweet potato kugel…with a honey sauce 67 NIS (6-8 people)
Vegetable kugel…with eggplant, zucchini, sweet potato & carrots 67 NIS (6-8 people)
Carrot tzimmes…with raisins in an orange sauce 67 NIS (6-8 people)
Roasted potatoes…with just the right spices 67 NIS (6-8 people)
Potato Anna…sliced potatoes with onions 67 NIS (6-8 people)
Cooked mixed vegetables…low fat 67 NIS (6-8 people)
Sweet noodle kugel…just great! 67 NIS (6-8 people)

Salads

Pasta Salad with vegetables 50 NIS per liter
Mushroom salad…with a lemon sauce 60 NIS per liter

Zucchini salad…with red peppers & pickles 55 NIS per liter
Potato salad…with mixed peppers & mayonnaise 45 NIS per liter
Coleslaw…with vinaigrette dressing 45 NIS per liter
Cucumber salad…with dill & red peppers in vinaigrette sauce 45 NIS per liter

Sorbet & Ice Cream (Parve)
Vanilla ice cream 58 NIS per liter
Raspberry, lemon, mango, passion fruit sorbet 58 NIS per liter
Individual pies…apple pecan, chocolate soufflé
Individual mousse…chocolate, chocolate exclusive 20 NIS per piece restaurant size)

Wishing all our friends & customers a
Happy & Healthy New Year!
********************
And a shana tova, gmar tov to Robin and all of our friends at Norman’s.

We are here to celebrate a wedding! We left NYC where it was hazy, hot and humid and came here where it is even hazier, hotter and more humid. You can not go outside without dropping three or four pounds of water on the sidewalk- and that’s even if you stand stock still. Local residents swear that the breeze is wonderful. By us the breeze is just more horribly hot, wet air moving around us.

For dinner on Sunday night, we went to Levy’s, an Israeli Steakiyah. The decor is non existent. The place has woefully inadequate air conditioning, the Israeli wait staff are all typical Israeli wait staff (ie, some are nice, others are trying out to be stewardesses on El Al) and the food is excellent. The prices are extremely good, and as we said, the food is truly excellent.

Menu offerings are typical of an Israeli steakiyah: schwarma (turkey), pargiot schwarma, lamb kabob schwarma, beef kabob schwarma, and the like. All of the afore mentioned dishes are quite tasty. The french fries come in two styles: regular, thick cut and potato chip style.

Five of us went and had our meals “in a pita.” With fries on the side and sodas for everyone, the bill was an extremely modest $50.

Levy’s is in Hollywood, Florida. Check it out!

Have you noticed that lately almost everything we read has mistakes in it? Where are the proof readers and editors? We recently read a book where a character’s name changed mid story. In another one, the author wrote contradictory times within the space of three paragraphs. Not only is good writing becoming more and more rare, good editing is even more rare.

One thing that comes to mind is the humble restaurant menu. We can’t remember the last time we had one without silly errors. In one restaurant in Teaneck, the menu offered “chicken cubs” and “roosted potatoes.” In a kosher Italian restaurant, the menu offered an item “con saliva” instead of salvia. We were really worried about what went on in that kitchen!

There is a (trefe) restaurant in our neighborhood, one that we pass on the road almost every day. The name of the restaurant is L’Italiano Trattoria. That one makes our teeth itch! We’re guessing that the place is not owned by Italians. Any self respecting Italian would never open a restaurant with such obvious errors in the very name of the place. To be correct, the restaurant should be Trattoria Italiana. We give the owners the famous “close but no cigar” award.

How sad is it when even the name of the place is wrong?

That reminds us of a funny story. In Great Neck, NY, there used to be a kosher restaurant called Sopranos. The first time we went in there, the owner greeted us with a cheery “Good evening” spoken in proper Italian. We responded that we were “molto bene,” and, in Italian, asked how he was doing (Va tutte bene?) He looked at us as if we were from the Moon. At that point, we looked closer at the man and realized that he was not Sicilian at all. He was Persian! Ah,but at least he had someone check all the Italian on his menus.

Come on folks, get with the program!