DECKS REVISITED

We just got back from a quick, ten day jaunt to Israel. While there, we took a trip north to Tiberias to go to Decks restaurant. We admit to our prejudices, and we firmly believe that Deck’s is one of the finest restaurants in the world.

We were a group of seven, and we were greeted like old friends. Our waitress was a lovely young lady named Efrat. Efrat was actually stunningly beautiful and was glowing with the fact that she had just gotten engaged the previous week. She told us all about her fiancee, as she carried a staggering amount of food to our table. From time to time, she was joined by the owner and the manager as well. A meal at Decks is not just a meal, it is a celebration of life and the best life has to offer.

As always, we started with the onion loaf with dipping sauce. The newbies of the group were heard to be moaning and sighing with delight. Then came the grilled foie gras. Each piece was a bite of heavenly perfection: soft on the inside, perfectly grilled on the outside and delicious through and through. We ate the foie gras along with the salad which was blessed with a just perfect dressing that heightened the experience.

Dinner was mullard, spring chicken, lamb chops on the long bone, lamb shoulder, and grilled sweet potatoes. Never one to like duck, we nonetheless tried the mullard and fell in love with the taste. It was magnificent. So, too, was the rest of it. Each piece of meat was grilled just right.

Decks is famous for their parsley/garlic french fries, and they, too, were a huge hit.

While we ate, there was a dance troupe from a local school and they put on quite a show. We are tempted to say that dinner alone was high theater, but actually watching the dancing was a nice way to relax in between courses of food.

Dessert was the famous Decks apple crepe flambe. The crepe was prepared at table side, and we all laughed appreciably as it was lit up and served with “ice cream(pareve).”

Dinner at Decks is never a quick affair. We sat for several hours and savored each incredible bite. People laugh at us when we say that the long flight to Israel is worth it just for a night a Decks, but we really mean it. We have eaten in kosher restaurants literally all over the world, yet we keep coming back to Decks over and over again. It is well worth the trip. There is just one problem with eating at Decks: three days later you have to eat again!

Sure, we love going into any restaurant where we are greeted by name and made to feel to like family. And it is true, at Decks we do feel like family. But seriously folks, this is one family you will certainly want to join.

Speaking of family, at the end of the meal, we all drank “l’chaim” to Efrat and her fiancee. We offered them good wishes of “ad meah v’esrim- til onehundred and twenty.”

Decks is in Tiberias. The telephone number there is 06 672 1538 On the web, you can find them at www.lido-galilee.com/decks
(RJR)