Zahav

To celebrate his birthday, Francisco and I went to Zahav, a modern Israeli restaurant. It's a much-loved and highly-rated restaurant in Philadelphia, and we weren't disappointed. Francisco and I like sharing small plates, especially since our taste is similar--we both loved the grilled duck hearts with falafel and green chickpeas. I mean, those things were the best meat I've had in years. My other favorite was the fried cauliflower, with a sauce that included chives, mint, dill, and garlic. Francisco ate most of the squash, with apple and pear on top. And I think we both loved the chicken shashlik--the chicken was like butter. We finished the meal with Turkish coffees and they brought a dessert for Francisco's birthday.

My only complaint is that I made the reservation online; they called to verify the day before. Since I missed their call, they insisted that I call them back to let them know that we were still coming. I find that inconvenient. However, they asked if we were celebrating anything, and I said my husband's birthday (otherwise, I've never really let a restaurant know that sort of thing)--so: free dessert.