FORGET THE ROXBERRY- WE SPENT A NIGHT AT NORMAN'S

So the kids and I headed over to Norman’s Steak and Burger the night before Thanksgiving. Even with a rain that seemed to remind us all of Noah’s ark, etc, the place had lots of people there. Owner Robin told us that she would serve 300 meals at four- count ’em four- seatings on Thanksgiving. In fact we sat in the restaurant until 11:00pm and Robin was still taking reservations. Go and know that there are that many Americans looking for a traditional Thanksgiving so far from home! Then again, we should not have been surprised at all. All around us the streets of Jerusalem were packed with parents visiting with their kids in Israel. Getting into any restaurant all week was not easy as each place was filled with hungry Americans with their Texas sized appetites. Lucky for them and for us, too, Norman’s is up to the task.

We started with the beef tomato soup. It was wonderful. Hot, delicious and good to the last drop. It was a hearty soup that was perfect for a cold and rainy night.

We followed that with onion rings for the table, and the table enjoyed them very, very much. In fact, so did we! The onion rings at Norman’s are not dainty little affairs. Nope, they are large rings of onion deep fried with a tangy coating mix. Of course, the rings came with a whole assortment of dipping sauces and dressings. We were hard put to choose between the BBQ sauce and the honey mustard sauce. The others were good, too, but the above mentioned two kept us busy all night.

Son in law Yoav ordered the entrecote- a large piece of aged meat. Daughter Tali and her father ordered a huge half pound burger topped with mushrooms, onions and entrecote slices. Wowzers! Add to that the lettuce and tomato on the sandwich and you have a meal fit for a whole village!

Salads at Norman’s are always fresh, crisp and tasty. The chips (french fries) are cooked just the way we like them, and they are hearty pieces of potato. No little weenie fries at Norman’s. These are hearty fries good for a lumberjack or some other sort of manly man. Or for a dainty lady. Either way…….

Owner Robin sat with us the whole time and regaled us with stores and more stories. We love when Robin comes to the table- she makes the whole experience so much more incredible! Daughter Tali called for an official vote and we decided that Robin is way cool!

One of the things that we love about Norman’s is the quality of the meat. Robin brings in very good meat in order to turn out the fine products she serves. We have never had a bad piece of meat there. Last time we were there, son in law Yoav had the sumo burger- a full kilo of meat. He had a ball eating it. This time, he tore into his entrecote with the enthusiasm only a true carnivore can bring to a beautiful piece of meat! In fact, we all ate with gusto.

During dinner, at Robin’s request the head chef gave us a foretaste of Thanksgiving. First he gave us a basket of his freshly made croûtons. These were strips of prepared bread that were spiced well and topped with a hint of cinnamon. The idea was that people could eat them like bread stips, dip them in dipping sauce or in the soup. or break them into little crouton sized pieces to put in the soup. We ate the whole basket in no time. They really were quite excellent.

Later on the chef came and presented us with a plate of cooked veggies and fruits that would find their way into the turkey as stuffing. Talk about taam gan eden!! To die for! As in momma put the coins on my eyes for I have died and gone to heaven! There were potatoes, prunes, cashews, celery, orange, onion and lots of other stuff that is top secret! The four of us (Robin, too) sat there eating stuffing with large spoons so we could spoon it up into our drooling mouths. By the time we finished, the plate was so wiped clean, it looked like a clean plate from the kitchen.

Too soon it was 11:00pm and we had been there for over 3 hours. It was time to let Robin go and head home. The next morning, we were all still smiling at the memory of an incredible meal!

Norman’s is glatt mehadrin. Located on Emek Refaim, the restaurant is a must stop kind of place. Great place to congregate, great place to conversate and a great place to satiate!

www.normans.co.il