JACKO’S STREET (RESTAURANT)

By day, Machaneh Yehudah, the Jewish shuk in Jerusalem, is a crazy and crowded warren of alleys packed with all manner of stores. Chances are, just about anything you want, you can buy in the shuk. One caveat, however, stay away on a Friday morning when the shuk gives new meaning to the phrase “like sardines in a can!”

At night, however, the shuk is an entirely different experience. Simply put, it most clearly seems like a recreation of Greenwich Village (downtown Manhattan) back in the 60’s and 70’s. It is THE scene. It is the place to be seen. Restaurants, bars, bistros, music, laughter all abound.

Five of us went to Jacko’s Street, a small chef restaurant located at 6 Shikma St, in the shuk. This somewhat small bar/restaurant is a most amazing place.

Let’s start with the decor. The place is decorated in what can best be described as shuk chic. The walls are covered with very old Israeli street signs. The ledge above the bar is filled with a lot of empty liquor bottles, especially (for some reason) Bombay Gin. (Maybe James Bond drinks there??) Additionally, the walls are also covered with all manner of stuff easily bought in the shuk- bags of rice, hooks, funnels, shopping carts, containers, etc. The walls otherwise are unfinished, gray stone. Although the place is street level, it gives the appearance of a good old fashioned Rathskeller.

The food is out of this world. Taam gan eden! Five Forks Kosher Nexus Award Winner! The service is good, but not overwhelming. We suggest reservations as the place is small. (02 581 7178)

The menu is wide and complete in terms of types of dishes. Every dish is cooked to be served when you are ready, so they do not start to cook your main until you have finished, and the waitress cleared, the first course.

So, what did we have?
First course:
Salmon Ceviche Tartar, served with capers and sweet wasabi (nice back door on that one, btw)

Turkish Kebab served with roasted tomatoes and pickled lemon.

Ravioli stuffed with meat and spinach and chickpeas.

Carpaccio of tenderloin and roast beef served with a poached egg, salad, and glazed pecans. (This was one person’s dinner.)

Main Course:

Two people had the house entrecote hamburger served with roasted potatoes and salad. The burger and bun were both huge. The grilled onions were also great.

One of us had the Whole Fish (Denis) stuffed with tabouli and lemon sauce. The fish was quite large and very fresh.

One of us had the Filet Mignon, cooked a tad too rare, but still unbelievably tasty. 250 grams of incredible meat.

Two baskets of crusty French bread served with a pesto aioli.

Two cups of wine, one bottle of sparkling water completed the dinner.

TOTAL COST: NOT QUITE $200 (BEFORE 10% COUPON).

The place closes for two hours in the afternoon so the chef can hit the shuk and do his buying for the night rush. Everything is that fresh! The three line chefs and head chef are all amazing artists to watch in the open kitchen.

Would we go again? In a minute!