LA GUTA

Formerly in Nachalat Shiva, La Guta reopened on Derech Beit Lechem at the beginning of February. While we admit that every place is entitled to a “shake out cruise,” La Guta will need lots of work if they are to succeed.

The place is lovely. You are seated in one of a series of rooms, as if you were dining in someone’s home. The decor is perfect. The acoustics are terrible. It is hard to have a conversation, because it is impossible to hear anyone else.

The service is terminally slow and not very good. Twice they brought the wrong dish to the table. On the other hand, they were gracious about taking it back. The wine was beyond bad. It took 30 minutes for bread to arrive at the table. A pitcher of water was accompanied by a small glass of ice for the table.

The food? Well, the food was either very good or nothing to write home about depending upon whose opinion it is. All in all, we will probably not go there again.

The menu tells you that it is a work in progress, which explains a lot!

The soup of the day was Jerusalem Artichoke soup- served piping hot and delicious.

Appetizers we had included:
Browned gnocchi with warm salad of mushrooms and champagne vinegar- very tasty.
Pot Au Feu of veal on wheat stew with a marrow bone- sort of a mid week cholent. Nothing to write home about.
Truffles spread and smoked meat bruschetta with dijon mustard and capers. EH!

Dinners we had:
Lamb kebabs with chickpeas and Moroccan olives- too much cinnamon.
Beef fillet pieces with Balsamic glaze on a small skewer with mushrooms and Swiss chard- again: somewhat underwhelming.
Chicken Breast in Five Herbs with garlic and honey sauce- not worth ordering
Lamb osso bucco on couscous and winter veggies- very, very good.
Veal sirloin slices on warm bulger with veal stock, balsamic and chestnuts- tasty but not worth the price.
Grilled entrecote (300 grams) with garlic confit, veal stock and Jerusalem artichoke puree- fantastic! Three pieces of the softest meat……. in a sweet sauce- we loved it!