Alenbi Kitchen

It’s hard to find properly made kosher Israeli food in New York, but with the exception of a few avoidable menu items, Alenbi does it very well. The chic space with large windows is home to a large table perfect for big groups and a few smaller ones. And while short, the menu is clearly thoroughly thought-out: the kruvit (wood-oven charred cauliflower) is perfect, as is the eggplant baladi - a flavorful blending with raw tahini, lemon, garlic, tomato, black eggplant cream, gremolata, harissa, and Amba sauce that you’ll want to keep dunking your bread in. But the pita sandwich section is where Chef Elior Balbul really shines. They are all absolutely delicious - from the classic fried schnitzel to a taleh version (pulled lamb, hummus, mint salta, braised carrots, and fennel slaw) and the scalopinit sandwich (tender beef filet, pickled peppers, roasted almonds, parsley, green beans, broccolini, spinach, olives, and scallions). The two-item dessert menu makes it easy to try both, but since the restaurant is meat-focused, just remember that all the after-dinner treats are made with mock dairy.